Graduate Department of Sport Management

College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

Website: https://cehhs.fsu.edu/department-of-sport-management

Chair: Jeffrey D. James; Associate Chair: Ryan Rodenberg; Professors: Giardina, James, Newman, Rodenberg; Associate Professors: Kellison, Kim, Xue; Assistant Professors: Du, Pifer, Posbergh, Waldman; Teaching Faculty III: Flanagan, Pappas; Teaching Faculty II: DiDonato, O'Daniel; Teaching Faculty I: White

The mission of the Department of Sport Management is to provide high quality education aimed at producing qualified professionals for the sport industry, public schools, colleges, and universities. The primary goals of the department are to (a) provide excellence in instruction in preparing qualified professionals; (b) pursue research and other scholarly endeavors that advance the theory and practice in sport settings; and (c) provide high quality leadership and service that advance professional organizations in the three programs, as well as benefit Florida State University.

Programs of study in the department lead to the Master of Science (MS) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Sport Management. The department offers a Combined BS/MS Pathway that provides an opportunity for students to complete Sport Management graduate courses that will be counted toward fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree requirements and toward fulfillment of the MS degree requirements. The department offers two Joint Graduate Pathways in Law and Sport Management, a JD/MS and a JM/MS, in conjunction with the College of Law.

Sport Management

Combined Bachelors/Master's Pathway

The combined Bachelor of Science (BS)/Master of Science (MS) degree pathway in Sport Management provides an opportunity for academically talented students to complete graduate Sport Management courses (12 credit hours) that will be counted toward fulfillment of the BS degree requirements, and also toward fulfillment of the MS degree requirements. With the competitive nature of the sport industry, graduates increasingly are expected to have a higher level of training, and to compete for more than an entry-level position must already have some practical work experiences. The non-thesis Master's degree includes service learning hours, requires completion of practicum hours, and provides additional training and instruction to position students for positions in the sport industry beyond the entry level. In a highly competitive industry, the combined degree provides an option for students seeking more than entry level jobs. In an industry where having a Master's degree does provide a competitive advantage, a combined pathway is expected to be a viable option for undergraduate Sport Management students.

Master's Program

The Master of Science (MS) degree in Sport Management emphasizes principles of business as applied in the sport industry (e.g., marketing, finance, management, law), as well as research-oriented courses befitting a graduate program. In addition, an array of electives reflects prominent career paths in the industry (e.g., collegiate athletics, professional sport). The non-thesis track MS program consists of thirty-six credit hours; a thirty-four-hour thesis-track option is also available for those who wish to pursue a research project in a particular sport issue, or to prepare for doctoral-level work.

This degree program is designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of Sport Management and the various components that comprise this area of study. Although course content will focus on the applied aspects of Sport Management, students will be required to become knowledgeable of the current literature, both applied and research based. In order to enhance the student's practical experiences, appropriate internships are a required element of the program of study. This specialization prepares individuals with the appropriate background for employment in an entry or mid-level position.

Doctoral Program

The department offers the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree with a major in Sport Management. The program has a seminar series emphasizing research in core areas of Sport Management, as well as a substantial research method and an analysis component. The degree will consist of a minimum of eighty credit hours, including all examinations and the twenty-four dissertation hours.

The program is designed to prepare individuals for employment in universities and colleges as researchers and teachers, as well as for administrative leadership positions in a variety of settings, including private business, professional and college athletics, and administration in higher education. Research is a major endeavor and students concentrate on the understanding and interpretation of research literature as well as the ability to conduct both theoretical and applied studies. The doctoral program is designed for individuals who wish to pursue careers in higher education as a researcher and graduate faculty member. The program of study has been designed to emphasize the theoretical knowledge base and research paradigms needed to conduct academic research, as well as the knowledge base required to supervise graduate student research. The research emphasis of students in the program will normally be directed toward the testing of theoretical questions and models pertaining to the sport industry. The program affords the student an opportunity to take doctoral level courses in several Sport Management content areas, as well as gain valuable teaching experience prior to graduation.

Admissions

All applicants for advanced degrees in the department must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and present acceptable scores. Three letters of recommendation addressing capabilities for graduate study, a letter of intent, and a current résumé are also required. Recommendation for admission to a program will be determined by the faculty in the specialization to which the student is applying. Additional requirements may go above and beyond the minimum University or departmental requirements.

