Program Overview

Exercise and Sport Science Major, B.A.–Sport Administration

The sport administration program provides students with coursework specific to sport-related business and administrative functions, settings, and organizations. Course topics include administration, economics, event planning and management, facility management, finance, law, marketing, sales, analytics, and leadership/organizational behavior, sponsorship, and other important components of the sport industry. Students will also complete at least one sport administration internship as part of program studies.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Exercise and Sport Science program (sport administration track), students should be able to:

• Understand and apply fundamental processes related to the sales process, marketing of sport, and marketing through sport
• Recognize the challenges of planning, designing, and managing an effective and efficient sport event, as well as designing and managing a variety of sport and multipurpose facilities, and applying solutions or best practices to challenges
• Understand and identify the proper legal theory, including contracts, torts, property, agency, administrative, and Constitutional law as applied in the sport industry
• Apply specific critical thinking and analytical techniques used by financial managers to economic/financial challenges found in various sport settings
• Identify their own leadership qualities and core values, assess how their unique approach will help or hinder their ability to lead, and set a personal leadership vision to guide them within the sport industry
• Identify opportunities for experiential learning in the sport administration field, develop a professional portfolio and networking skills, understand organizational structures, and successfully navigate a sport

Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must:

• Earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
• Complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
• Take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements

Course List

The following courses are required for the Exercise and Sport Science Major, B.A.–Sport Administration:

• EXSS 221: Introduction to Sport Administration 1 (3 hours)
• EXSS 322: Fundamentals of Sport Marketing (3 hours)
• EXSS 323: Sport Facility and Event Management (3 hours)
• EXSS 324: Finance and Economics of Sport (3 hours)
• EXSS 326: Legal Aspects of Sport (3 hours)
• EXSS 424: Sport Sales and Revenue Production Seminar (3 hours)
• Nine additional credits must be earned in EXSS courses (at least one course, 3 hours, must be at the 200 level or above)
• ECON 101: Introduction to Economics (prerequisite for EXSS 324) (4 hours)
• STOR 151: Introduction to Data Analysis (3 hours)
  • or STOR 155: Introduction to Data Models and Inference
  • or PSYC 210: Statistical Principles of Psychological Research
• Total Hours: 34

Special Opportunities in Exercise and Sport Science

Honors in Exercise and Sport Science

The senior honors program provides exercise and sport science majors the opportunity to pursue an independent, two-semester research project. A student must have an overall grade point average of 3.3 or above prior to acceptance into the departmental honors program and must maintain an overall average of 3.3 or above to remain in the program. Students complete EXSS 693H and EXSS 694H. Honors study involves the completion of a substantial piece of original research and the formal oral presentation of the results.

Departmental Involvement

In addition to its academic offerings, the department houses many research laboratories, and the campus recreation program. Both provide experiences outside the classroom. Students may also affiliate with the Carolina Sports Business Club and the Carolina Sport Administration Club.

Experiential Education/High-Impact Experience

The following courses satisfy the experiential education requirement in the Making Connections curriculum and satisfy the high-impact experience requirement in the IDEAs in Action curriculum:

• EXSS 51: First-Year Seminar: Entrepreneurship in Human Performance and Sport (3 hours)
• EXSS 207: Coaching Principles (3 hours)
• EXSS 393: Sports Medicine Clinical (1 hour)
• EXSS 395: Undergraduate Research Course (1-3 hours)
• EXSS 420: Program Planning in Recreation Services (3 hours)
• EXSS 493: Field Experience in Sport Administration (3 hours)
• EXSS 593: Practicum in Physical Fitness and Wellness (1-3 hours)
• EXSS 693H: Senior Honors Thesis (3 hours)
• EXSS 694H: Senior Honors Thesis (3 hours)

Department Programs

• Majors:
  • Exercise and Sport Science Major, B.A.–General
  • Exercise and Sport Science Major, B.A.–Fitness Professional
  • Exercise and Sport Science Major, B.A.–Sport Administration
  • Exercise and Sport Science Major, B.S.
• Minors:
  • Coaching Education Minor
  • Exercise and Sport Science Minor
  • Sports Medicine Minor
• Graduate Program:
  • Exercise and Sport Science, M.A.
• Courses:
  • Exercise and Sport Science (EXSS)
  • Lifetime Fitness (LFIT)
  • Physical Activities (PHYA)