The Master's in Sports Management is a nationally recognized degree at the Bac+5 level (five years of higher education), accessible after completion of a bachelor's degree compatible with the program's field of expertise. The degree is awarded upon the acquisition of 120 European credits (ECTS) spread over four semesters.

The Master in Sports Management — Events and Territorial Sustainability: trail running, raids, orienteering, combined running activities, etc. offers 590 hours of teaching spread over two years: 375 hours in M1 and 215 hours in M2.

The training program is based on the National Directory of Professional Certifications (RNCP) framework developed by the Conference of Directors of STAPS (C3D). It provides knowledge, skills, and competencies in the field of sports management, with a specialization in sports events for off-track races and the sustainability of territories.

This Master's program is open to the following study options:

-initial training

-continuing education

This Master's program does not offer 100% distance learning and is generally held on the Tampon campus of the University of Reunion Island.

Educational goals :

This Master's program trains future managers in sports event management, specializing in off-track races: trail running, adventure racing, orienteering, and other off-track or combined running activities. It incorporates contemporary developments in management, event organization, and running practices, emphasizing innovation and sustainability (economic, social, and environmental).

The program incorporates contemporary changes in the sector: transformation of the relationship with nature, renewal of practice methods, and evolution of the strategies of private, non-profit, and public stakeholders. It enables students to acquire the skills necessary to design and organize sporting events rooted in local contexts, with expertise in innovation and sustainability.

Graduates will be able to work as sports event project managers, sustainable development managers in sports organizations, or consultants in sports event management.

The training also allows you to create or strengthen a professional network through concrete situations (innovation challenges, business creation competitions, public or private order scenarios) and internships within running event organizations, in Europe or in the Indian Ocean area (South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Mayotte, Sri Lanka, etc.).

Training opportunity :

The off-track running sector—trail running, adventure racing, orienteering, marathons—is experiencing sustained growth. In France, 11,000 events were recorded in 2018; the market was projected to reach €1,2 billion by 2024, with an annual increase of 10%, driven by 12,4 million participants, 8 million of whom run more than once a week. The Ministry of Sports identifies this sector as a strategic driver of development for the French sports industry (Sport Eco, Analysis Note No. 17, 2019). In Réunion, this momentum is particularly pronounced: 350 events are planned for 2024, and running is ranked as the 4th most popular physical activity, practiced by 13% of the population (2021 regional survey).

This context creates a concrete need for professionalization. Both the Réunion sports movement and local authorities have expressed their desire to strengthen expertise in organizing sporting events, in order to develop resources, attract new audiences, and establish the region as a sustainable sports tourism destination (Regional Sports Conference, Réunion Territorial Sports Project 2024-2029). This Master's program addresses this need by training managers capable of designing events that are rooted in the economic, environmental, and societal transitions of the region.

The international dimension constitutes the third lever of this training. The expansion of the sector in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region — Mauritius, Rodrigues, Mayotte, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South Africa — and its integration into global networks such as the UTMB World Tour or the World Trail Majors, open up professional mobility prospects which this master's program explicitly structures, notably through the long internship in the second year.

This Master's program is the only one in France entirely dedicated to the management of off-track running events. This unique specialization gives the program unparalleled visibility and appeal in the sports management training market.

The University of Reunion Island also benefits from an exceptional local ecosystem. Since the 2000s, its research laboratories—historians, sociologists, geographers, and economists—have been studying the expansion of off-road running on the island and in the Indian Ocean region, offering students a scientific environment directly connected to the sector's challenges. This academic foundation is supported by a network of internationally renowned events: the Grand Raid de La Réunion, one of the four largest races on the world ultra-trail circuit, as well as the Trail des Anglais, the U-Trail des Géants, and the Trail de Rodrigue, all provide valuable educational and professional opportunities for students. The University's SUAPS (University Sports Service), involved in the French University Championships and the Trail de Rodrigue, further strengthens this dynamic sporting environment.

Finally, the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region represents a rapidly developing professional landscape. Mauritius, Rodrigues, Mayotte, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South Africa: these territories are expanding their off-track running offerings and provide concrete opportunities for graduates, particularly through the extended internship in the second year.