Sport Management. Applicants for the master's degree program must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and present GRE scores. They may be admitted with a 3.0 upper-division grade point average (GPA) (or higher) and the requisite GRE scores (contact the department office for more information). Official GRE scores must be submitted in order for an application to be considered complete. Applicants to the doctoral program must have a master's degree from an accredited institution and present GRE scores that meet the minimum requirements. Applicants to the doctoral program must have a department faculty sponsor to be admitted. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. For more details on all programs and admission standards, please refer to the departmental website at https://cehhs.fsu.edu/sport-management-grad.

Definition of Prefixes

APK—Applied Kinesiology

PET—Physical Education Theory

SPM—Sports Management

Graduate Courses

APK 5121. Sport and Exercise Psychology for Coaches (3). This course focuses on the theoretical and practical knowledge needed in coaching various sports, emphasizing critical thinking and application of scientific findings.

PET 5235. Motor Learning for Coaches (3). This course offers coaches a better understanding of the processes underlying the learning and performance of skill movements. Focus is on how humans learn skilled actions and how the principles of motor performance and learning can be useful in coaching. Topics cover theories and principles explaining motor behavior and psychological factors related to and/or affecting motor-skill acquisition or performance.

PET 5735. Advanced Coaching (3). This course covers key topics pertaining to coaching, from developing a coaching philosophy to managing a team effectively. Topics include the eight domains of coaching competencies, thus addressing the National Standards for Sport Coaches.

PET 6931r. Advanced Topics (1–4). This course integrates facts, principles, and theories into a practical philosophy in the area of specialization of instructor teaching the course any given semester. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.

SPM 5021. Global Sport Venues (3). This course gives students opportunities to tour sport venues, meet international sport managers, attend events, and discuss current and future issues surrounding venue and event management in the international sport industry.

SPM 5022. Global Issues in Sport Management (3). This course gives students opportunities to identify and discuss current issues that are prevalent in the sport industry at the international level.

SPM 5027. Diversity in Sport (3). This course examines the role and impact that ethnicity, racism, gender, and other diversity topics have had in the world of sport. Students are introduced to the realities of bias and prejudice that exist and perpetuate within sport, while seeking to foster understanding and appreciation for diversity in sport.

SPM 5055. Sport, Culture, and the Body (3). This course encourages students to critically examine the cultural politics and pedagogies of the active, sporting body. It offers a theoretical and empirical survey of body cultures and their related movements, politics, types of modification, and moral panics surrounding issues of in/activity.

SPM 5102. Research Methods in Sport Management (3). This course covers methods and techniques used in physical-education research, including the use of library materials and writing techniques.

SPM 5106. Facility Management in Sport (3). This course studies sport/multi-purpose public assembly facility management. This course includes design, planning processes, funding, construction, and maintenance.

SPM 5116. Strategic Management for Sport Organizations (3). This course examines the fundamentals of strategic management theory important for effective leadership in the sport industry.

SPM 5117. Sport Leadership (3). This course provides students with a critical overview of theory and research in leadership within the field of sport management. Focusing on such topics as ethical leadership and strategic vision to group dynamics and diversity, the course examines the ways in which different leadership approaches, skills, and dynamics influence a sport organization. The course also focuses on translating academic literature in the field to practical/industry settings.

SPM 5158. Athletic Administration (3). This course is designed to provide information regarding the various components and activities in the organization and administration of athletic programs for prospective athletic administrators.

SPM 5206. Sport Sponsorship and Sales (3). This course examines the relationship between sport, corporate sponsorship, and strategies for selling sponsorship packages.

SPM 5308. Marketing Sport (3). This course focuses on topics and issues involved in the marketing of sport and sport services. Particular attention is given to how a sport product is distinct from other products and services. The course includes an in-depth study of sport consumer psychology.

SPM 5327. Advanced Applications of Sports Analytics (3). Prerequisite: SPM 5708. This course introduces students to advanced methods of data scraping, data manipulation, data analysis, and data visualization. These methods are then applied to practical problems and projects relevant to key segments of the sport industry.

SPM 5350. Athlete Recruitment (3). This advanced course deals with the collegiate recruiting of athletes. Topics cover all facets of recruiting, including evaluation, compliance, technology, visits, commitments, and issues.

SPM 5405. Sport and the Media (3). This course examines the unique role and impact of the media on the sport industry. Identification of the grand spectrum of activities and mediums comprising the media is explored. The ever-growing role of print, radio and television broadcast, and the Internet are investigated. This course also orients students to the academic and professional literature accessible in the field of sport management.

