A new partnership at Troy will give students hands-on work experience inside an NCAA Division I athletics department through a new masters level curriculum.
The Sorrell College of Business’s School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management and Troy Athletics partnership will position Troy sports management graduate students ahead of most of their peers in practical skill application upon graduation.
“The School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management is excited to again formally partner with the Troy University Athletics Department,” said Associate Director and Professor Robert Mathner. “The mission of our school and the master’s program is to prepare students to become future leaders in the industry, and this partnership does just that.
“This partnership is truly mutually beneficial, and I am confident that the benefits will be realized for years to come.”
The new collegiate sports management concentration is designed to provide graduate students with a path to gain experience beginning with their first semester in the graduate program while also providing a more specialized academic curriculum in NCAA division I athletics.
In addition to its benefits, this collaboration will allow the Troy Athletics Department to make use of valuable resources in order to serve HSTM’s stakeholders.
This will ensure HSTM student-athletes can have a quality experience at Troy University.
“We are excited to partner with our colleagues in the School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management to provide meaningful ‘hands-on’ opportunities for our sports management graduate students as we look to grow together,” said Troy Director of Athletics Brent Jones.
“This partnership will provide our athletics department staff members and coaches with additional resources for them and their sports to be more successful.
“This is an outstanding example of what the ‘One Troy’ identity means.”
Graduate course credit will be offered to these students in the form of practicum and internship hours. The department of athletics will offer paid graduate assistantships to students who excel in their practicums and internships.
This offer is just as meaningful to students as it is to the departments.
“One of the strengths of our sports management program is the emphasis on experiential opportunities in sport,” said Troy University Faculty Athletic Representative and Graduate Program Coordinator Dr. Fred Green. “This new partnership formalizes this process and provides prospective sports management graduate students with excellent opportunities to position themselves for professional growth in the collegiate athletics industry.
“We look forward to working closely with Troy University Athletics in providing real world experiences for our students.”
Sports management graduate students who choose this concentration will play active roles in the Troy Athletics Department by providing support in a variety of areas.
Some of these areas include operations roles for all of Troy’s sports teams, assisting in athletics communications, compliance, development, licensing and trademarks, marketing and fan engagement, operations/ technology, student-athlete services and the ticket office.
“We look forward to providing them [students] with these experiences to assist them in their career endeavors in college athletics,” Jones said. “These students will be an incredible resource and benefit to our athletics department.”
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