Total hours worked: 590 hours

M1: 375 hours

M2: 215 hours

Master 1 – Semester 1:

• Well-being and fatigue: This teaching unit offers an overview of models related to well-being and fatigue in our contemporary societies. It addresses two complementary approaches: a psychophysiological model, which integrates psychological and cognitive functions into the processes of fatigue, and a sociohistorical model, which analyzes well-being and fatigue as social constructs linked to personal subjectivity and contemporary psychic economy.
• History of recreational sports in natural environments: This course unit traces the history of outdoor physical and sporting activities from the 19th century to the present day. It examines the evolution of the spaces and territories involved, the values ​​held by participants, the structuring institutions and dedicated public policies, as well as the underlying economic issues. Students work with secondary sources and archival documents applied to specific activities: mountaineering, caving, surfing, mountain biking, hiking, trail running, etc.
• Sociology of running practices: This course unit introduces students to the sociological perspective applied to road running. Drawing on a now extensive body of scientific literature, it maps the major thematic areas of the field—identity, body, gender, race, and digital technology. From a Latourian perspective, running is approached as a mediation between individuals, their bodies, and their natural and social environment—a theoretical framework whose concrete professional applications for organizers are demonstrated. The European sociological tradition is mobilized through the work of Bessy and Vigarello on individualization, complemented by a phenomenology of the running body and a reflection on gender and the quantified self. A second section explores the American imaginary of running, from Forrest Gump to Bowling Alone, through the lens of American sports sociology, which prepares the ground for international collaboration with UC Berkeley. Finally, the unit bridges sociology and psychophysiology, engaging with the work of Bertrand Baron, Professor of Universities, on fatigue and the cultural forms of resistance specific to road runners.
• Research methodology: This course unit introduces students to the scientific method and its fundamental steps. It begins with a central question in the age of AI: what constitutes a genuine research question? Students learn to distinguish between professional and research questions, and to evaluate what AI tools can and cannot produce. The unit then presents the classic stages of a research process, the associated techniques—including literature searches in scientific databases—and concludes with an exercise in feasibility: learning to assess whether a question is actionable, what data it requires, and with what tools.
• Contributing to transformation in a professional context: This course unit guides students in preparing for their first internship within an organization. It is structured in three parts: an introduction to the sports events sector and its career opportunities, followed by an introduction to the Life Designing approach—enabling each student to develop and present their career plan through exploratory interviews with professionals in the field—and finally, practical preparation for the internship report, including a workshop on writing the internship project. The unit produces three assessed deliverables: an application portfolio, a well-developed career plan, and a written internship report.
• Project management, innovation and sports entrepreneurship: This course unit introduces students to project management and innovation in the sports events sector. It begins with the fundamentals of innovation, then invites students to explore the Réunion Island entrepreneurial ecosystem through a visit to the Alpha Building (TechSud Park, Saint-Pierre) and a presentation of student entrepreneurship support programs (student-entrepreneur status, PEPITE Réunion, regional incubator). Meetings with professionals in the off-track running sector then allow students to draw inspiration from concrete examples and models before structuring and presenting their own project. The unit concludes with a presentation to a jury, and students are encouraged to submit their project to the Inno'Challenge, a business creation competition open to Master's students at the University of Réunion.
• Organization of sporting events (racing): design and coordination: This course unit places students in a real-world scenario of designing a road race event. Through field trips, they learn to analyze a course—its technical constraints, its scenic advantages, and what it reveals about the race's identity—and to discuss the practical decisions this entails with the instructor. The unit also covers the complete event setup: event application, legal and safety requirements, resource and partner management, and respect for the natural environments traversed. Students leave with a practical understanding of what it means to design and coordinate a sporting event rooted in a specific region.
• Human Resource Management : This course unit covers the knowledge and skills related to human resource management in the context of road racing events. It begins by examining the conceptual and legal framework of HR—statutes, contracts, and the organizer's obligations—before moving on to the operational management of teams: volunteer recruitment and retention, on-the-day coordination, and crisis management. Particular attention is paid to safety and risk prevention, including the organizer's obligations towards employees, service providers, and volunteers. The unit combines academic input with insights from industry professionals. It concludes with the completion of a comprehensive HR project for a road racing event.
• Legal framework and risk management in natural environments: This course unit trains students in the legal obligations governing the organization of sporting events in natural environments. It covers environmental law (protection regimes for natural areas, event regulations, and the organizer's environmental responsibility) as well as risk management (prefectural declarations, emergency response plans, and civil and criminal liability). Students work with real-life case studies of off-track running events, some of which take place in protected areas. The unit concludes with a workshop on drafting a comprehensive safety report.

