Management Diploma for Athletes - MDA
Management Diploma for Athletes (MDA) is an entrepreneurship and management program at the Stockholm School of Economics. It is aimed at athletes who have finished or are about to finish their elite careers and who want to prepare for the next step. Through 15 modules of two days each, participants gain in-depth knowledge in areas such as business development, leadership, identity, and finance.
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Management Diploma for Athletes
A tailored entrepreneurship and leadership program that supports elite athletes in transitioning to their next career.
Welcome to your next career!
Have you dedicated most of your life to a sports career? Are you looking for a high-quality education that helps you take the step toward a second career and is tailored to complement your experiences in sports? Do you want to learn how your experiences from sports can be valuable in business?
If you answer yes to these questions, you are on your way to developing into a competence that the labor market demands – a person with a background in sports and increased knowledge of business challenges.
*Please note that the course is only available in Swedish
The program perfectly complemented my background in sports and gave me a strong platform for the next step in my career.
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First MDA Class (2011)
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11th MDA Class
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Johan Cruyff
For those with a background in sports
MDA is for those who are or have been active in sports at an elite level, either as an athlete, leader, or in an administrative role. During the program, participants from different arenas meet. What they all share is strong commitment, determination, and the will to succeed – qualities that are just as important in business as in sports.
An education that offers many opportunities
• Build a platform for a new career within or outside sports
• Develop your identity
• Start your own business within or outside the sports world
• Take the next step in your current job
• Develop in your role as a manager or leader within a club or federation
This is an important foundation for quickly entering life after a sports career.
Overview of the program
The academic year is structured so that you can train or work full-time while completing the studies. Due to participants’ varying experiences, circumstances, and development needs, the curriculum is both dynamic and flexible. It includes a combination of lectures, practical training, workshops, individual assignments, and online components.
To inspire and provide different perspectives from the business world, study sessions are organized with interesting companies. Your individual project work becomes an important part of your career development and employability. The project is supervised by people with extensive business experience and focuses on your own career and interests, or on developing a business plan to start or further develop a company. The project runs throughout the program and concludes with a presentation.
Program content
The program content is structured in modules to gradually build knowledge and deepen insights. The program includes a total of 30 days in the classroom, spread over one year.
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Economics and law
Understanding and using the financial language is an important success factor in all organizations. The course is designed as finance for non-finance professionals and combines theory and practice. You gain fundamental knowledge and tools to interpret financial information and work with financial issues. We also provide an overview of legal concepts and conditions that are central in both business and the sports world.
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Entrepreneurship
Many participants become entrepreneurs after their sports careers. Although businesses can be started without formal education, knowledge about growth and scaling can reduce challenges and contribute to more sustainable development.
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Customer and market
Here we explore brands, marketing, and sales. You gain knowledge at both strategic and practical levels. We cover the changing media landscape, how to build customer relationships, and how to create effective communication.
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Leadership
You develop your leadership skills and reflect on your role as a manager. A personality test helps you understand your leadership profile and how it can be applied in practice.
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Operations development
You gain a clearer understanding of operational efficiency – how you work rather than what you do. We go through the difference between resource efficiency and flow efficiency, as well as different change processes.
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Strategy and business development
You gain a holistic view of business. We go through strategy models and methods for business planning. Through a simulation tool, you work in groups to run companies in realistic situations.
MDA Alumni
