Andre Pittman小蝌蚪APP檚 journey at the 小蝌蚪APP all started with a football game.
Born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Pittman grew up watching the 小蝌蚪APP of Southern Mississippi小蝌蚪APP檚 Golden Eagles. In his junior year of high school, Southern Miss went head-to-head against the Louisiana Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajuns 小蝌蚪APP a team he had previously never heard of 小蝌蚪APP in the 2016 New Orleans Bowl.
小蝌蚪APP淎t the time, my mom told me I needed to go to whichever university ended up winning,小蝌蚪APP he recalls.
, but Pittman was intrigued.
小蝌蚪APP淎s a kid, I always knew I wanted to live in Louisiana at some point,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 just love the swamps, alligators, crawfish, fairs, and all of that great stuff about Louisiana.小蝌蚪APP
Several campus tours later, he was sold on UL Lafayette.
Earning his bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 in sport management and refining his business skillset through the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 MBA program online, Pittman has built a promising career for himself as a manager of finance and administration for the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 athletic department.
Building the Foundation
After spending his first few semesters at UL Lafayette as a nursing major, Pittman decided it wasn小蝌蚪APP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.
小蝌蚪APP淜NES 102: Introduction to Sport Management was one of my favorite classes,小蝌蚪APP 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小蝌蚪APP檚 instructor brought in guest speakers, who shared with him and his classmates their real-world experiences in the industry.
小蝌蚪APP淥ne of our speakers was Dr. Bryan Maggard, the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP he says.
Pittman also gained real-world experience as a marketing intern for the Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajuns, engaging with the community on behalf of the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 sports teams.
小蝌蚪APP淲e did a lot of outreach 小蝌蚪APP contacting local businesses to sell season tickets and developing marketing plans to improve student attendance at games,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淎ll four people I went through the internship program with still work in athletics today.小蝌蚪APP
Though he enjoyed his internship in marketing, he found his talents were best suited for a more administrative role. After earning his bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree, he transitioned into a part-time role as a business analyst for the Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajuns.
小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檚 degree so that I could make the biggest impact in my role,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淗e recommended I get my MBA.小蝌蚪APP
Gaining Specialized Knowledge
While researching MBA programs, Pittman discovered UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP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.
小蝌蚪APP淚t was a challenging course, but what I learned applies a lot to what I do now,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
While in the MBA program, Pittman also earned a promotion to manager of athletics finance and administration.
Pittman works closely with the Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajuns小蝌蚪APP head coaches, helping them manage their budgets and ensuring they follow university and state travel guidelines.
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Looking Ahead
Pittman officially became a two-time Ragin' Grad in May 2025, counting among his network both School of Kinesiology and B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration alumni.
小蝌蚪APP淭he MBA program was amazing for connecting with like-minded people, and I had a great undergraduate experience in sport management, too,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淢y college experience has been phenomenal.小蝌蚪APP
For students seeking a career in sports, Pittman emphasizes the importance of gaining hands-on experience to supplement classroom knowledge.
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP he advises. 小蝌蚪APP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.小蝌蚪APP
Prepare for a rewarding career in sports with a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 in sport management, or fine tune your business skillset with an MBA from UL Lafayette.