Master 1 – Semester 2:

• Anthropology of nature and sustainability: This teaching unit offers an in-depth reflection on the relationship between human societies and nature, drawing on the work of major contemporary thinkers such as Philippe Descola, Bruno Latour, and Alessandro Stanziani. It examines nature as a field for sporting activity—what running in natural environments reveals about our relationship to the body, space, and the environment—drawing in particular on the work Born to Run by Christopher McDougall — before addressing sustainability as a cultural and institutional construct, drawing on the frameworks of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Ecological Transition for Sustainable Development (EDSD). The unit concludes with a reflection on the concrete tensions and mediations generated by the organization of a sporting event in a sensitive environment.
• Qualitative research and methods: This course unit trains students in the main qualitative research methods in social sciences applied to road races. It begins with an epistemological introduction that explores the researcher's role, particularly through collaborative research—a process in which participants are involved in defining the research topic, collecting, interpreting, and disseminating data. This role permeates the two central methods of the course: observation and interviews, which are explored from their initial conception to the collective processing of data. Students conduct fieldwork in the Mafate cirque, interviewing local residents about their perceptions of running races and their relationship to the land—a fieldwork experience that confronts them directly with the challenges of accessing sources, managing the interviewer/interviewee relationship, and interpreting heterogeneous materials. This deliberately broad corpus of interviews then forms the basis for an introduction to the statistical processing of textual data using the Iramuteq software.
• Designing your research project: This teaching unit guides students in the progressive development of their master's thesis project. It begins with an analytical presentation of recent theses on road races—used as models for problematization—followed by a critical feasibility review session where each student tests their project with the instructor. Pascal Duret, a university professor, then guides the transition from a simple question to a genuine research question, sharing his own approaches to problematization, data collection, and interpretation. A second phase connects students with four researchers who present their work using the same three-pronged approach—problematizing, data collection, and interpretation—on themes directly related to the master's program: heritage and outdoor activities (University of Reunion Island), sports events (University of Savoie Mont-Blanc), and American running culture (UC Berkeley). The unit concludes with a group workshop on processing the corpus of interviews collected in Mafate, the first practical application of qualitative analysis.
• Developing your professional project – in English: This teaching unit bridges the gap between the first-year Master's (M1) local internship and the second-year Master's (M2) international mobility preparation. It begins with a review of the M1 internship—report, presentation, and initial presentation of the professional thesis—before progressively developing the outgoing mobility project. Students map international opportunities in outdoor sports events, master mobility programs, and prepare their application in English. Professional skills in an international context are practiced in English. Two key components structure the unit: a presentation by the Grand Raid de La Réunion outlining the operational aspects of its upcoming edition, and two presentations from international institutions—a university, a tourism board, and an island community—enabling students to understand the diversity of possible mobility missions: impact assessment, integrating a race into a territorial strategy, and supporting sports policy. Target destinations include Zanzibar, the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Sri Lanka.
• Territorial public policies, sustainability and impact assessment: This teaching unit trains students to understand and utilize territorial public policies within the context of organizing off-track running events. It addresses the actors and scales of public action—from local to European—with particular attention to the specificities of developing countries and small island territories (SIDS). A second part examines sustainability as a territorial issue: sustainable development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), natural area management, multi-stakeholder governance, and conflict management. It incorporates interventions on waste management and the eco-design of sporting events, applied to the specific constraints of natural and island environments. The unit concludes with an introduction to impact assessment—reference frameworks (ISO 20121), economic, social, and environmental indicators, and critical analysis of existing impact reports—which prepares students for the in-depth methodological work conducted in the second year of the Master's program.
• Marketing a sustainable offer: This course unit trains students to design, position, and promote a sports event offering that integrates sustainability requirements within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Ecological Transition for Sustainable Development (TEDS). It follows a three-stage progression: understanding, building, and marketing. The foundations of sustainable marketing are first laid out—a paradigm shift from traditional marketing, segmentation, targeting, and territorial marketing applied to sports events. Students then learn to build an offering: value proposition, sustainable business model, responsible communication, digital strategy and online community engagement, and fair pricing policy. A third stage covers marketing—distribution channels, negotiation with local stakeholders—and the evaluation of marketing performance through sustainability indicators. Each session includes a professional activity: case studies, design workshops, simulations, and a final pitch. Examples used cover Réunion Island, the Indian Ocean, Europe, and developing countries.
• Financial management of sporting events: This course unit equips students with the essential financial skills for organizing off-track running events. It begins with the fundamentals of event economics—revenue streams, expenditure items, the sector's economic models (non-profit, private, hybrid), and the specific characteristics of island and overseas territories. Students then learn to develop and manage a budget forecast, interpret key financial documents, and anticipate budgetary crises. Significant time is dedicated to financing: public subsidies, sponsorship, patronage, and crowdfunding, including a workshop on preparing a comprehensive funding application. The unit concludes with an introduction to the tax framework based on the organization's legal status (non-profit, simplified joint-stock company, worker cooperative) and the organizer's financial responsibility. The unit combines academic instruction with professional expertise from the sector.
• Event communication: audiovisual storytelling and community mobilization: This course unit offers an original approach to event communication, centered on the creation of a short documentary film set in the world of road running—whether filming an event, a region, runners, residents, or a research project related to running. It is structured in three parts. The first module—documentary storytelling, reportage, and filming techniques in natural environments—provides students with the cultural and aesthetic frameworks for observing and narrating before filming. The second module, dedicated to production, covers the entire process: scriptwriting, location scouting, shot breakdown, on-location filming, sound recording, image and sound editing, color grading, and mixing. Students also create a short video for social media, an essential format in contemporary event communication. The course concludes with the organization of a public screening—title, visual identity, distribution, and logistics—for which the students are responsible for all aspects of the event. The unit thus develops rare skills in sports management training: storytelling, audiovisual production and mobilizing a community around an event.

