Sportspeople Recruitment was recently contacted by a job seeker interested in undertaking a University course in sports management. Specifically he was asking whether the University at which he completes the Degree will have any bearing on his job prospects. He went on to ask whether employers look at the Degree conferred and whether they might rank one University over another. He indicated he was intending to study a Bachelor of Commerce (Sport Management) at Deakin University, and was also considering the Sport Management Degree at La Trobe University, but he'd heard the degree at Deakin is more highly regarded.

Sportspeople Recruitment has been recruiting in Australia now for close to 14 years and we have filled hundreds of roles from entry level to Chief Executive and the Sportspeople Jobs Market has carried over 10,000 job advertisements in the past 3 years. I'd have to say that I have never considered one degree better than any other and I am not aware of any circumstance where a client (employer) has indicated they would prefer one candidate over another due to the degree originator (e.g. Deakin over La Trobe).

Of course, having a degree is important in the sport sector, so you'll be at a distinct disadvantage if you are looking for work without a tertiary education. Not impossible, but certainly more difficult. The 2008 Sportspeople Workplace Survey showed that the majority of respondents have completed a tertiary education course, with 62% of respondents holding a Bachelors degree or higher in 2008 (down from 63.5% in 2003).

I'd be interested to know whether anyone has ever experienced a situation where the institution at which they studied was raised during the job process as a positive or negative and whether it was a consideration in the final outcome?

RM - Sportspeople Recruitment
First Published 2009.