Course Descriptions

SPT 700 Research Methods in Sport 

This course is intended to introduce students to methods and design problems specific to research in sport management. It is designed to promote an understanding of the theory, tools, and processes involved in designing sport management research studies. Course emphasis will be placed on differentiating between qualitative and quantitative data, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, and sources of data specific to the sport industry.

SPT 710 Socio-Cultural Aspects of Sport

This course will analyze the sport industry as a social institution, using critical thinking skills to solve controversies and issues related to the sport culture. Discussion will center around the social, political, and economic significance of sport in society. Emphasis will also be placed on understanding the positive and negative social effects of sport and physical activity on society.

SPT 720 Sport Marketing

This course will compare and contrast the field of sport marketing with the practices and applications of mainstream marketing. The course will examine the application of marketing principles within the sport industry. Course emphasis will center on linking the marketing plan to an organization’s mission statement and core values. Topics will include SWOT analysis, market segmentation, distribution, packaging, promotion, positioning, and pricing.

SPT 730 Public Relations in Sport

This course explores theories of communications and public relations management necessary for successfully working with internal and external publics of a sport organization. The course will demonstrate how community relations professionals serve their organizations by meeting social needs and connecting with key publics. Topics will include employee relations, community relations, media relations, customer relations, and image enhancement.

SPT 740 Legal Aspects of Sport

This course examines the law as it applies to sport organizations. An in-depth analysis be conducted on the topics of contract law, constitutional law, tort law, administrative law, antitrust law, labor law, and collective bargaining as they relate to the sport industry.

SPT 750 Sport Finance

This course is an in-depth study of financial analysis processes utilized in decision making by sport managers. The focus of the course is on basic principles of micro economics, business structures in sport organizations, basic tools of financial management, e-commerce, sources of revenue, and stadium finance.

SPT 760 Sport Ethics

This course will focus on the ethical issues impacting sport organization policy formation and practice. Students will recognize and identify moral and ethical problems related to sport in its intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions and develop a personal philosophy regarding social responsibility in the sport management setting. Topics include moral and ethical development theories, models of ethical analysis, code of professional ethics, personal and management values, and situational analysis.

SPT 770 Management and Leadership in Sport

The course is an analysis of leadership and managerial functions, concepts, and practices used to foster interpersonal and small-group relationships as found in sport organizations. Topics include networking, power, communication, motivation, fostering creativity, group dynamics, TQM, and negotiation.
 
SPT 790 Sport Governance

This course is designed to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of the power and politics of sport organizations that govern intercollegiate athletics. Students will learn and analyze how people involved in governance set the tone of an entire organization and how individual sport governance bodies fit into the greater industry. Emphasis will be placed upon the student’s development of a working knowledge of what these organizations do and what their true purpose is in the administration of an intercollegiate athletic department.

SPT 791 Sport Compliance

This course is designed to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of the necessary and mandatory compliance techniques of the major governing bodies of intercollegiate athletics to insure institutional control. Emphasis will be placed upon an in-depth review and discussions of the various NCAA Bylaw manuals as well as NAIA rules and regulations.

SPT 792 Legal Aspects of Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics

This course is designed to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of an in-depth review of gender equity issues that are [prevalent in an intercollegiate athletic setting. This course also covers many legal issues dealing with equity in intercollegiate athletics. Emphasis is placed upon the development of an overall knowledge of Title IX and the various tests that have been implemented to insure compliance.

SPT 793 Development of Human Resource Strategies in Intercollegiate Athletics

This course is designed to provide students with the latest human resource strategies to successfully deal with everyday problems that may arise with coaches, staff, and personnel of an intercollegiate athletic department. The student will develop a working knowledge of complex organizations and how this may affect the employees that he/she supervises.

SPT 799 Sport Mentorship

The sport mentorship allows the student to practice sport management theory in the practical setting while under the direct supervision of a recognized leader in the student’s chosen area of specialty in the sport industry. Course requirements dictate that students complete a minimum of 300 contact hours. Students may not enroll in SPT 799 until all other coursework has been completed.

CED 780 Isues and Techniques in Counseling Athletes

This course examines current counseling strategies used withy members of sports teams at the youth, high school college, and professional levels.  Participanmts will explore current research in three main areas:  a)  motivation and life skill developmenmt, b)  psychosocial development, and c)  career maturity.

CED 781 Sports Counseling Programming

This course offers students an overview of various life skills, including career development, study skills, goal setting, time management, health and wellness, values clarification, problem solving, decision making, to name a few. Students will develop a teaching philosophy that includes methods for teaching life skills to the athlete population. They will be given opportunities to do presentations on topics of their interest so that they may teach or offer workshops on life skills to the athlete population.

CED 782 Advanced Issues and Techniques in Counseling Athletes

This course is twofold. One, the course is designed to prepare students for the roles as professionals in the field. Areas of study include professional ethics and legal issues, record keeping, NCAA guidelines, and working as part of an interdisciplinary team or as a consultant with individual athletes, teams and athletic organizations. Additionally, this course is designed for students to improve their career development, counseling, and skill building techniques with youth, adolescents, young adult and the adult athlete population. Participants have an opportunity to develop and practice strategies to enhance their effectiveness in counseling this unique cultural group. This course includes field experiences with the athlete population of their choice.

CED 788 Contemporary Toipics in Counselor Education

The most current special topics in Sports counseling will be discussed.