Doctor of Education in Sports Management
The Academy’s Doctor of Education program is a 66 semester hour program and one of only four programs approved by the Sport Management Program Review Council, a joint program of the North American Society of Sport Management and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.
The curriculum is designed to enable recent master’s degree graduates, working professionals and sports enthusiasts to achieve their personal, educational and professional objectives. The program is flexible and provides meaningful educational and technical preparation. Recent doctoral degree graduates are college professors of Sports Management, private sport entrepreneurs and high school or college athletic directors.
Academy courses are offered online so that students can conveniently take courses at anytime and from anywhere. Students can also enroll and start their studies any time.
Doctoral Program Details
To start the admissions process, please complete our online application.
If you have further questions, please contact an admissions counselor at: (800) 223-2668 or admissions@ussa.edu.
All Academy students can now take the doctoral program or individual courses on campus. The new three-year residential doctoral program schedule offers courses at 6-8 p.m. on Monday and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays during the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. For more information about the program and schedule, please click here.
Major Areas of Study
The Academy’s Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Sports Management degree is a 66-semester hour program beyond the master’s degree. The doctoral degree is designed to prepare students to perform with a high degree of efficiency and proficiency in the sports industry. There are three areas of specialization with the Ed.D. and students must select one: Leadership, Marketing, or Human Resource Management.
As part of the curriculum, students will take a practical, field-based component called a Mentorship. The Mentorship requires students to engage in hands-on, sports-related activities in the industry.
Current Emphases Available
Students in the Academy’s doctoral program may add to the 66-semester hour program an Emphasis in the areas of: Olympism, Sports Theory, Sports Coaching, Sports Health & Fitness, or, for those already licensed or certified in the area, Sports Medicine. A program of study for the Ed.D. Emphasis Areas may be found here.
Doctoral Degree with an Emphasis in Sports Medicine
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Sports Management with an emphasis in Sports Medicine is a 66-semester-hour program beyond the master’s degree. The degree is designed to prepare students to perform tasks in the Sports Medicine profession with a high degree of proficiency. The area of specialization focuses on management courses as applied to Sports Medicine. Students are selected on the basis of academic and professional accomplishments, past experiences, skills, and goals.
Students ordinarily have had some experience as teachers, athletic trainers, or Sports Medicine administrators and have shown promise of being able to further develop management skills through training and research. As part of its practical experience component, the Academy requires each student to complete a mentorship in which the student engages in doctorate level management of Sports Medicine-related activities.
To obtain the Emphasis in Sports Medicine, a doctoral student will take the following three courses:
- SAM 787 - Legal Concepts of Sports Medicine (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAM 788 - Principles of Management in Sports Medicine (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAM 789 - Seminar in Sports Medicine Management Issues (3 sem. hrs.)
Doctoral Degree Program with an Emphasis in Olympism
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Sports Management with an emphasis in Olympism is a 66 semester hour program beyond the master’s degree. This degree is designed to prepare students for administrative roles in the world Olympic Movement. Students are selected on the basis of academic and professional accomplishments, past experiences, skills, and personal goals. Students should have had some experience in Olympic sports on the national or international level.
To obtain the Emphasis in Olympism, a doctoral student will take the following three courses:
- SAB 622 - Structure and Function of the Olympic Games (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAB 651 - Current Issues in the Olympic Movement (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAB 667 - Olympism (3 sem. hrs.)
Doctoral Degree with an Emphasis in Sports Coaching
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Sports Management with an emphasis in Sports Coaching is a 66 semester hour program beyond the master’s degree. This degree is designed to prepare students to complete numerous responsibilities associated with coaching individuals in team and/or individual sport settings. The area of specialization places emphasis on the academic areas of management and psychology as applied to Sports Coaching. Students are selected on the basis of academic and professional accomplishments, past experiences, skills, and goals. Students should have some experience in Sports Coaching.
To obtain the Emphasis in Sports Coaching, a doctoral student will take the following three courses:
- SAB 657 - Psychology of Elite Performance (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAB 670 - Selected Readings in Sports Coaching (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAB 671 - Advanced Coaching Theories (3 sem. hrs.)
Doctoral Degree with an Emphasis in Sports Health & Fitness
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Sports Management with an emphasis in Sports Health and Fitness is a 66 semester hour program beyond the master’s degree. This degree is designed to prepare students for careers in strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, and exercise physiology. Students are selected on the basis of academic and professional accomplishments, past experiences, skills, and personal goals. Students should have a background in strength and conditioning and/or personal training, nutrition and/or sports nutrition, and basic and/or advanced exercise physiology.
To obtain the Emphasis in Sports Health & Fitness, a doctoral student will take the following three courses:
- SAR 710 - Advanced Exercise Physiology & Scientific Principles (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAR 715 - Contemporary Issues in Health & Fitness (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAR 720 - Advanced Strength & Conditioning (3 sem. hrs.)
Doctoral Degree with an Emphasis in Sports Theory
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Sports Management with an emphasis in Sports Theory is a 66 semester hour program beyond the master’s degree. This degree is designed to prepare students for varying roles in sports organizations and the world of sport. Students are selected on the basis of academic and professional accomplishments, past experiences, skills, and personal goals.
To obtain the Emphasis in Sports Theory, a doctoral student will take the following three courses:
- SAB 659 - Group Dynamics in Sports (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAB 791 - Selected Readings in Sports Theory (3 sem. hrs.)
- SAM 735 - Strategic Planning for Sports Organizations (3 sem. hrs.)
