University of San Francisco
Sport Management
Now offered at the San Francisco Main Campus and the LA/Orange Regional Campus, USF's Sport Management Program has become one of the leading graduate programs in building managerial, marketing and strategic skills for professional growth in the sports and fitness marketplace. Our alumni hold positions in professional and intercollegiate sports, fitness and recreation, marketing, and event management. Classes meet one evening a week and the Master's Degree is completed in 23 months. A complete Internship Program and Fieldwork Course are included in the curriculum.
Students come to The Master's Program to develop management and marketing skills that lead to long term professional growth in the sports and fitness marketplace. Some students come with one area, such as professional sports or intercollegiate sports, as a target. Others come to explore the opportunities in a wide range of areas to develop skills that will help them navigate the increasingly interlinked sports and fitness marketplace over the course of a career. The aim of The Master's Program is to provide professional preparation for management or leadership positions across a range of sport and fitness organizations. These organizations include professional sports teams, large and small colleges with intercollegiate, intramural and recreation programs, amateur athletic organizations, private and public health and fitness clubs, corporate fitness and wellness programs, sports stadia and arenas, and the sports and fitness marketing, management, and communications firms that service the larger marketplace.
Programs of study
- The Program is comprised of 36-units, which are segmented into four 9-unit semesters.
- Courses meet one evening a week for eight weeks on a schedule friendly to working adults with professional goals in the sports and fitness marketplace.
- Complete the Master's Program and receive your degree in 23 months.
- Semester I - Foundations: The Management Context Includes courses that introduce industry foundations and trends, their social context, and market research.
- Semester II - The Planning Environment: Managing Organizations, Finances, and Marketing Includes courses on management leadership and organization, economics and finance, and marketing and event management in sports and fitness.
- Semester III - The Internal Environment: Managing People, Facilities, and Operations Includes courses on human resource management, facilities planning and operations management, and practical fieldwork experiences developing management skills in sports and fitness organizations.
- Semester IV - The External Environment: Managing Legal and Public Issues Includes courses on legal aspects of sports and fitness operations, strategic public relations strategies in sports and fitness settings, and a Capstone Seminar that facilitates the development and completion of The Master's Project.
The Internship Program and Fieldwork Course are important aspects of The Master's Program curriculum. Internships or practica set in a wide variety of sports and fitness settings help the student build professional competencies and a network of industry contacts. The Master's Program maintains an Internship Site Database and helps students arrange Fieldwork placements.
In the last semester, students develop and refine The Master's Project in a supportive Capstone Seminar setting. Designed to be a calling card that will demonstrate advanced skills to the professional community, The Master's Project may be a major research paper or a professional document such as a business plan, a grant proposal, or market research report.
More than just classes, your residency in The Master's Program is a 2 year adventure in building a network of professional contacts that can serve as the foundation for lifelong career growth. Faculty, guest lecturers, staff, alumni, and fellow students all can provide referrals to key personnel for insight about career strategies, organizations of interest, and new opportunities.
Facilities & Resources
The Sports and Fitness Management Master's Program has been offered at the University of San Francisco Main Campus since the 1991-1992 academic year. In August 2001, we entered our 15th Master's Cohort Class. Our 52 acre campus near Golden Gate Park is the home base of the University of San Francisco. Students in The Master's Program in Sports and Fitness Management enjoy the atmosphere and amenities offered at our lushly landscaped hilltop campus right in the heart of San Francisco. A host of support services, including an Office of Financial Aid, Registrar and Bursar services, Academic Services, Learning Center, Disability Services, Multicultural and International Student Services, Residence Halls, Instructional Technology and Computer Services, and our state-of-the-art Gleeson Library enhance the educational experience for non-traditional adult students as well as for traditional students.
August 2002 also saw us bring in our 3rd Master's Cohort Class in our new Southern California Program, located in Orange. The Los Angeles Area Campus of the University of San Francisco has been serving students throughout the Southern California region at its location at the St. Joseph Center in Orange since 1983. The campus features classrooms, multi-purpose facilities, a large auditorium, the St. Joseph Center Library, and administrative offices for the University of San Francisco programs in Southern California. Anchored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange Motherhouse, and adjacent to the St. Joseph Hospital, the campus offers students a port to all University of San Francisco services in a centrally-located landscaped retreat. At the site for the Sports and Fitness Management Program are internship services, academic and career advising, computer, library, and information systems services and links to all USF Main Campus resources and support services.
