- What is the course content?
- Who teaches the course?
- Where is the course taught?
- What are the RIOU credits?
- What diploma is issued after completing the course?
- What are the timelines for the programme?
- Who is eligible to apply?
- How much does it cost to study?
- Where do students live and how much is the accommodation?
- Who selects the prospective students and how?
- Who are the students?
- How to get additional information?
The course aims to prepare a new generation of sport managers for the Russian and international Olympic movement and sport industry. The MSA programme (licence No.040061 of 13 May, 2019) is designed for individuals with higher education qualifications, leadership qualities and an ambition to enhance their professional competence and make an outstanding career in sport administration.
Students study both general and sport specific management subjects including the international business environment, sport diplomacy, economic theory, strategic management, marketing, finance and legal regulation within the sports industry. The course teaches about the business ethics and familiarises the students with the ways political institutions (governments and other public authorities) work in the sport sector.
Professional management skills are polished and developed through studying sport logistics, project management, risk management, event organisation, negotiating techniques, cross-cultural analysis, and other subjects.
The course is comprised of five key modules:
- The Economics of Contemporary Sport;
- Governance and Politics of Contemporary Sport;
- Research Methods for Sport Management;
- The Business of Sport;
- Marketing and Communication in Sport in the Digital Age.
The programme culminates in writing a graduation thesis. The curriculum uses a wide range of modern educational technologies: lectures and seminars, consultations, workshops, case studies, interactive classes, cascade training, practical application, master classes by sports celebrities and individual research projects.
The programme was developed in cooperation with highly acclaimed professors and sport management practitioners from across the world. RIOU's faculty includes visiting professors from Russia, the UK, China, France, Italy, the USA, Czech and Greece.
Classes are held on the University's modern campus in central Sochi (Ordzhonikidze Street, 11), just minutes from the Black Sea.
The campus meets all modern requirements, including the strict BREEAM green standards. It is fully accessible for people with an impairment.
Under clauses 4 and 5 of Article 13 of Federal Law No 273 "On Education in the Russian Federation" of 29.12.2012 (as amended in 2015), the structure of academic programmes and the related volume of learning can be defined by the number of credit points. A credit is a standard unit of measuring student workload for all academic activities within the curriculum (classwork, independent work, internships). The number of credits comprising a programme of further professional training is determined by the organisation delivering that programme.
A RIOU credit is a measure of study load used at the Russian International Olympic University. Each RIOU credit equals 32 hours of academic work. RIOU credits are assigned to programmes of study and individual disciplines, and cover all programme components such as classwork, independent work, internships, continuous and final assessment events, etc.
RIOU credits are consistent and compatible with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Compatibility is essentially based on the use of the same basic principle: 60 credits are the equivalent of one year of full-time study. But the absolute values assigned to RIOU credits are higher than those of ECTS credits. Under the framework model of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), one ETCS credit represents 25-30 hours of workload, while a RIOU credit equals 32 hours. One full study year in Europe equals between 1,500 and 1,800 hours of workload, whereas RIOU's MSA programme represents 1,920 hours.
What diploma is issued after completing the course?
The course is a programme of further professional training (licence No.040061 of 13 May, 2019). After successful completion of the programme (60 RIOU credits), students are awarded a Diploma of the Russian International Olympic University in two languages - Russian and English. It is a diploma of professional retraining which confers the additional qualification of Master of Sport Administration.
What are the timelines for the programme?
Classes will start in mid-September 2024 and will finish in June 2025. The programme runs for 39 weeks (3 semesters). Holidays: end of December – beginning of January, first half of April. Thesis writing: second half of April – mid-June. Thesis defence: last week of June.
The programme admits students with higher education qualifications and fluency in English. Applications are considered on a competitive basis.
How much does it cost to study?
The cost of the programme in 2024-2025 is 11.400 US dollars. This fee does not cover accommodation or living expenses. Russian students make payments in rubles.
Who selects the prospective students and how?
All applications are reviewed by the Admissions Board, headed by the RIOU Rector. The Board decides whether or not a candidate can be recommended for enrolment in the MSA programme. The Board delivers a notification by email when the admissions decision is available.
The RIOU family has no boundaries and our doors are open to people from all over the world. The MSA group of students will be widely international, which is another advantage of the programme. Nine cohorts of students we have had so far represent 77 countries. Find out here what they say about the programme.
How to get additional information?
Please visit the RIOU website for details of the MSA programme's Offer.
You can email your enquiries to msa@olympicuniversity.ru, or call us at +7 495 956 24 30 (Moscow), +7 862 262 97 20 (Sochi).