Master 2 – Semester 1:

• Academic English: Research and Sustainable Tourism: This course unit is taught in person by Derek Van Rheenen, a professor at UC Berkeley specializing in the cultural studies of sport and sustainable sports tourism in small island territories. It is divided into two parts. The first—Conducting Research in English (10 hours)—immerses students in the Anglo-Saxon academic literature on running. Using seminal articles, Derek contextualizes each text from within his own American intellectual framework, then challenges students to reflect on their own theoretical and methodological choices to enrich their research projects. The second—Sport Tourism, Nature Sports and Sustainability (10 hours)—draws on Van Rheenen's expertise to explore the links between sports tourism, nature sports, and the sustainable development of island territories, using international case studies.
• Quantitative research and methods: This teaching unit introduces the foundations of the quantitative approach in sports and event science. The first part trains students in descriptive and inferential statistics through the use of Jamovi. Students learn to read, describe, and process a dataset, to apply parametric tests, and to reason about the conditions for generalizing results, including in non-probability sampling situations. The applications are directly calibrated to the type of data collected during the Master's fieldwork. The second part focuses on the construction of a research questionnaire: formulation of items, choice of scales, and validity and reliability of the instrument. It uses LimeSurvey for creation and online administration and introduces Modalisa for data management. It is based on a fundamental group survey extending the psychophysiology of exercise within a sociological framework.

• Quantitative surveys and impact measurement: This course unit trains students in conducting quantitative surveys and assessing the impact of outdoor sporting events. It combines two complementary approaches: fundamental questions about participants and their relationship to exertion and the local environment, and a professional approach focused on measuring the economic, social, environmental, and ecological transition impacts for sustainable development. Students design a questionnaire integrating these two dimensions, using the Grand Raid of Réunion Island as a case study. They learn to work with non-probability sampling, process data using Modalisa and Jamovi, and present their results in an evaluation report for a real-world client. The scarcity of public impact reports in the trail running sector is itself a learning objective.

