M.S. Sport Management Course Descriptions
SPM 510 - Sport Psychology
3 Credits
The scope of sport leadership and coaching goes far beyond teaching skills and strategies
to athletes. Successful teams are mentally focused on the task at hand, and coaches
must be skilled at maximizing athlete performance with an in-depth understanding of
the psychology of coaching athletes. This course will present current and future coaches
with the contemporary issues associated with coaching psychology utilizing various
sources and texts.
SPM 520 - Sport Sociology & Ethics
3 Credits
This course will examine the most significant historical normative ethical theories
and moral concerns and apply them to the context of sport. The student will be expected
to apply critical thinking skills to critique the culture of sport, particularly as
found in current America. This will involve probing into some of the least glamorous
element of sport practices and the problems caused by them. The student will be provided
with tools and ethical theories to understand many of the inconsistencies and hypocrisies
of sport in various levels, and will be empowered to think critically, rationally,
and morally about the goods and evils of sport.
SPM 530 - Research Methods & Design in Sport
3 Credits
This course will focus on the nature of research design, focusing on the methodology
of a quantitative research project. The research process, including defining the problem
and hypotheses, the various types of research, data collection procedures, and establishing
validity and reliability, will be addressed.
SPM 540 - Organizational Behavior in Sport Systems
3 Credits
The course focuses on a conceptual analysis of the management of sport. Management
is viewed as the coordination of the processes of production and marketing of the
services in the sport field. The unique characteristics of the service of sport serves
as the framework for discussion on the managerial functions of planning, organizing,
leading, and evaluating.
SPM 610 - Sport Marketing & Consumer Behavior
3 Credits
This course is designed to provide students with a broad appreciation of marketing
and its function as a vital component of sport management. This course will provide
students with an understanding of marketing concepts as they are currently applied
in various sport management contexts, equip students with the skills to perform basic
marketing responsibilities, and provide a foundation for students to engage in advanced
work in marketing, consumer behavior, and related fields.
SPM 630 - Human Resource Management in Sport Management
3 Credits
This course focuses on the management of human resources within sport organizations.
The objective of the course is to provide a basic understanding of the nature of paid
professional workers, volunteer workers, and clients in sport organizations; individual
differences in abilities, values, personality, and motivation; organizational processes
of job design, staffing, and performance appraisal; and desired outcomes of job satisfaction
and organizational commitment.
SPM 640 - Sport Law
3 Credits
We live in an increasing litigious society in which there has recently been a dramatic
growth in the number of lawsuits filed within courts of law. Sport and physical activity
have not been spared from this trend. Future professionals within the realm of physical
activity and sport need to be aware of the law and the numerous implications it brings
to their chosen fields. This class is designed to provide an introduction to various
aspects of the law and its influence on sport and physical activity in order to decrease
the probability that future sport managers will be involved in litigation.
SPM 650 - Sport Economics & Finance
3 Credits
In recent years, traditional sources of revenue—tax support, and in several cases,
media revenues and gate receipts—have declined while costs have rapidly escalated.
Managers of sport organizations have head to do more with less. This course is designed
to provide students with skills in financial analysis and budgeting techniques essential
for tracking an organization's revenue.
SPM 720 - Sport Management Comprehensive Project
3 - 6 Credits
This course is a faculty directed capstone project, where the student develops and
implements an applied project in sport.
Prerequisite: SPM 530. May be repeated up to six credits. Not open to students with
credit for SPM 730.
SPM 730 - Sport Management Thesis
3 - 6 Credits
This course is a faculty directed thesis, where a student conducts research, analyzes
data, and presents a discussion.
Prerequisite: SPM 530. May be repeated up to six credits. Not open to students with
credit for SPM 720.
MBA 622 - Conflict Management & Negotiation Strategies for Leaders
3 Credits
Students will study the techniques necessary to break impasse and in an effort to
come to resolution in the areas of conflict and negotiation. Skills include how to
create an atmosphere that fosters conflict as an impetus for organizational learning
and growth. Additionally, the course will focus on conflict resolution in the leadership
roles that emphasizes how to avoid zero-sum alternatives and solutions. Further exploration
into negotiation, will enhance the student's ability to conduct difficult conversations
and mediate “win-win†situations. This course moves students to a greater competence
level in both the theory and techniques of conflict management and negotiation.
MBA 624 - Advanced Readings & Practices in Leadership
3 Credits
This course is designed as a seminar in order to allow students the opportunity to
explore current trends and thinking in leadership. Shared readings will be selected
to reflect advanced practices in leadership and contemporary thought. Students will
have the opportunity to conduct significant research and/or applied project.
MBA/MPM 680 - Leadership & Change Management
3 Credits
This course focuses on an exploration of the models, perspectives, competencies, and
tools related to providing leadership in changing environments. Students will assess
their abilities in a variety of core leadership components including individual leadership
traits, emotional intelligence, and change management skills. An individual leadership
development plan will be constructed utilizing course readings, skill assessment tools,
and case studies. Not open to students with credit for MBA 725.