The world football powerhouse debuts dual degree programs alongside the Stevens Institute of Technology this fall.
If you’re one of Real Madrid’s millions upon millions of fans around the world, you may have daydreamed about what it would be like to join the soccer giant’s youth academy as a kid, or find some path to connect with the club in a deeper, more formal way.
Well, now you can! It just requires a trip — but not one that requires packing up your life and making a beeline for the Spanish capital.
Instead, program your GPS for Hoboken, New Jersey, where the Stevens Institute of Technology has partnered with Real Madrid Graduate School-Universidad Europea to offer multiple master’s degree programs in sports and technology beginning in this fall.
The innovative graduate program debuts in August, with students completing the degree in two or three semesters with residencies in both Madrid and Hoboken. With offerings focused on everything from sports performance, big data, and artificial intelligence in sport management, students will begin the program by taking core courses in New Jersey, later finishing their studies in Madrid.
Stevens students can obtain master’s degrees in business administration, business intelligence and analytics, or information systems at Stevens while earning a Real Madrid Graduate School degree in sports technologies and digital transformation.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Real Madrid Graduate School, one of the biggest names in the sports world, and offer these programs with Universidad Europea,” said Gregory Prastacos, dean of Stevens’ School of Business. “As technology and analytics continue to transform the sports industry, these degrees will prepare our students for exciting and innovative opportunities in this ever-changing landscape.”
Universidad Europea also has other Spanish schools in Madrid, Valencia, and the Canary Islands focused on providing “a holistic education and shape leaders and professionals who are prepared to respond to the demands of a global world.”
Students will also benefit from Real’s seemingly endless resources and get internships with the soccer club itself or with Real Madrid Next, a collaboration of startups and established companies that offer meaningful, real-world experience.
It’s not every day that a student angling for a career in sports gets to draw upon the resources and expertise of a legendary club with 34 domestic league titles 13 UEFA Champions League trophies. And to be able to do so just across the Hudson River from New York City is a special kind of coup.
Real Madrid may play its home games in Spain, but as a brand, this club is everywhere.