• GIS and event mapping: This course unit trains students in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) applied to the organization of outdoor sporting events. After learning the fundamentals—layer logic, data types, and projection systems—students learn to map an event in all its operational dimensions: route planning, location of key points, management of logistics and security flows, and consideration of environmental constraints (protected areas, national parks). An analytical section introduces spatial queries, buffer zones, and attendance analysis. The unit concludes with the production of directly usable professional deliverables: an operational map for an event dossier and a communication map for partners and the public. The activities are based on real-world case studies from the Indian Ocean region.
• Conducting your research project: This course unit guides students through the crucial phase of writing their dissertation. It begins with an introduction to the epistemology of Latour and Callon—the sociology of translation and the concept of mediation—as a third perspective on data, complementary to Anglophone cultural studies and the French sociological tradition. Students learn to apply this framework to their own research materials. A second part delves into scientific integrity in all its contemporary complexity: data confidentiality, plagiarism, the FAIR principles, and the specific issue of writing with AI—how to systematically verify and correct the output of digital tools in accordance with academic standards. The unit concludes with work on the academic formatting of the dissertation and its potential for dissemination to diverse audiences: organizers, organizations, researchers, and innovation stakeholders.
• Developing your career plan – in English (M2S1): This teaching unit prepares students for their extended international internship as part of the M2S2 program. It is structured in three parts. The first part guides students in developing their professional internship project: what level of responsibility to aim for, how to frame their mission in relation to their research thesis, what data to collect in the field, and what ethical guidelines to follow when using information obtained from the host organization. The second part addresses the practical aspects of international mobility—internship agreements, remuneration, available financial aid, duration, administrative procedures, and entry requirements—explicitly distinguishing between international mobility and returning to mainland France. The third part leads to institutional videoconference meetings with foreign organizations that may host interns, from a range of destinations including Rodrigues, Madagascar, the Maldives, and China.
• Sponsorship and CSR in sports events: This course unit examines sports sponsorship from the perspective of the specific characteristics of road races and trail running events, within the context of small island developing states and countries of the Global South. It begins by exploring power dynamics in partnerships: who benefits from the values—nature, effort, freedom, sustainability—constructed by the runners, volunteers, and local communities? It distinguishes between the position of the organizing association as the requesting party and that of the private actor who selects its partners, and analyzes the intermediate paths taken. A central section is dedicated to CSR and the ethics of partnership: greenwashing, alignment of values, contradictions specific to island territories, and contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The unit concludes with workshops on negotiating and evaluating sponsorship contracts incorporating ethical and environmental clauses, grounded in real-world case studies from the Indian Ocean region.
• Tourism and sustainability – in English: This course unit explores international models of sustainable sports tourism, taught in English, using case studies from outside Réunion Island. It complements two other courses this semester: one focusing on territorial public policies that grounded students in the context of Réunion and its overseas territories, and the other offering insights from cultural studies and ecopedagogy by Derek Van Rheenen. This unit provides a comparative and institutional perspective, examining governance, international frameworks, benefit distribution, and climate resilience. Students will examine case studies in Europe, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, employing tools from the geography of sustainable development applied to sports tourism. The unit concludes with the writing of a comparative paper in English, juxtaposing a studied territory with Réunion Island. Particular attention is paid to issues of equity and the specific characteristics of small island developing states.
• Professional simulation: designing a sporting event for a client : This teaching unit places students in a real-world situation, responding to a professional commission, positioning the Master's program as a resource that can be mobilized by public and private stakeholders in the region. A client—a local authority, inter-municipal body, municipality, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, MEDEF Réunion, the Indian Ocean Ultra Trail, or another partner organization—submits a genuine call for tenders to the students for the design of a sustainable sporting event. After a presentation of the client's actual needs, the groups develop their proposals outside of class time, drawing on all the skills acquired during the semester. The projects are then presented to a mixed jury comprising the client, the instructor, a program sponsor, an industry professional, and a university representative dedicated to professional development. The best project receives an award and may be implemented.

Master 2 – Semester 2:

• Research paper: This teaching unit supports students in finalizing their research thesis, with personalized guidance tailored to their chosen discipline—sociology, history, geography, or management. The thesis follows its own scientific logic, independent of the professional internship: it can be developed in partnership with a local institution—such as the Hauts National Park, a local authority, or a scientific network—which provides empirical grounding and external validation of the work. The academic supervisor guides students through the final stages: formatting the results, analysis, writing, and preparing for the oral defense. The theses produced in this Master's program are intended to be showcased beyond the defense—particularly at the Association for Research on Intervention in Sport (ARIS) congress, to be held in Réunion in 2028, whose themes will include nature and outdoor sports.
• Internship report: This teaching unit supports students throughout their extended internship, preferably undertaken internationally, within a sports event organization. Beyond regular monitoring and liaison with the host organization, it guides students in analyzing their professional experience—the situations encountered, the skills used, the gaps between training and practical experience, and the intercultural dimension. The internship report is not simply an activity report: it is an analytical document that problematizes an observed professional reality. It is assessed during an oral presentation involving both the academic supervisor and the professional supervisor from the host organization, ensuring dual recognition—academic and professional. Following the presentation, the report is intended to be submitted to the host organization and can serve as a valuable resource in the student's initial recruitment process.

