Doctor of Philosophy in
Education (PhD), Sport and
Athletic Management

A PhD prepares you to make significant contributions to the body of literature within the education field. This course prepares you for understanding what theory is, recognizing theoretical frameworks within existing literature, connecting your research interests to existing theoretical frameworks, and justifying how your research will add to the wealth of current theories in the field.

Your success as a scholarly professional will largely depend upon your communication skills, particularly in your written work. This course supports your development as a scholar who can publish in different types of research-based publications for a variety of audiences. You’ll practice synthesizing multiple sources, formulating arguments, and integrating feedback through iterative drafts of your work. These are key capabilities you’ll need as you submit your research in published manuscripts and presentations.

In this course, you’ll develop effective search and writing strategies to create a scholarly review of literature. The course emphasizes how to: (a) use effective literature search strategies; (b) develop a scholarly synthesis of research literature; (c) organize research literature around identified themes, including a study problem, purpose, and theoretical perspectives; and (d) focus on developing a scholarly exposition that reflects divergent viewpoints and contrasting perspectives. The overarching goal is for you to understand strategies for surveying scholarly literature that avoid bias, focus on educational, practice-based research problems, and address the requirements of a scholarly literature review.

This course introduces you to the research process by exploring its underpinnings, examining its paradigms, and investigating the foundations of qualitative and quantitative methodologies used in educational studies. You’ll identify criteria for the development of quality research studies that are ethical, accurate, comprehensive, cohesive, and aligned. Specific course topics involve the ethics of conducting research; data collection and analysis techniques; and issues of feasibility, trustworthiness, validity, reliability, transferability, and rigor. The goal is to familiarize yourself with the concepts and skills associated with conducting theoretical and applied research.

This course provides the foundational knowledge to become a critical consumer of statistical-based research and a skilled analyst of non-inferential quantitative data. Coursework focuses on understanding multivariate data, non-inferential and inferential statistical concepts, the conventions of quantitative data analysis, and interpretations and critical inferences in statistical results. You’ll use software applications to complete statistical computations and perform quantitative data analysis. The course culminates in a synthesis project to demonstrate your statistical skills and present your results using APA guidelines.

A focus on qualitative research methodology and the designs and methods used to collect and analyze data in educational research. You’ll examine the principles of qualitative research and explore commonly used designs (also referred to as qualitative traditions or genres) with a focus on application and feasibility. Qualitative data collection and analysis methods will be examined for their suitability with regard to the research design selected. Alignment between qualitative designs and research methods, issues of trustworthiness, and the responsibilities of the qualitative researcher will also be explored.

An exploration of quantitative research methodologies and associated designs and methods. You’ll examine paradigmatic perspectives along with the tenets and conventions of quantitative research. Topics for examination include feasibility, validity, reliability, variable operationalization, inferential designs, and analytic software applications used within the quantitative research paradigm. You’ll also look at the components of quantitative research designs that support meaningful studies within the field of education.

An exploration of advanced statistical principles and how to apply them to quantitative research. This course provides an overview of advanced statistical concepts used in empirical research, including inferential analyses. You’ll use SPSS software to perform advanced computations as you build independent, scholarly statistical skills. Coursework will emphasize multivariate data; the use, comprehension, and evaluation of sophisticated statistical concepts; and the proper presentation of statistical results.

This course builds on a foundational understanding of qualitative designs and measurements to focus on analyses of the data. Coursework takes you deeper into the skills and techniques necessary to ensure the appropriate analyses of qualitative data, including integrating relevant frameworks, verifying trustworthiness of the findings, and selecting suitable methods for presenting analyses and findings.

The doctoral comprehensive assessment is your opportunity to demonstrate your preparation for entering the dissertation phase as a PhD candidate. You’ll synthesize discipline-specific content with research designs and analysis methods to create a prospectus for a theoretically-based research study that focuses on furthering knowledge in the field of education. Whereas EdD research focuses on addressing a researchable problem with practical applications, PhD research has a focus on contribution to theory and the broader discipline of education. This course is begun only after all your foundation, specialization, and research courses have been completed, and your prospectus will likely become the foundation of your PhD dissertation. 