SPM 5508. Fiscal Management in Sport (3). This course covers principles and factors involved in the fiscal management of athletic/sports programs. This course also addresses purchasing, budgeting, risk management, operational procedures, and auditing guidelines.

SPM 5605. Sport Governance (3). This course applies a variety of organizational behavior topics to sport organizations, preparing students who wish to occupy administrative roles in the sport industry.

SPM 5708. Applied Topics in Sports Analytics (3). This course teaches students to apply statistical techniques to sports data in order to make practical recommendations to sport industry personnel in a variety of settings.

SPM 5726. Issues in Sport Law (3). This course is an integration of the various areas involved within sport pertaining to the legal liability of coaching, facility management, and risk management.

SPM 5906r. Directed Individual Study (1–3). (S/U grade only). This course allows students to work with faculty supervision to complete an independent project pertaining to a particular topic of interest. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours. May be repeated within the same semester.

SPM 5907. Professional Development in Sport (3). This course provides an in-depth examination of the sports industry from the perspectives of leadership, personal relations, networking, industry research, and internships. Students conduct industry analyses, interview selected industry professionals, engage with case study research, and produce a personal action plan and portfolio.

SPM 5912r. Supervised Research (1–4). (S/U grade only). This course allows students to work with faculty supervision to complete research pertaining to a particular topic of interest. May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours.

SPM 5930. Issues in Sport Management (3). This course familiarizes students with a variety of significant issues currently facing managers in the sport industry and increases students' abilities to critically examine these issues, formulate effective argumentation, and provide recommendations. The course develops students' abilities to think critically, challenge, and argue by teaching a variety of ethical and philosophical decision-making skills. Students also hone their skills through class discussion, presentations, and writing assignments.

SPM 5940r. Field Laboratory Internship (1–8). (S/U grade only). This course allows students to work with faculty supervision to complete a field experience pertaining to a particular topic of interest. May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours as content changes and with instructor permission.

SPM 5942r. Supervised Teaching (1–4). (S/U grade only). This course allows students to work with faculty supervision to complete supervised teaching pertaining to a particular course. May be repeated to a maximum of sixteen semester hours as topics vary.

SPM 5947r. Practicum in Sport Management (3–12). This course provides students the opportunity for practical experience in various areas of sport management. An open forum is established so as to provide an insight into various related topics. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.

SPM 5971r. Thesis (1–6). (S/U grade only). In this course, students enroll for thesis credit while working on a thesis project, culminating in the production of a thesis. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.

SPM 6006. Organizational Theory in Sport (3). Prerequisites: EDF 5400 and SPM 5102. This doctoral seminar focuses on organizational theory in sport administration settings and prepares students to teach and research in the area of human resources and organizational theory of sport.

SPM 6007. Leadership and Organizational Behavior in Sport (3). Prerequisites: EDF 5400 and SPM 5102. This doctoral seminar focuses on leadership styles and theories of organizational behavior in the sport setting and prepares students to teach and research in these areas.

SPM 6017. Globalization, Development, and Sport (3). This course offers an interdisciplinary examination of the globalization of sport. By contrasting local and global dimensions, students examine the social, cultural, technological, and economic structures that constitute, and are constituted by, the expanding sports industry. Using theories from a number of disciplines, students in this course consider issues and problems related to the globalization of sport.

SPM 6046. Sport and Politics (3). This seminar examines how dominant political, cultural, and economic formations influence, and are influenced by, practices and conceptions of sport and physical activity in their myriad formations (e.g., team sport, leisure, games, tourism, exercise, and other forms of bodily [and virtual] gambol). Students develop an in-depth understanding of how political systems and practices shape our lives, as well as more pertinently, how in both historical and contemporary contexts, these systems structure bodily conduct within the frameworks of organized sport and physical activity.

XSPM 6309. Seminar in Sport Marketing (3). In this course, emphasis is on discussion and critical analysis in sport marketing theory, research, education, and current issues relative to social, cultural, political, and ethical issues in sport marketing.

SPM 6507. Seminar in Sport Finance (3). This course assists doctoral students in understanding the theory, concepts, and frameworks of sport finance research. Includes a discussion of major financial frameworks related to and outside of sport and prepares those aspiring to teach undergraduate sport-finance courses.

SPM 6517. Fundraising in Sport (3). This course introduces students to the “art” and “science” of fundraising, an endeavor about people, personalities, and personal relationships. The assigned readings give students the tools needed to successfully engage in fundraising in profit and nonprofit organizations.