The sectors of activity and types of employment targeted by this training correspond to those listed in the RNCP record 

Internships:

The Master in Sports Management – ​​Events and Territorial Sustainability: trail running, raids, orienteering, combined racing activities, etc. includes two mandatory internships, which are key moments in professional training and research.

Short first-year internship (minimum 100 hours)

The short internship takes place from the middle of the first semester of the first year of the Master's program and continues into the second semester. It involves joining a local organization involved in trail running, adventure racing, orienteering, combined running events, or off-track running events. The student contributes to supervised operational tasks: supporting the logistical organization of an event, participating in volunteer management, contributing to communication or partner relations, and collecting data as part of a defined project. The objective is not to assume full managerial responsibilities, but rather to understand the inner workings of an organization, observe the coordination methods between stakeholders, and develop an initial professional approach.

This internship is prepared throughout the first semester in the EU Contributing to transformation in a professional contextwhich supports the student in prospecting, applying, and writing their internship project. It is assessed through an internship report and an oral presentation at the end of the first semester of the second year, within the course unit. Developing your professional project – in English.

Extended second-year internship (minimum 280 hours)

The extended internship takes place during the second semester of the second year of the Master's program. It is preferably completed abroad, within an organization specializing in outdoor sporting events: a trail or adventure race organizer, a sports federation, a local authority, a sports tourism office, or an event engineering firm. The level of commitment and responsibility is higher than that of the first-year internship: the student develops a strategic vision, contributes to the management or coordination of a project, uses forecasting and monitoring tools, and participates in the design or evaluation of an event or a regional initiative.

Preferred destinations include the Indian Ocean region (Rodrigues, Madagascar, Maldives, Zanzibar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, South Africa), Europe, and mainland France. Preparation for this mobility is provided in the first semester of the second year of the Master's program (M1 S2) and in the second semester of the first year of the Master's program (M2 S1) within the relevant course units. Developing your professional project – in English, which progressively accompany the student from the international mapping of opportunities to the finalization of their application and internship agreement.

This internship is assessed through an analytical internship report and an oral presentation in the presence of both the university supervisor and the professional supervisor. The internship report can be linked to the research thesis, allowing the student to mobilize and produce highly specialized knowledge on the issues of sustainable sports events.

Supervised projects:

The Master in Sports Management — Events and Territorial Sustainability: trail running, raids, orienteering, combined racing activities, etc. includes two supervised projects, separate from the professional internship and the university research paper.

First supervised project — This project is taking place within the EU Project management, innovation and sports entrepreneurshipIt involves acquiring knowledge about innovation ecosystems (innovation methodology, entrepreneurial pathways, support mechanisms, etc.) and experiencing innovation firsthand by participating in a creation or innovation challenge. This initial project management experience allows students to develop transferable skills (self-presentation, team management, public speaking) and strengthen their entrepreneurial skills (identifying demand, utilizing marketing and financial tools). It also allows them to become aware of their potential and to use the two years of the Master's program to develop an innovation project.

 Second supervised project — This project is taking place within the EU Professional simulation: designing a sporting event for a clientThe program involves responding to a call for tenders issued by a real client—a public entity (municipality, group of municipalities, local authority), a private entity (Chamber of Commerce and Industry, MEDEF Réunion, event management company), or a non-profit organization (sports committee, league, Ultra Trail of the Indian Ocean, etc.)—and designing an event or initiative that contributes to a sustainable development strategy for a given area. Projects are evaluated by a mixed jury comprising the client, a representative from the teaching staff, a program sponsor, an industry professional, and a university representative. The selected project is potentially implemented by the client.

