Andre Pittman杏吧专区檚 journey at the 杏吧专区 all started with a football game.
Born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Pittman grew up watching the 杏吧专区 of Southern Mississippi杏吧专区檚 Golden Eagles. In his junior year of high school, Southern Miss went head-to-head against the Louisiana Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns 杏吧专区 a team he had previously never heard of 杏吧专区 in the 2016 New Orleans Bowl.
杏吧专区淎t the time, my mom told me I needed to go to whichever university ended up winning,杏吧专区 he recalls.
, but Pittman was intrigued.
杏吧专区淎s a kid, I always knew I wanted to live in Louisiana at some point,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 just love the swamps, alligators, crawfish, fairs, and all of that great stuff about Louisiana.杏吧专区
Several campus tours later, he was sold on UL Lafayette.
Earning his bachelor杏吧专区檚 in sport management and refining his business skillset through the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 MBA program online, Pittman has built a promising career for himself as a manager of finance and administration for the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 athletic department.
Building the Foundation
After spending his first few semesters at UL Lafayette as a nursing major, Pittman decided it wasn杏吧专区檛 for him. He grew up playing sports, so sport management felt like a natural choice.
From the first course in the program, he knew he had made a wise decision.
杏吧专区淜NES 102: Introduction to Sport Management was one of my favorite classes,杏吧专区 he recalls.
The course provides an overview of the sport industry, covering the career opportunities available in core areas like finance, marketing, sales, and facility operations.
Throughout the course, Pittman杏吧专区檚 instructor brought in guest speakers, who shared with him and his classmates their real-world experiences in the industry.
杏吧专区淥ne of our speakers was Dr. Bryan Maggard, the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 athletic director, which was exciting for me at the time, to hear about what he does and the impact he has in the athletic department,杏吧专区 he says.
Pittman also gained real-world experience as a marketing intern for the Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns, engaging with the community on behalf of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 sports teams.
杏吧专区淲e did a lot of outreach 杏吧专区 contacting local businesses to sell season tickets and developing marketing plans to improve student attendance at games,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚t was great at getting us to reflect on how we could grow in athletics and figure out where we wanted to go in our careers.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淎ll four people I went through the internship program with still work in athletics today.杏吧专区
Though he enjoyed his internship in marketing, he found his talents were best suited for a more administrative role. After earning his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree, he transitioned into a part-time role as a business analyst for the Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns.
杏吧专区淚 spoke with Duane Bailey, the Chief Financial Officer for athletics, to get some guidance on what avenue I should take with getting my master杏吧专区檚 degree so that I could make the biggest impact in my role,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淗e recommended I get my MBA.杏吧专区
Gaining Specialized Knowledge
While researching MBA programs, Pittman discovered UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 MBA program online, which offers nine concentrations. Wanting to grow in his role as a business analyst and build on his undergraduate coursework in finance and accounting, he opted for the concentration in finance.
Courses like ACCT 526: Analytical Methods for Planning & Control were particularly insightful.
杏吧专区淚t was a challenging course, but what I learned applies a lot to what I do now,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 been helpful learning about concepts like credits and debits. There were a lot of budgeting tools from the course that I use in my role today.杏吧专区
While in the MBA program, Pittman also earned a promotion to manager of athletics finance and administration.
Pittman works closely with the Ragin杏吧专区 Cajuns杏吧专区 head coaches, helping them manage their budgets and ensuring they follow university and state travel guidelines.
杏吧专区淚 also help oversee our facilities and capital projects, such as bank service payments for our baseball stadium and collaborating with city officials on upgrades to the football stadium,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淥ur revenue and expenses come from a lot of different sources, and my job is to help tie it all together into one big picture.杏吧专区
Looking Ahead
Pittman officially became a two-time Ragin' Grad in May 2025, counting among his network both School of Kinesiology and alumni.
杏吧专区淭he MBA program was amazing for connecting with like-minded people, and I had a great undergraduate experience in sport management, too,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淢y college experience has been phenomenal.杏吧专区
For students seeking a career in sports, Pittman emphasizes the importance of gaining hands-on experience to supplement classroom knowledge.
杏吧专区淚f you really want to be a competitor in the job market, you have to get out there and make a name for yourself,杏吧专区 he advises. 杏吧专区淚nternships will not only get you through the door, but also help you understand where you want to be in the field and how you can get there.杏吧专区
Prepare for a rewarding career in sports with a bachelor杏吧专区檚 in sport management, or fine tune your business skillset with an MBA from UL Lafayette.