Students in this course will be required to complete chapter one of their dissertation proposal, including the following: a review of literature with substantiating evidence of the problem, the research purpose and questions, the intended methodological design and approach, and the significance of the study. A completed, committee-approved chapter one is required to pass the course. If you don’t receive approval to minimum standards, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary eight-week courses to finalize and gain approval of chapter one.

In this course, you’ll work on completing chapters one to three of your dissertation proposal and receiving committee approval for the dissertation proposal (DP). Chapter two consists of the literature review, while chapter three covers the research methodology and design, including population, sample, measurement instruments, data collection and analysis, limitations, and ethical considerations. Completed, committee-approved chapters two and three are required to pass the course, as is a final approved dissertation proposal. If you don’t receive approval to minimum standards, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary eight-week courses to finalize and gain approval of these requirements.

In this course, you’ll prepare, submit, and obtain approval of your Institutional Review Board (IRB) application. You’ll also collect data and submit a final study closure form to the IRB. If you’re still collecting data at the end of the 12-week course, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary eight-week courses to complete data collection and file your IRB study closure form.

In this dissertation course, you’ll work on completing chapters four, five, and your final dissertation manuscript. Specifically, you’ll complete your data analysis, prepare your study results, and present your findings with an oral defense and a completed manuscript. A completed, committee-approved dissertation manuscript and successful oral defense are required to complete the course and graduate. If you don’t receive approval for either or both, you can take up to three supplementary eight-week courses to finalize and gain approval.

SM-7100 Development of Human Resource Strategies in Intercollegiate Athletics

This course presents the latest human resource strategies used to address everyday problems that arise with the coaches, staff, and personnel of an intercollegiate athletic department. You’ll develop a working knowledge of human resource policy and procedures and how they affect employees in your organization. Topics include recruitment, hiring, retention, planning, Title IX compliance, and related management strategies.

SM-7103 Intercollegiate Sport Governance

In this course, you’ll gain a knowledge of governance and politics within sport organizations that govern intercollegiate athletics. You’ll analyze how people involved in governance set the tone for an organization and how individual sport bodies fit into the greater industry. You’ll also develop a working knowledge of what organizations do and their purpose in the administration of an intercollegiate department.

SM-7106 Legal Aspects of Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics

Doctoral students in this course study Title IX’s structure and requirements as they apply to intramural, recreation, interscholastic, and intercollegiate athletic programs. The philosophical, historical, and conceptual accounts of this law and its effects upon these programs will be explored. You’ll also examine the social, legislative, and judicial environments in which Title IX has grown and matured over the last three decades, and how current trends and demographics have affected sports programs throughout the nation. An experiential learning model is used whereby you’ll apply your own personal experiences to your research into the legal aspects of equity in today’s interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics.

SM-7109 Sport Compliance

Here, you’ll study rules and regulations associated with intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA I, II, and III levels, NAIA, and NJCAA. The course focuses on the key components of compliance, including recruiting, eligibility, amateurism, and financial aid. Topics include strategies used to maintain institutional control, the differences and similarities of the five different associations (NCAA I, II, III, NAIA, and NJCAA), and the various groups that govern NCAA legislation.

SM-7112 Advising the Student Athlete

This course explores the role and function of academic advisors in the lives of student-athletes. You’ll examine existing student-athlete retention programs in colleges and universities to understand their components and effectiveness. Recognizing learning differences in students with learning disabilities or disorders will also be explored. The goal is to find academic services and counseling programs that help students in need reach their greatest potential.

SM-7115 Facility Management and Programming

In this course, you’ll focus on the principles, responsibilities, and issues involved with the management of athletic facilities. Activities include personnel and risk management, merchandising, quality assurance, and issues affecting the local community. Additional coursework and discussion includes the environmental issues and factors relating to the operation of facilities and the presentation of sporting events.

SM-7118 Financial Administration of Sports Facilities and Programs

In this course, you’ll explore the basic financial principles and concepts of interscholastic athletic programs. Coursework and instruction include exercises in marketing, revenue management, documentation and technological practices, and strategies for long-range planning. The course culminates with your development of a fundraising plan in the role of a sports administrator.