Charlotte Is The Ideal Sports Analytics Program In The Southeastern United States
Building upon the success of its Undergraduate Certificate in Sports Analytics, UNC Charlotte is enrolling students for a novel Bachelor of Science in Sports Analytics, beginning fall 2025.
This first-of-its-kind degree, the only one in the Southeastern United States, is a collaboration between Charlotte’s School of Data Science and College of Health and Human Services.
“Currently, there are only four other sports analytics bachelor’s degree programs in the country, and Charlotte’s will be the only one focused on human performance,” said Abbey Thomas, associate professor in the Department of Applied Physiology, Health, and Clinical Sciences in the College of Health and Human Services.
Thomas and John Tobias ’94, a lecturer in sports analytics in the School of Data Science, will co-direct this new bachelor’s degree program.
Tobias, also a senior analytical statistician with ESPN, was among the first statisticians in the country to implement statistics in sports television.
“To be successful in the sports analytics world, one must have knowledge in two particularly important skill sets along with opportunities for real-world experience. First, graduates will need a solid foundation in requisite technical skills, such as coding, visualization and artificial intelligence. Secondly, sports analysts will need to effectively present data to players, coaches and colleagues,” said Tobias. “Our bachelor’s degree students will receive exceptional instruction toward developing their knowledge base, combined with direct opportunities to gain greater proficiency, as Charlotte is the only university in the country where students can earn credit hours for interning with one of our 19 NCAA Division I athletics teams.”
According to the program directors, analytics are changing collegiate and professional sports. Data analyst positions in operations often focus on player performance, team strategies and game tactics. Sports teams also need business analysts to study financial operations and marketing strategies aimed at increasing efficiency and effectiveness or identify opportunities to develop new products or services to meet the needs of fans, players or team owners.
“Data science fields are intellectually challenging and impactful with unlimited potential for growth as technology continues to evolve,” said Thomas. “UNC Charlotte is capitalizing on that interest and potential for growth in the field with another avenue for students to study data science through the lens of sports and human performance.”
The interdisciplinary B.S. in Sports Analytics will offer graduates a range of career options from data or sports analyst to working in sports medicine, physical therapy or athletic training and strength conditioning.
For example, students who take Applied Kinesiology for Human Performance will explore human anatomy and biomechanics, which will aid in analyzing how an athlete moves, jumps and lands. This involves knowing the muscles involved and how one can best explode off the ground to jump as high as possible. Examining data collected on strength, jump height and other biomechanical variables would provide robust information. Using data collected all season, a sports analyst could identify a trend toward suboptimal movements, leading to a holistic approach to correct the situation — modifying training, targeting different muscle groups or employing movement correction strategies.
“Charlotte is home to the most professional sports franchises in the state, and students will have opportunities to work in baseball, basketball, football, hockey, racing and soccer,” said J.P. Barfield, chair of applied physiology, health, and clinical sciences. “These learning and experiential opportunities strengthen UNC Charlotte’s position as the ideal sports analytics program in the Carolinas and the Southeastern United States.”