Masters in Sport Management offered by George Mason University aims to provide a solid theoretical and practical foundation for students to apply in a variety of recreation and leisure services settings. As a result, this program combines coursework, research, and practical experiences to foster innovative leaders in the field. Besides,the goals of this degree is enriching my knowledge and skills in sport management combined with my undergraduate education, developing my capacity in problem-solving and decision-making skills, and then helping me become a more competitive applicant in jog hunting. As for the potential careers with master’s degree in Sport Management, there are numerous options available to me once I have graduated, such as promotions manager, sport agent, athletic administrator, director of fitness center and so on. In America, jobs in sport management include working for professional programs like the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and other professional or non-professional sport leagues in terms of marketing, health and promotion. For me, I really want to become an athletic director. This career path is a good fit for me because I have a passion for athletics and an aptitude for business administration.
What is athletic director? (Job description)
Athletic director are the primary administrators of an organization’s athletic program. As the primary administrator of an athletic program, the athletic director is responsible for the overall economic and competitive success of the program. They mustoversee the administration of every elements of the sports and athletic programs of the organization, which includes all facilities used by their sports terms, coaching staff, support staff, scheduling of games and tournaments, and budget.
How to become an athletic director?
Although educational requirements may vary by employer, at least a bachelor’s degree in an area such as business administration, management , or a related field in order to become an athletic. Some employers may require a master’s degree in one of these areas,or I may be required have experience in athletics or coaching in order to be hired as an athletic director.
What I plan to do to achieve my goal?
Graduate from Sport Management during two years
Get good organization skills
Get good communication and leadership skills
Build good relationship with people who have same career path
Try to find internship from sport industries to get more experience
Step by step…
Obviously, the first thing I need to do is to clearly understand my degree requirements.
The plan of study table below elaborates required courses, corresponding credits and offered semesters in the future study.This 30-credit Master of Science in Sport and Recreation Studies, consisting of three concentrations, meets the growing need for professionals and academics. However, this plan just my basic idea about the courses right now, maybe I will change my mind in the future study.
| Course Title and Number | Number of Credits | Semester |
| Module 1 | ||
| SPMT612: Economics and Financial Management in the Sport Industry | 3 | Fall 2016 |
| SRST606: Foundations of Sport and Recreation Studies | 3 | Fall 2016 |
| Module 2 | ||
| SPMT620: Legal Issues in Recreation Administration | 3 | Spring2017 |
| Elective course | 3 | Spring2017 |
| SPMT613: Social psychology of Sport Leadership Implications | 3 | Spring2017 |
| Module 3 | ||
| SRST623: Research Design and Statistical Reasoning | 3 | Summer 2017 |
| SRST599: Independent Study in Sport and Recreation | 3 | Summer2017 |
| Module 4 | ||
| SRST798: Master’s Project or Msater’s Thesis | 3 | Fall 2017 |
| SPMT616: Sport Operations, Venues and Event Management | 3 | Fall 2017 |
| Elective course | 3 | Fall 2017 |
Last but not least, the requirements for graduation do not be mentioned clearly on the website. But, in my opinion, there will be a big thesis or dissertation task in order to earn the master’s degree. Although I cannot find any information regarding my future academic advisor, there is a list of faculty and adjunct faculty in Sport Management department. Faculty members are Rodgers. R. Pierre, Wiggins. Brenda, Atwater. Christopher, Baker. Robert, Casserly. Charley, Esherick. Craig, Kozlowski. James, McDowell. Jacqueline, Rodgers. Ellen, Wiggins. David, Daniels.Maggie, and Ferry.Matthew. There is not any clue about advising procedures. Therefore, all of those information above cannot be found on the website. I found that the website show us the email address from every faculty, this is very nice. Which means that we can connect them directly. I promise that I will work vey hard to improve myself step by step. I really love to study and live in here, because all the people I meet everyday are friendly. Even though English is not my first language, I like to communicate with them. Besides, they all very patient, which gives me more confident to build good relationship with them. I hope one day I can achieve my goal.