The Reclassification of Sport Management

Institutions of higher education use Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes to categorize and track academic programs. Developed by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), CIP codes are used for various purposes, including data collection, analysis, and reporting (NCES, 2010). Academic administrators can use CIP data to initiate or revise academic curriculum, develop market research for new programs, and reallocate programs. Institutions can establish benchmarks in the form of teaching, research, qualifications, and funding (Knudson, 2016). A survey distributed in November 2022 to members of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) revealed less than one percent of respondents knew their code, highlighting the need for greater awareness and discussion within the field. This paper will provide an overview of CIP codes, examine the evolution of sport management programs, and yield an open discussion to the need for revising the sport management CIP code to better reflect the field of study.