ESS Sport Management Academic Program Review
Department under review: ESS Sport Management
Date self-study received in Dean’s office: Sept 18, 2009
Date of external consultant’s review: May 9, 2009
Date APR received report: Fall 2008
Date APR completed review: April 1, 2011
APR’S summary of self-study
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An undergraduate emphasis within the Exercise and Sport Science (ESS) department,
the Sport Management program is designed to meet the needs of students interested in
careers in athletics and sports, and provide preparation for graduate work in exercise
science and sport administration. Graduates find employment in intercollegiate athletics,
professional sports, community sports, corporate sports organizations, sports media, and
the fitness industry.
● Although accreditation is not being pursued at this time, the program follows guidelines
and standards created by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation
(COSMA), which was established by the National Association for Sport and Physical
Education (NASPE) and the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM)
in July 2008. There seems to be no consensus in the field about the importance of
accreditation (out of over 300 sports management programs in the United States, only
two institutions have received COSMA accreditation to date). The program used
NAPSE and NASSM guidelines during its most recent self study.
● In response to recommendations from APR and external reviewer reports as well as
from employer, internship supervisor, and alumni feedback, the program has made
numerous changes and improvements. There are a number of markers that suggest that
APR was highly beneficial in aligning the program to national trends as well as focusing
its efforts to provide high quality education.
Notable Strengths
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The program has a track record of producing quality graduates that are employed by
sports associations. The satisfaction of these graduates was reflected in good marks from
the employers as well as the interns that completed the program.
● The program produced a quality self-study and, through the feedback of preparing the
folio and receiving the feedback, it is clear that the program is trying to respond to the
changing needs of the field.
● The program director and faculty members appear to be highly responsive to feedback
and the constantly changing needs of students and graduates entering the field.
● Of the 25-35 graduates per year, most have been successful in finding employment
according to UWL Employment and Internship Statistics (100% during the 2003-2006
academic years; 95.7% during 2006-2007; and 88.2% during 2008-2009).
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Notable Weaknesses
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Some learning outcomes seem to be difficult to assess and quantify. It is hoped that by
following the new standards in the field there will be some model learning outcomes that
the program can adopt as it moves the program forward.
● Students need additional preparation to develop some job-relevant professional skills,
according to the self study. Through course revisions, invited guest speakers, and
professional development and continuing education opportunities, faculty members
intend to address these needs.
● The program director already gathers feedback from alumni, employers and internship
supervisors, but additional formal assessments are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of
curriculum.
APR comments on the six specific components of the self-study
Self Study: Purposes
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ESS has four major programs and three concentrations for undergraduates as well as four
major programs at the graduate level. Undergraduate programs include Exercise and
Sport Science as a Teaching Major, a Sport Management Emphasis, an Athletic Training
Emphasis or a Exercise Science Emphasis. This self study focuses exclusively on the
Sport Management Emphasis, which has the following goals:
o Review the curriculum constantly to ensure that competencies developed meet for
current job market in the sport management field.
o Promote diversity in our student body.
o Encourage volunteerism and promote intellectual inquiry among our students.
o Assist our students to acquire high levels of competence and to develop sound
professional ethics.
o Establish strong connection and network with sport management alumni and
employers.
o Work closely with the Academic Units at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
(UW-L) to better prepare sport management students for their future career in
sport management.
● These goals appear to be linked to the overall ESS mission—namely, to “assist
individuals in the development of meaningful active living where the benefits of physical
activity are understood, valued and integrated into daily life.”
Self Study: Curriculum
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At the time of the self study, the program curriculum was based on the guidelines and
program standards of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and
National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). These standards focus
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on the following content areas: Socio-Cultural Dimensions in Sport, Management and
Leadership in Sport, Ethics in Sport Management, Marketing in Sport, Communication in
Sport, Budget and Finance in Sport, Economics in Sport, Legal Aspects of Sport,
Governance in Sport, and Field Experience in Sport Management.
