The college search can be nerve wracking, even when you think you know what you want to study or what career you want to aim for. There are so many things to consider-- the types of programs you’ll need access to in order to get the education you’re looking for, the quality of education you’ll receive, the location of your college, how to finance your education. It can take a lot of planning to make sure you’re on the right track.
If you’re looking to pursue a career in sports broadcasting, you might be at a bit of a loss as to what majors will be the most useful to you and what colleges have them. We’ve done some of the research for you-- here’s our list of the best colleges to attend for a career in sports broadcasting.
How Do You Become a Sports Broadcaster?
In order to get a career in sports broadcasting, it’s helpful to have an idea of what skills and experience you’ll need before you settle on a college. Sports broadcasting requires that you have an in-depth knowledge of the sports you’re most interested in-- this includes the history of the sport, the names and teams of current players, and of course the rules. A working understanding of other sports is also a plus.
But knowledge about your sport isn’t all you need in order to get into sports broadcasting. You’ll also need to develop some great journalism skills. The best majors to consider for this purpose are Communications, Journalism, Sports Information, or Broadcasting.
In addition to ensuring that your top colleges offer one or more of those programs, you’ll want to make sure that you’re looking at schools where you’ll have opportunities to practice sports broadcasting. This often means that schools with strong sports programs are great options-- as a college’s sports become more important to campus life, the quality of its broadcasting increases. These are schools where you can often manage to get a work study announcing for college sports.
Even if you don’t opt for a work study, you’ll definitely want to find an internship in sports broadcasting or a similar field before you graduate. Internships provide you with relevant work experience and are a relatively safe way to develop your reporting skills-- and in such a competitive field, it’s absolutely necessary to take any opportunity you can to develop those skills. Although internships aren’t necessarily going to come through your college, it’s still good to keep them in mind when you’re choosing what school to attend.
So-- you’ll want a major in a journalism or communications-related field, experience at your school, and work experience from internships if you want to become a sports broadcaster. What colleges offer the best opportunities for these three things? Here’s a list of the best colleges for sports broadcasting.
The Best Colleges for Sports Broadcasting
Syracuse University
Syracuse University, located in Syracuse, New York, is first on our list of ideal colleges for sports broadcasting. Syracuse offers a variety of majors that students interested in this field will find very useful-- including Broadcast Journalism, Communication and Rhetorical Studies, and Public Relations. As far as sports are concerned, Syracuse is an NCAA Division I school and a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. With Syracuse’s lively sports scene, students are likely to have many opportunities to get some experience broadcasting here.
The full-time tuition cost for Syracuse University is $61,310.
Arizona State University
Located in Phoenix, Arizona, Arizona State University is an excellent place to look if you’re wanting to find a career in sports broadcasting. ASU offers majors in Sports Business, Communications, Journalism, Mass Communications, and Sports Journalism-- so you have plenty of relevant courses of study to choose from here. Like Syracuse, ASU’s sports scene is also going strong. It’s a member of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference, where its teams have won three Pac-12 titles in football.
Arizona State University has a full-time tuition cost of $34,103 for out-of-state students.
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia offers an assortment of communications or journalism-based majors that are perfect for students interested in sports broadcasting. The school maintains great programs in Communications Studies, Entertainment and Media Studies, Journalism, and Pre-Journalism, and offers Certificates in New Media and Sports Media, making this a dream school for anyone with a passion for journalism and media. The university’s sports teams are active, too-- it’s worth investigating sports broadcasting or announcing opportunities around campus.
The full-time tuition cost for the University of Georgia is $30,220 for out-of-state students.
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school does offer a program in journalism, but its real draw for sports broadcasting hopefuls is its sports programs. Notre Dame’s football team is one of the most notorious college teams in the country, and all of its other athletic teams-- except ice hockey-- are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. With such an impressive football team, Notre Dame is an excellent place for journalism students to seek work studies and opportunities to work with the broadcasting teams in order to get some practical experience.
Notre Dame has a full-time tuition cost of $62,693 in 2023.
Ohio University
Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, offers majors in Communication and Communication Studies, Journalism, and Sport Management. For high-achieving School of Journalism students, the Carr Van Anda Program is available-- a personalized twist to the college’s usual Journalism curriculum that allows students to take their interests into their own hands. Ohio University is also a great school for gaining experience with sports journalism on campus. As a Division I school, a member of the Mid-American Conference, and a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision, its football and basketball games consistently draw large crowds-- giving students ample opportunity to get involved with announcing games.
Ohio University has a full-time tuition cost of $13,746 and a total cost of $41,464 for out-of-state students.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Situated in Lincoln, Nebraska, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is another great place for students interested in sports broadcasting to begin their college search. The school offers majors in Broadcasting, Communications Studies, Journalism, and Sports Media and Communication, so students can learn relevant skills for their chosen career. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is another Division I school and has sold out every home football game for sixty years, so getting involved with the broadcasting team here would be great work experience!
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has a full-time tuition cost of $26,984 for out-of-state students.
Pennsylvania State University
Located in State College, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University offers several majors in journalism and communications. Among these are Media Studies, Digital Journalism and Media, Communications, Communication Arts and Mass Media, Journalism, and Sports Journalism. Another Division I school, Penn State’s football team is part of the Big Ten Conference and has one of the best records in the country-- a great program to try and get involved with the broadcasting team.
Pennsylvania State University has an estimated full-time tuition cost of $53,172 for Journalism students.
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is located in Ithaca, New York. Its greatest benefit to students who want to get involved in sports broadcasting is the Roy H. Park School of Communications, which offers degrees in Communication Management and Design, Journalism, and Sports Media. A school that specializes in a relevant field to your career choice is always worth a very close look, and this one is no exception.
Ithaca College has a full-time tuition cost of around $46,610.
Clemson University
Clemson University, in Clemson, South Carolina, offers degrees in Communication and Sports Communication through its College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences, making it a good place for students interested in journalism or communications to think about. Clemson is a Division I school and has won several Division I national championships in several sports, so if you can get involved with the broadcasting process at some of those games, you’ll be getting great work experience.
Clemson University has a full-time tuition cost of around $18,991 for students majoring in Sports Communication.
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is located in Lansing, Michigan. The school offers degrees in Communications and Journalism, but the reputation of its athletic teams and quality of its sports broadcasts are what will really draw the attention of students interested in the field. With a variety of teams full of passionate athletes that draw equally-passionate crowds, MSU is a great place for sports broadcasting students to get involved and earn some experience.
The full-time tuition cost at Michigan State University is $55,189 for out-of-state students.
Those are the Best Colleges for Sports Broadcasting!
There are plenty of college programs out there for students who want to go into sports broadcasting, but it’s useful to try and put yourself in a place where you’ll get the most experience you can on campus, too. In addition to having great communications, journalism, and sports journalism programs, many of the schools on this list also offer bountiful opportunities for students to take a hands-on approach to learning the ins and outs of sports broadcasting.
