About the
FIFA Master
The FIFA Master - International Master (MA) in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, is organised by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) in partnership with three universities, De Montfort University in Leicester (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Established in 2000, it was created to promote management education within the sports world. It has grown to become a top graduate academic programme developing all-round managers who can cope with the increasingly complex world of sport.
Every year, the FIFA Master class - approximatively 30 postgraduates from 25 different nationalities – embarks on a unique journey throughout Europe to study sport. Three distinguished universities in England, Italy and Switzerland, which are among Europe's most sports oriented countries, have come together to provide a one year full-time programme that combines top-class academic teaching and practical case studies supplemented by guest lecturers and field visits.
The course focuses on three key and inter-related aspects of sport: Humanities, Management and Law of Sport. The fourth and final part of the course also takes place while the students are still in Neuchâtel and under the supervision of academic staff of the three universities. The Final Project is a research element which involves working in small groups on a chosen topic, considering it from all angles, and then preparing and presenting it to an academic and sports industry audience.
Course lecturers are some of the leading university authorities in the study of sport and guest lecturers include speakers from top organisations in world sport. This course has an excellent record of students finding jobs at leading global sporting organisations such as FIFA, IOC, UEFA, AFC, CAF, FEI, FIVB and various clubs, event organisers, sports marketing agencies, NGO and media. The dynamic and thriving alumni association provides a valuable network both during and after the course.
In 2024 the FIFA Master was ranked as the No.1 course in Europe for the twelfth time by the Sport Business global rankings.
The FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport degree programme is a Master of Arts (M.A.), fully validated by De Montfort University and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).
In the early 1990's, given the social importance of sport in general and football in particular, FIFA wanted to promote research and education within the sport world. Representatives of the University and Canton of Neuchâtel took seriously this willingness and after several meetings and discussions, the CIES was created in 1995, jointly by FIFA, the University, the City and the State of Neuchâtel, as a sports research and teaching institute linked to the University of Neuchâtel.
As an extension of this education initiative, discussions about the "International Master (MA) in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport" (the course’s official name since the outset) began immediately between FIFA and the CIES. The three partner universities of De Montfort University, Leicester (England), SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), were selected, quite simply, as the best in their relative fields of sports history, sport management and sports law.
Further discussions took place with the chosen universities and the programme was officially launched in early 2000, with the first edition beginning in September that same year. Aside from football, many other sports are taught by the teaching staff and discussed in lively classroom debates. This fact, along with living in three different countries and studying at such prestigious institutions, the many different nationalities of the teaching staff and, perhaps even more so, of the postgraduates themselves, make the “FIFA Master” truly one of the best International Master courses in sport worldwide.
De Montfort University (DMU)
De Montfort University (DMU) has an outstanding reputation in the study of sports history and a diverse range of specialised research centres. Among these research centres is the International Centre for Sports History and Culture (ICSHC), based within the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities. The ICSHC was established at De Montfort University in 1996 and is widely acknowledged as the leading centre for the study of sports history in the world, organising international conferences, working with major media outlets such as the BBC and housing sport-themed archives of national significance in DMU’s Special Collections.
SDA Bocconi School of Management
SDA Bocconi has been Bocconi University’s School of Management since 1971. As the leading Italian management school, it is one of the most prestigious in the world with a sound ranking position and an excellent international standing. The faculty within SDA Bocconi combines academic excellence and professional expertise, which is effectively applied to a wide variety of postgraduate Masters programmes. The School also offers nearly 1000 executive courses every year, attended by thousands of managers and professionals. SDA dedicates energy and resources to creating and disseminating strong values in its research, teaching and relations with the scientific, business and institutional communities.
University of Neuchâtel
The University of Neuchâtel (UniNE) has a highly regarded reputation within Switzerland for the quality of its teaching staff and its learning methods, as well as for its extensive use of external experts during lectures and seminars. The Law Faculty is very active in the field of research with associated institutes and research centres. Moreover, the University delivers a Master in Sports Law which is the only one of its kind in Switzerland.
The FIFA Master is organised by CIES, endorsed by FIFA and taught by the three partner universities of De Montfort University, SDA Bocconi School of Management and the University of Neuchâtel.
Two bodies govern the programme: the Executive Board and the Scientific Committee.
The Executive Board
The Executive Board is the strategic body which guides the organisation of the programme. It is composed of:
- President of the CIES Foundation Council
- General Secretary of CIES
- All members of the Scientific Committee (see below)
- A representative from the FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA).
The Scientific Committee
The Scientific Committee fulfils mainly two key roles. The first is that it ensures the overall quality and coordination of academic teaching within the programme, and the second is that it has responsibility for the selection of the postgraduates for each edition of the course. The Scientific Committee is composed of:
- Director of CIES, Prof. Denis Oswald, who chairs the Scientific Committee and who acts as the Academic Director of the course
- Prof. Martin Polley and Prof. Heather Dichter, DMU Scientific Directors (UK)
- Prof. Dino Ruta and Prof. Marco Elefanti, SDA Bocconi School of Management Scientific Directors (Italy)
- Prof. Antonio Rigozzi and Prof. Madalina Diaconu, University of Neuchâtel Scientific Directors (Switzerland).
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