In July 2008, NASSM and NAPSE jointly established the Commission on Sport
Management Accreditation (COSMA), which has issued guidelines that now inform the
curriculum design. The external reviewer based his recommendations on these updated
guidelines.
The curriculum is built on a common core of exercise science such as Physiology of
Exercise and Biomechanics and sports management-specific courses such as Sport
Promotion, Sport Law, Sport Facility Planning and Management, Sport Administration,
and Internship.
According to the self study, the program requires 120 hours for graduation, including 48
hours required to meet the General Education requirements and a minimum of 49 credits
in Exercise and Sport Science courses.
The program made numerous changes to the curriculum in response to external reviewer
recommendations. The UCC recently (Spring 2010) approved a change in credits
required from 59 to 62; the addition of three new courses as required (ESS 407, 421,
432); the move of ESS 201, 302, 303 from required to elective; the move ECO 320 from
elective to required; the removal of HED 409, 439, 473, MGT 300 as electives; and the
removal of a physical fitness test from admissions requirements. All these changes were
effective starting Fall 2010.
Most students voluntary exceed the 124 overall credits now required because of minors
and concentrations related to future occupational opportunities.
Self Study: Assessment of Student Learning & Degree of Program Success
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According to the external reviewer, current course outcome assessments as well as
internship assessments are appropriate for the field.
The program uses a variety of direct and indirect methods for assessing student learning
in all curriculum areas, but the self study does not provide specific rubrics or any formal
assessment results. The program plans to develop and refine assessment methods to
evaluate student learning outcomes and report them more systematically.
The program director regularly collects supervisor and employer evaluations from ESS
320 Field Experience and ESS 450 Internship courses and uses this information to
modify learning objectives, course content, and program requirements as well as to
develop new courses. This data has been collected and reviewed informally but has not
yet been compiled and analyzed on a formal basis.
There is an indication that faculty are active in the professional communities and attend
conferences to keep up to date in the field. It was noted that there are continuing
education requirements for the field, and this applies to the faculty and they are required
to meet this requirement, which is supported by travel monies.
The program has instituted a pre-sports management option for students interested in the
field and this appears to be affecting the numbers of students on the waiting list. The
program indicated that they have to turn away quality applicants from the program every
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year. Approximately 25-35 students apply to get into the program each semester, only 1517 students are accepted.
The application process appears to be very clear and has an associated rubric to advance
students into the program.
The self study reports an increase in the number of high profile internships that have been
turned into permanent jobs as well as a high satisfaction with the degree of preparedness
from employees. Graduates have found employment with leading sports organizations
such as the Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Braves, Saint Paul Saints,
Chicago Bulls, NASCAR, and many others.
Of the 25-35 graduates per year, most have been successful in finding employment
according to UWL Employment and Internship Statistics (100% during the 2003-2006
academic years; 95.7% during 2006-2007; and 88.2% during 2008-2009).
Employers and internship supervisors have commented that the program “well prepares
students for the competitive job market in the sport industry.”
Self Study: Previous Academic Program Review and New Program Initiatives
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The previous APR recommended that the program review its curriculum “to ensure that
competencies developed are adequate for current job market in the sport management
field and encourage volunteerism and promote intellectual inquiry among the students.”
The program director and faculty have modified curriculum and course content in
response to these recommendations.
New initiatives related to advising include revised coding to monitor admission status
(pre-sport management or sport management); closer collaboration with UW-L Career
Services; increased communication between faculty and students through email, D2L
and program websites; and, more detailed instructions and forms such as admission
rubrics and criteria.
The program director and faculty members have kept abreast of changes in the field,
restructuring the curriculum based on the recent job descriptions of sport management
related positions and students’ final reports, and supervisors’ evaluation and feedback.
Faculty have modified instructional methods to deliver course content to students and
increase student motivation by inviting guest speakers, including more hand-on projects,
incorporating multimedia and more practical examples in classes.
Students must be involved in more field related, practical experiences before applying to
program; continued involvement is recommended.