SPM 6700. Seminar in Sport Management Research (3). This course examines research methods frequently utilized in sport management. Students critically evaluate published research and learn to conceptualize, design, and conduct empirical research.

SPM 6707. Applied Research Practices in Sport Management (3). Prerequisite: SPM 6700. This course provides an intensive survey of relevant research and professional practices in the broadly defined field of sport management. The course emphasizes practical issues related to planning, conducting, and interpreting research relevant to the behavioral aspects of sport. The primary purposes of the course are to provide students with the skills to (1) successfully develop active research agendas, (2) identify sources of external funding, (3) coordinate large-scale research projects, (4) evaluate research, and (5) refine writing and analytical skills.

SPM 6728. Advanced Law in Sport and Physical Activity (3). This course provides an in-depth analysis of the aspects of law encountered in the contemporary practice and business of sport. Students gain expertise in the practice of sport (negligence, intentional torts, and product liability) and the business of sport (contract, business organizations, employment, labor law, antitrust, intellectual property, sales, and taxes).

SPM 6735. Applied Statistics in Sport Management I (3). Pre- or corequisite: EDF 5401. This course is designed to introduce students to various multivariate statistical methods, and the application of multivariate statistics to research problems in sport management.

SPM 6736. Applied Statistics in Sport Management II (3). This course is designed to introduce students to Structural Equation Model (SEM) theory and method, and the application of Structural Equation Modeling to research problems in sport management. Students gain an understanding of common Structural Equation Modeling techniques that are applicable in sport management research.

SPM 6746. Qualitative Inquiry in Sport and Physical Culture (3). This seminar introduces students to theories, methods, and philosophies of qualitative inquiry in sport and physical culture, including cultural studies, ethnography, narrative inquiry, researcher subjectivity, and the politics of evidence. Students develop an in-depth understanding of the art and practice of interpretation as it relates to qualitative approaches to research in sport management and related fields.

SPM 6931. Seminar in Strategic Management in Sport (3). In this seminar, students examine the history and development of general-strategy research and some of its underlying themes, including the role of top managers; the central concern for the success, failure, and relative performance of firms; the need to match internal characteristics of the firm with the external environment; and the dualities of process/content and formulation/implementation.

SPM 6932r. Advanced Topics: Sport Leadership (3). This course provides students with a critical overview of theory and research in leadership within the field of sport management. Focusing on such topics as ethical leadership and strategic vision to group dynamics and diversity, the course will examine the ways in which different leadership approaches, skills, and dynamics influence a sport organization. The course will also focus on translating academic literature in the field to practical/industry settings. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.

SPM 6933. Seminar in Sports Analytics and Economics (3). This course prompts critical examination and discussion of sports analytics research, primarily focusing on the ways in which sports data can be used to test theories in labor market and behavioral economics and optimize the decisions and operations of key agents in the sport industry.

SPM 6967. Qualifying Examination (0). (P/F grade only.) This course is the qualifying examination to be taken after a doctoral student has completed eighteen to twenty-four hours of coursework. The exam is an assessment of a student's ability to continue in the program.

SPM 6980r Dissertation (1–12). (S/U grade only). Students enroll for dissertation credit once they have passed the preliminary examination and are admitted to candidacy. May be repeated to a maximum of thirty-six credit hours.

SPM 8946. Sport Management Capstone (1). (P/F grade only.) Prerequisites: Completion of at least 24 credit hours in master's degree program and at least 20 hours of community service (10 sport-based and 10 not sport-based). The Sport Management program equips students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to work in the diverse sport industry, related service organizations, and academic institutions. The course assists students in articulating and presenting the knowledge and skills they have learned and developed through the degree program through the preparation of a professional portfolio.

SPM 8968. Preliminary Examination (0). (P/F grade only.) This preliminary examination determines if students have mastered the content area of sport management and are prepared to plan and conduct independent and scholarly research. Upon successful completion of the preliminary examination, students are admitted to candidacy and may begin taking dissertation hours.

SPM 8969r. Comprehensive Examination (0). (P/F grade only.) This course is a comprehensive examination to be taken during the semester in which student plans to graduate and requires the student to apply the knowledge acquired throughout the completion of sport management courses. May be repeated once.

SPM 8976. Thesis Defense (0). (P/F grade only.) Students enroll for thesis defense in the semester in which they plan to graduate.

SPM 8985. Dissertation Defense (0). (P/F grade only.) Students enroll for thesis defense in the semester in which they plan to graduate.