Expenses and Aid
The 2003-2004 graduate tuition rate for the Sport Management program is $880 per unit. At the $880 per unit cost, the 36-unit Master's Degree will have total tuition costs of $30,780 over the course of the 23-month program calendar. Since The Master's Program is spread evenly over four 9-unit semesters, students can plan for each semester's tuition to total $7,695. Students who enter the program and complete required coursework within the scheduled 23-month program calendar associated with their Cohort are guaranteed that their tuition rate will remain at the same "flat-rate" that was in effect when they entered the program. The Master's Program after the 2002-2003 academic year should be aware that graduate tuition increases over the recent years have been modest. Graduate Assistantships are available for students attending the program at the San Francisco Main Campus and are typically offered in the Fall semester.
Graduate Assistantships offer financial assistance in the form of tuition assistance, stipends, opportunities for student employment, and in some cases campus residence and meal plans. These assistantships generally require 20-25 hours per week of work. Graduate assistantships are generally offered in the Athletic Department, Recreational Sports, Student Activities, University Services, and the Office of Residence Life. A student needs to first be admitted to the University and then may apply for assistantships. Contact the San Francisco Program Office for more information at 415-422-2678.
How to Apply
Admission to The Master's Program is competitive and is based on University and Program requirements. The University requires a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 grading scale. A bachelor's degree or equivalent and official transcripts of all previous college work (undergraduate and graduate) are also required.
Applications to The Master's Program may be requested from the program offices. As admission is competitive, candidates should exercise great care when preparing their application to The Master's Program. Review of applications and early admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. It is best to apply as early as possible before the priority deadlines of March 15 to be considered for Fall admission (Northern and Southern California Programs) or October 15 to be considered for Spring admission (Northern California Program only).
The application to The Master's Program will require a personal statement of goals and a resume«. The personal statement of goals should be a three to five page typewritten document that describes the applicant's reason for pursuing a Master's Degree in Sports and Fitness Management. A number of items weigh heavily in assessments conducted as a part of the review and selection of candidates. The statement of personal goals should reflect a strong sense of career direction. A resume« should include your work experience, any kind of sports and fitness experience including playing, teaching, coaching, managing, and administering. Certifications in sports and fitness should be listed and honors attained should be highlighted.
The application to The Master's Program will require submission of two letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to the applicant's competence and ability to do well in The Master's Program. Ideally, one of the letters will reference the student's academic abilities, while the other will reference the student's potential for professional growth in a sports and fitness management career. Applicants with developed career paths may use two professional references.
Candidates selected for admission consideration to The Master's Program may be contacted for a personal interview. The interview serves to assist both faculty and the applicant in determining whether The Master's Program at the University of San Francisco is appropriate for the applicant.
In addition to the above application procedures, International Applicants will need to submit an official TOEFL examination score. A minimum score of 550 (Paper Test) or 213 (CBT) is required. In addition to the TOEFL score, a Certification of Finance Form and supporting documents, providing evidence of adequate support for the full period of study at the University, must be submitted.
Who to contact
Please contact us via the web www.sfmonline.com:
Sports & Fitness Management
Northern California Program
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street, MGM A110
San Francisco, CA 94117
Phone: (415) 422-2678
Fax: (415) 422-6267
email: sfm@usfca.edu
Sports & Fitness Management
Southern California Program
University of San Francisco
480 South Batavia Street
Orange, CA 92868
Phone: (714) 633-5626
Fax: (714) 771-4264
email: lasfm@usfca.edu
The Faculty and Their Research
The Sports and Fitness Management faculty is a dedicated team of professional and academic leaders. The collective experience and expertise of the faculty sets a national standard of excellence. The faculty includes collegiate athletic directors, health and fitness executives, marketing and public relations specialists, sports attorneys, facilities consultants, and internationally recognized scholars.
In addition to the teaching faculty, leading California professionals in sports and fitness are frequent speakers in courses and special events sponsored by The Master's Program. This group of professionals connects our students to the pulse of current developments in sports and fitness.