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Post-Master’s Certificate
in Sport and Athletic
Management

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Courses start every Monday

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Take the first step in your National University journey

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230K+ Alumni Worldwide

Overview

As sports and athletics continue to grow in popularity, participation, and economic value, both coaching and athletic administration have become highly sought-after professions. This post-master’s certificate is designed to enhance your leadership skills, strengthen your teaching and administrative abilities, and help you apply ethics and values to all aspects of athletics. For current coaches or athletic administrators, it offers an outstanding professional development opportunity for advancing your knowledge and skills in the field.

Courses focus on leadership, legal and ethical aspects, financial analysis, marketing, sports governance, and facilities management. Concepts are presented with an emphasis on how to apply them within today’s athletic environment in the role you wish to fulfill. Topics and coursework have a contemporary focus, emphasizing current problems, the opportunities they present, and projects and activities that are directly related to your intended work setting.

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The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredits public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S.

Admission Requirements 

A conferred master’s level or higher degree from a regionally or nationally accredited academic institution.

Courses

For the Post-Master’s Certificate in Sport and Athletic Management, you must complete 6 courses (18 credit hours). The estimated time needed to complete this certificate is 13 months.

Course Details

Course Listings

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 college 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.

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.

WASC logo

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredits public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S.

Learning Outcomes

If you’ve earned your Master of Education degree, then our post-master’s certificate may move you past the head of the class. NU’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Sport and Athletic Management is designed to help you focus and develop your skill sets and knowledge in a particular area of education beyond the master’s level, without the need for a doctoral commitment or dissertation. You’ll not only enhance your understanding of major theories and practices in your specialty, but you’ll be challenged to think critically about the topics covered with the goal of applying what you learn to your professional objectives—all while gaining a wealth of experience from your mentoring professors.

Why Choose National University

  • Four-Week Courses
  • 190+ Degree Programs
  • Online or On-Site
  • Year-Round Enrollment
  • Military Friendly

We’re proud to be a Veteran-founded, San Diego-based nonprofit. Since 1971, our mission has been to provide accessible, achievable higher education to adult learners. Today, we educate students from across the U.S. and around the globe, with over 230,000 alumni worldwide.

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“National University has impacted my career. You can immediately apply what you learn in class to your business.”

-Francisco R., Class of 2016

Program Disclosure

Successful completion and attainment of National University degrees do not lead to automatic or immediate licensure, employment, or certification in any state/country. The University cannot guarantee that any professional organization or business will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any certification, licensure, or related exam for the purpose of professional certification.

Program availability varies by state. Many disciplines, professions, and jobs require disclosure of an individual’s criminal history, and a variety of states require background checks to apply to, or be eligible for, certain certificates, registrations, and licenses. Existence of a criminal history may also subject an individual to denial of an initial application for a certificate, registration, or license and/or result in the revocation or suspension of an existing certificate, registration, or license. Requirements can vary by state, occupation, and/or licensing authority.

NU graduates will be subject to additional requirements on a program, certification/licensure, employment, and state-by-state basis that can include one or more of the following items: internships, practicum experience, additional coursework, exams, tests, drug testing, earning an additional degree, and/or other training/education requirements.

All prospective students are advised to review employment, certification, and/or licensure requirements in their state, and to contact the certification/licensing body of the state and/or country where they intend to obtain certification/licensure to verify that these courses/programs qualify in that state/country, prior to enrolling. Prospective students are also advised to regularly review the state’s/country’s policies and procedures relating to certification/licensure, as those policies are subject to change.

National University degrees do not guarantee employment or salary of any kind. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review desired job positions to review degrees, education, and/or training required to apply for desired positions. Prospective students should monitor these positions as requirements, salary, and other relevant factors can change over time.