Self Study: Personnel
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The program lost two faculty to retirements that were replaced by IAS. Requesting
another full time tenure-track position. It is alluded to that increasing the faculty may
increase the capacity of the program to admit more students. The discontinuation of the
graduate program freed up some resources.
● According the external reviewer, one additional tenure track faculty is necessary to
develop the curriculum needed to expand courses offerings relevant to industry demands.
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The program identifies sport communications and sales as priority areas for
improvement.
● Tenure emphasizes teaching, scholarship and service and promotion is according to UWL
rules and expectations. IAS are not required to complete scholarship activities.
Self Study: Support for Achieving Academic Program Goals (Resources)
● Facilities appear to be adequate for the purposes of the program. Multimedia teaching
options are available in all classrooms and are considered necessary to keep up-to-date
with the technology that the students will be encountering in the work place upon
graduation.
● Staffing is not considered to be adequate for the number of students currently enrolled at
this time and to handle the load of advising and teaching. The program seeks another fulltime faculty member.
● The program seeks opportunities to acquire grants and external funding in coming years.
External Reviewer Recommendations
APR’s Comments on External Reviewer
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As noted by the external reviewer, the field has moved to accreditation with the
Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA). Using these standards, the
external reviewer recommended
o finding a niche by focusing on program strengths (e.g. collegiate/school-based
athletic administration);
o emphasizing the undergraduate program (the graduate program has been
discontinued);
o reviewing the common ESS core and possible collaborations with Recreation;
o incorporating industry-relevant competencies related to sales, finance and fund
raising, event management, policy and governance; and,
o increasing faculty resources through the addition of a tenure track faculty to
contribute to the ESS common core and expand offerings.
● The reviewer report noted that the direction of the program needs to be focused. The
market may dictate for more business expectations unless UW-L wants to take a specific
niche focus in collegiate/school-based athletics.
● It was noted that gaps in the curriculum could be filled with classes in the broader array
of the department.
● The reviewer added that the dependence on non tenure-track faculty with non-academic
and outside assignments is “a bit of a concern.”
Department’s response to the Reviewer Recommendations
APR’s Comments on the Department’s Response (if applicable)
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ESS decided in 2008-2009 to discontinue the sport administration graduate program
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beginning in the fall 2010. The 100% tenure-track faculty line and the .25 contributions
of an IAS in that program were assigned to the undergraduate sport management program
for course development.
● The program has developed a three-phase implementation plan for curriculum revision
and improvement. Significant strides have already been made related to phase one (1-2
years) which involves changes in admission processes and course requirements/electives.
Phase two (2-3 years) focuses on the development of new courses and increased
cooperation with other departments, determining a niche, and a review of course content.
Phase three (4-7 years) involves the creation of additional courses.
● The program is reducing science based classes to the basic requirement and advising
students that, depending on the career path, they could pick them up as electives.
Dean’s Letter
APR’s Comments on Dean’s Letter (if applicable)
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The dean agrees that the program was stretched to the maximum for resources and
agrees with the discontinuance of the graduate program. He sees this as a major shift in
emphasis.
APR’s Recommendations (must be completed)
Recommendations:
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Continue to ascertain student progress relative to stated learning outcomes in key content
areas specified by COSMA guidelines and standards.
● Explore the implementation of a formal procedure for compiling and analyzing feedback
from various sources (e.g. students, alumni, employers and internship supervisors).
• Work cooperatively with other ESS programs and other departments to address needs
related to course offerings and student preparation.
• Monitor credit requirements as program revisions occur and continue to justify any
excess requirements to keep on par with other programs.
● Determine a niche for the program as recommended by the external reviewer.
● Systematically document results and report data from previous and ongoing assessments.
Such assessments should evaluate the effectiveness of recent program changes and
curricular revisions. Consult with the University Assessment Coordinator for feedback on
how to improve program assessment processes. Note: Describe progress on this
recommendation in a short report to Faculty Senate/Provost’s Office in 3 years.
□ No serious areas to address – review in 7 years
□ Some areas to address – review in 7 years
x Some areas to address – department should submit short report on progress to Fac
Senate/Provost’s Office in 3 years
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