The Darla Moore School of Business and the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management recently expanded a partnership to offer more opportunities for students studying graduate business education.
The Darla Moore School and HRSM recently announced a new option for Master of Sport and Entertainment Management candidates to also earn a Master of Science in Business Analytics MSBA in two years. The two units already offered a combination degree to complete a Master of Sport and Entertainment Management and an MBA in just two years.
Darla Moore School Dean Rohit Verma and HRSM Dean Michael Sagas recently signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize the partnership with the MSBA program. The two deans consider the expansion of their combination degrees just the first step. They said they would like to offer even more opportunities for students.
Relatively new to USC, Verma and Sagas both began their dean posts in 2023, and soon after arriving, found a common desire to enhance collaboration between their two units.
“I'm amazed at how many opportunities we have to build on the strength of various programs at USC. The Darla Moore School of Business has a very strong program across business disciplines, and the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management is very good at all of their three disciplines and make their mark in those industries,” Verma says. “But just think about the potential if you combine the two. The students from HRSM will be running NFL and NBA teams, retail chains, and they'll be running hotel chains, food and beverage chains. And they'll need to know about finance, about marketing, about labor laws.”
Along with the combination degree partnership, HRSM and the Darla Moore School have also collaborated to host faculty seminars and Ph.D. student conferences, with plans for more. Work is in progress to offer joint programs at the Darla Moore School’s Professional MBA facilities in Charlotte, Charleston and Greenville.
“We've talked about additional academic programs, including a new concentration in real estate across all of our undergraduate degrees. A few of our hospitality peers have that program, so we appreciate the opportunity,” Sagas says. “We also have permission to teach our master’s classes in sport and entertainment management in Charlotte. We plan on teaching this top-ranked program in Charlotte face-to-face starting in the fall of 2026. USC is already a destination for business education, a testament to the incredible work across both of our organizations. The Darla Moore School of Business established a world-class standard, and my colleagues in HRSM have built upon that to create top-tier programs of our own. Our expanded collaboration with the Darla Moore School will provide students with greater business acumen and broader professional networks, enhancing opportunities and career paths for students and alumni from both colleges.”
With the Darla Moore School’s 7,000 total business students and 3,000 more in HRSM, approximately 25 percent of USC-Columbia’s overall student body focuses their academic pursuits on business education.