Departmental Honors Track

Sport Management students who meet the University's academic criteria (a GPA of 3.2) have the option of entering the Honors Program to pursue an enriched course of study. Honors courses in Sport Management allow students an opportunity to intensively explore issues, projects, and research in the profession. These courses enable students an opportunity to learn in small seminars with a faculty mentor.

During the junior or senior year honors students must embark on a "culminating experience" The sport management Department offers students three options. Students may either choose to do a thesis (499Y/499T) or an Honors Internship Culminating Experience (499K and 498K) or Event Management (499D). Other Culminating Experience options are available through the school (ISOM) or the university.

Sport Management Research/Thesis Option
The Department Honors track in Sport Management can culminate with the completion of a thesis, usually undertaken during the senior year. If students choose the thesis option, then they must undertake a research project upon which the thesis or project is based. This option is a two-semester sequence which counts as two of the required 6 honors courses (6 credits total). A successful thesis will be archived in the Library.

SPORTMGT 499Y - Honors Research
Interested students are advised to develop a research proposal which they submit for approval to three faculty who have the expertise to provide guidance. Faculty will form the student's research committee. Only the chair of the committee needs to be in the Sport Management Department. The Honors Research Form (available at the Honors Office) must be signed by the three sponsors. The committee usually helps the student decide whether to pursue the thesis or project option. A student's research may be part of a faculty member's ongoing research.

SPORTMGT 499T - Honors Thesis
Students present the results of their research in a written thesis. A common minimum is 40 pages, but some theses are 100 pages. Three components must be submitted to the Honors Office after approval by the research committee: manuscript, signed title page, and an abstract of 150 to 350 words. An oral defense completes the thesis.

Sport Management Internship Option
The Sport Management Honors Internship is a unique opportunity within Commonwealth College. It enables Sport Management majors to get practical experience and to intensively explore an issue or sport organization.

To be eligibly to sign up for 499K, students must first meet with the Honors Coordinator (Crosset) for orientation. Next the student must secure an approved internship with assistance of the internship director. Then the student must create an honors internship committee with assistance from the Departmental Honors Coordinator (Crosset)

SPORTMGT 499K and 498K - Internship
Honors students choosing the Sport Management 499K option must follow the guidelines outlined in the Sport Management Undergraduate Honors Internship Handbook. An Honors internship is different from other sport management internships in the follow ways

1) The semester prior to leaving campus for an internship, honors students must secure a faculty sponsor (full-time sport management faculty member only) and at least one other committee member. Work with the Departmental Honors coordinator to make this arrangement

2) Prior to leaving for the internship, honors students will write a 5-10 page preliminary research report about the firms where they intend to intern and submit the reports to their faculty sponsor. The content of the report will depend on the learning objectives and long-term goals of the student (see internship handbook), the type of firm/department, and the responsibilities of the intern position. The report should include a historical analysis of the firm and/or industry segment and a description of the strategic challenges facing the firm/industry segment.

3) While on the internship, honors students will contact their faculty sponsors bi-weekly via email. Since a weekly log is required (see internship handbook), these student/faculty email exchanges may use the log as a point of departure. Students are required to respond to faculty comments and advice. A copy of this email communication must be submitted along with the weekly log.

4) Per instructions in the Internship Handbook, upon completion of the internship, honors students will submit internship reports that meet both the departmental guidelines and the archiving standards of Commonwealth College (see www.comcol.umass.edu "For Current Students" / "Culminating Experience"). Successful honors reports will pay particular attention to Section IV: "Application of Theory", and "Recommendations" of the Sport Management Internship Guidelines.

5) The student will defend their reports to committees made up of their faculty sponsors in a defense open to the public.

6) The student will submit executive summaries of the recommendations section of their reports to their on-site supervisors.

7) Honors students' internship reports and defenses will be graded.

Sport Event Management Option
SPORTMGT 499D
The Sport Event Management (499D) is a unique opportunity to complete departmental honors. It enables Sport Management majors to get practical experience in a "lab" setting and to intensively explore organizational development and/or organizational behavior. Students in this course will be putting on a sporting event. Each Spring the students enrolled in this class put on Soccer Fest - a large soccer tournament held on campus. Periodically 499D will be offered in the Fall. Fall courses will be assisting in the management of a major sporting event like the Winter X Games.
To be eligible to sign up for 499D, students must first meet with the Honors Coordinator (Crosset) for orientation. Then the student must submit a resume and interview with the Professor leading the course (McDonald). If admitted Honors students may take this course as an honors course (492H) or as a "culminating experience" (499D).

Honors Courses
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING:
Within the Sport Management Honors Track, a number of opportunities for experiential learning are offered. These learning opportunities provide the student with practical experience in sport, through which to apply the vast theoretical basis of understanding gained in the classroom. See the course descriptions for the following experiential learning classes on the Courses Page:

SPORTMGT 397H - Community Relations in the Sport Industry
SPORTMGT 491H - Sport Event Sponsorship
SPORTMGT 492H - Sport Event Management
SPORTMGT 495H - Advanced Sport Marketing: Sales Strategy

SEMINARS:
The Sport Management department offers a number of honors seminars. Seminars are limited to 25 students. Examples include
SPORTMGT 202H - Honors History of Sport Management
SPORTMGT 494H - Ethics in the Management of Sport Organizations SPORTMGT 497H - Advanced Issues in Sport Sociology

COLLOQUIA/INDEPENDENT STUDIES:
Non-honors courses can count as for honors credit if (faculty willing) two or more students in the class meet for an additional hour a week with the faculty member. In addition, with the assistance of a ComCol advisor and a full time faculty member students may create a 1-3 credit independent study course.

If you are interested in the honors track and have questions, contact Prof. Todd Crosset at tcrosset@sportmgt.umass.edu.