11/3/15
Alabama Commission on Higher Education
NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL (NISP)
FOR A NEW PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION
1. Institution: The University of Alabama
2. Date of NISP Submission: 10/11/2016
3. Institutional Contact Person: Dr. Ginger Bishop
Telephone: (205) 348-7125
E-mail:
4. Program Identification:
Title: Sport Administration
Award: Doctor of Philosophy
CIP Code: 31.0504
5. Proposed Program Implementation Date: Fall 2018
6. Statement of Program Objectives (Objectives should be precise and stated in such a way that later evaluation/assessment of program outcomes is facilitated.):
The Doctor of Philosophy in Sport Administration program will focus on developing a variety of academic skills to help students become successful in academic and/or scholarly endeavors. Students accepted into the Ph.D. program will receive training toward careers in academia or professional positions of similar or related career fields. Specifically, students will be provided the opportunity to develop critical thinking and research skills through an interdisciplinary approach which centers on the student’s research interests and career ambitions. Building on a foundation of core sport administration courses, independent studies, and mentoring opportunities with the program’s faculty members, students will, through elective coursework (i.e., cognate areas) explore a wide variety of administration issues related to the field of sport. Such interests may include areas related to communication and public relations, history, marketing, organizational behavior and theory, finance, law, facility management, and social/cultural issues. The Ph.D. opportunity at The University of Alabama will allow students the flexibility to carve their niche within the sport industry to better serve the interest of the academy and their own natural curiosity.
Accordingly, graduates of the Sport Administration doctoral program will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of relevant sport administration techniques and methods of research by developing strong hypothesis-driven research proposals suitable for scholarly publication and funding by external institutions and agencies.
Demonstrate clear and effective communication skills by engaging in formal and/or informal teaching within the Department of Kinesiology and other settings. They will also present research results at national and international conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
Demonstrate preparation for a career of independent research by developing original research proposals, seeking out external funding support for and carrying out research projects. They will develop presentation of their research outcome through international disciplinary conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.
7. Relationship of program to other programs within the institution.
a. How will the program support or be supported by other programs within the institution?
The Doctorate of Philosophy in Sport Administration will be housed in Kinesiology, a department in the College of Education. Other sub-disciplines in Kinesiology, which include sport pedagogy, exercise and sport science, adapted athletics, and sport and fitness management will facilitate obvious collaborative synergies. In addition, Sport Administration students will be provided with the opportunity to take diverse elective classes germane to their academic and career interests in other disciplines and colleges in areas such as business, marketing, communication, and higher education.
b. Will this program replace any existing program(s) or specialization(s), options or concentrations within existing programs? Yes: ____ No: X
If yes, please explain.
8. If this program is duplicative of any other programs in the state, please give your rationale for program duplication.
The only school offering a doctoral degree in Sport Administration in the State of Alabama is Troy University. The addition of the proposed Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Sport Administration offered at The University of Alabama will not only support the University’s strategy to advance research at UA but will also be a strong signal that The University of Alabama is committed to joining the ranks of Carnegie R1 universities in the region such as the Universities of Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. These institutions have Sport Administration doctoral programs that compete with our Department for faculty and frequently admit Alabama’s best students into their programs. The UA Sport Administration faculty can compete with these and other highly ranked programs in terms of both research productivity and student development, but we are handicapped both in scholarly output and competitiveness for external funding by our inability to offer doctoral level training to the best students from Alabama and across the nation.
Do you plan to explore possible program collaboration with other institutions? Please explain.
We have no current plans to collaborate with other institutions but we are open to collaboration in the future.
10. Do you anticipate the use of distance education technology in the delivery of the program? Please explain.
We would like to offer a mixture of traditional courses with online courses to reach non-traditional students and professionals who are unable to travel to the Tuscaloosa campus.
11. What methodology will you use to determine the level of student demand for this program?
To determine demand, we will survey and interview MA of Human Performance students (past 10 years) who enrolled in Ph.D. programs at other institutions to determine how many UA students would potentially pursue Sport Administration Ph.D. studies at UA if a program were in place. We will also request data from other Alabama Sport Administration programs to determine how many students from those programs pursued Sport Administration doctorates outside the state of Alabama.
12. What methodology will you use to determine need for this program?
We will survey and interview sport, recreation, and tourism industry executives and managers in some of the many areas this degree will serve, including but not limited to Intercollegiate Athletics; Adapted Athletics; University Recreation; the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission; the Tuscaloosa City School District; the Tuscaloosa County Schools System; the Tuscaloosa Parks and Recreation Authority (PARA); corporate fitness entities and gymnasiums; minor league baseball franchises, such as the Birmingham Barons and the Montgomery Biscuits; Bruno Event Management; and Talladega Superspeedway.
We will also survey national organizations such as the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA), the North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM), the Sport Marketing Association (SMA), and the Sport and Recreation Law Association (SRLA) to determine the need for this program within our state, the southeast region, and nationally.
Certification
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Chief Academic Officer
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Graduate Dean (if this is a graduate program)
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