The UCLA Anderson School of Management will launch a new sports leadership and management minor for undergraduate students this fall.

Laurie Summers, the special advisor of academic initiatives at the School of Management, said the minor – which is set to launch at the same time as a real estate minor – reflects a growing demand for specialized management coursework at UCLA. The university does not offer a traditional undergraduate business major.

[Related: UCLA Anderson School of Management announces real estate minor to start next fall]

Applications for both minors – which students can only apply to each spring – opened April 20 and will close May 4 for current students. Transfer student applications will open in the fall.

The SLAM minor was created to provide more career-oriented opportunities for undergraduates, Summers said.

“Business needs people with these skills – with data and analytic skills – and a background in thinking about sports as a business,” Summers said.

The SLAM minor consists of two lower-division courses, four upper-division core courses and three elective courses, Summers added. The upper-division classes cover a range of topics, including the global sports industry, sports leadership, sports media and sports marketing, according to the School of Management’s website.

Students must complete 90 units, have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and submit a one-page resume or essay describing relevant sports management experience to apply to the SLAM minor. Completing a Writing II course before applying is highly encouraged, according to the School of Management’s website.

Gonzalo Freixes, an adjunct professor of accounting, said the minor will give students both expertise in the field and credentials that sports organizations value. Specialized sports management classes have helped Anderson alumni secure roles across major teams and institutions, he added.

Sanjay Sood, a professor of marketing and behavioral decision-making, said Los Angeles’ role as a global sports hub will shape the program’s approach.

With LA set to host the FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl and 2028 Olympic Games in the coming years, the minor will incorporate industry engagement and guest speakers into the curriculum, he added.

“We’re definitely going to leverage our location to enhance the classroom experience,” Sood said.

[Related: LA to host 2028 Summer Olympics, athletes to use UCLA facilities]

The minor will highlight industries connected to sports, including apparel and technology, Sood added.

Eric Johnson, a board member and adjunct professor at Anderson’s Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports, said the sports industry – and the career paths it offers – have expanded significantly in recent years. Faculty will continue to add courses and incorporate student feedback into the minor as the program grows, he added.

Johnson, the chief executive officer of WON WORLDWIDE – a sports and entertainment strategic advisory firm – said, as a UCLA alumnus who studied economics, the minor is the type of program he would have wanted to pursue as a student entering the sports business field.

David Kotoyan, a UCLA alumnus and former president of the Bruin Sports Business Association – which hosts guest speakers and offers mentorship, consulting and journalism programs – also said he wished he had the opportunity to declare the minor as a student. Kotoyan added that there was no clear academic pathway to develop professionally or explore career opportunities in sports before the SLAM minor.

“It’ll create a cool pathway for all of these numerous teams and large agencies local to Los Angeles to be able to have an easier ability to actually recruit students,” Kotoyan said.

Jake Butkiewicz, a second-year business economics student and current president of BSBA, said he plans to apply for the minor and has seen strong interest among the club’s members.

The minor will allow students to develop specialized knowledge of the sports industry, helping them stand out in job applications and become more familiar with how sports organizations operate, he added.

“It’s about time that UCLA and Anderson has something like this, just given that we’re in LA, and LA is one of the sports and entertainment capitals of the world,” Butkiewicz said.