Registration fees are set annually by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Space and are available on our institution's website: Register at the University of Reunion

• Having a good academic level, or even demonstrating progress during higher education studies
• Demonstrate consistency between the candidate's academic project and the training
• Promote your experience in the events sector, the world of amateur sports, and/or road racing
• Demonstrate analytical and writing skills
• Demonstrate consistency between the candidate's career plan and the training
• To be autonomous, involved and rigorous

• Transcripts from post-baccalaureate studies. The transcripts from semesters 3, 4, and 5 of the bachelor's degree are essential for the review of the application. Essential document.
• Cover letter. It must demonstrate the coherence of the training project and the professional project with the specificities of the Master's program: event management of off-track races and territorial sustainability. Required document.
• Detailed academic and professional CV. This document should allow for an assessment of academic background, level of outdoor sports practice, organizational experience, volunteer work, and involvement in sustainability initiatives. A very important document.
• Short research proposal. In connection with the introductory research courses in the Bachelor's program and with the themes of the Master's program, this proposal presents the research work already conducted (object, conceptual framework, methodology) and outlines a research question for future work. Required document.
• Additional CV — diversity of experiences. This document highlights professional experiences and internships outside the field of sports event management. Optional.
• Letter of intent for a mobility internship. A host organization has expressed its willingness to host the student for their extended internship during the second semester of the Master 2 program (minimum 280 hours). This letter of intent allows the student to begin preparing for the M2S2 mobility internship as soon as they apply. This document is optional.
• Letter of recommendation. Evaluation from a professional in the field or a teacher who has supervised the candidate. Optional document.

The recommended degree for entry into the program is a Bachelor's degree in Sports Management (3rd year), but all other STAPS (Science and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities) degrees are also considered favorably, as well as engineering degrees related to the environment or other Baccalaureate + 3 degrees related to land-use planning, public policy, marketing, etc.

Depending on the student's situation, applications for admission to the first year of the Master's program (M1) follow three specific procedures (the national platform MonMaster, Études en France, Validation of Acquired Experience). For more information, please consult the university's student services page. Enroll in the first year of a Master's program

Baccalaureate + 3 or equivalent

The Master's program is primarily intended for students holding a Bachelor's degree (Bac+3 or equivalent). It is closely aligned with the STAPS (Science and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities) Bachelor's degree in Sports Management, but also welcomes applicants with other Bachelor's degrees whose academic background is compatible with the program's themes. It is particularly suited to those who wish to develop skills in outdoor sports events and road races, and to engage in sustainable development initiatives for local communities. It is also open to working professionals and those returning to their studies. The program is accessible to international students through the international cooperation agreements established by the University of Reunion Island.

20 seats

The admission dates for the first year of the Master's degree (M1) are set nationally each year and are available on the platform. My Master

For admission to the second year of the Master's program (M2), the schedule is determined by the institution. It is available on the student services page of the university website: Students re-registering

The most dedicated students will be able to continue with a thesis course in fields such as sociology, history, tourism management or psychology.

The sectors of activity and types of employment targeted by this training correspond to those listed in the RNCP record

Specific skills : 

Types of jobs available:

• Operational manager of a sports organization
•  Marketing manager or project manager in a sports organization or related to sports
• Sponsorship sales manager in a sports organization or related to sports
• Partnerships manager in a sports organization or related to sports
•  Customer relations manager or officer in a sports organization or related to sports
• Sales representative in a sports organization or related to sports
• Human resources manager in a sports organization or related to sports
• Department manager in the distribution of sporting goods and services (mass retail, e-commerce)
• Head of sports and/or leisure equipment services
•  Manager of leisure and/or tourist facilities
• Event project manager in a sports organization or related to sports
• Digital project manager in a sports organization or related to sports
• Communications manager or officer in a league, committee, company or association related to sport
• Development officer in a sports organization or related to sports
•  Product manager, quality manager, buyer, department manager in the sporting goods and leisure industry
• Responsible for developing wellness, sports, and physical activity programs at work
• Business development manager/SME manager in the sports, tourism, events and leisure sectors
• Research and development officer, and junior consultant specializing in sports and sports organizations

After 3 to 5 years of professional experience, graduates will be able to access positions such as:

• Sales or marketing director in a sports organization or related to sports
• Human Resources Director in a sports organization or related to sports
•  Director of sports and/or leisure facilities
• General manager of a professional sports club
•  Director of leisure and/or tourist facilities
•  Manager of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the sports, tourism, events and leisure sectors
•  Senior advisor related to sport and sports organizations

Subject to passing the competitive examination, graduates will be able to access positions such as:

• Head of department in the local public service