Ph.D. in Sport Management Program

Program Overview

Troy University's online-blended Ph.D. in Sport Management prepares graduates for leadership roles in higher education, research, and the sport industry. The program's emphasis on critical thinking, research, and practical application equips students with the skills to analyze and solve complex issues in the field. Graduates are eligible for positions in sport management, including higher education, research, professional athletics, and the sport industry.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Ph.D. in Sport Management program at Troy University is a terminal degree designed to prepare graduates for a broad range of sport management-related positions, including higher education, research, professional or amateur athletics, and professional sport industry. The program is offered as a blended program, combining both online and face-to-face courses. The program's mission is to prepare graduates to:

• Demonstrate knowledge from core and specialized areas of study.
• Conduct pertinent and relevant research related to the sport industry.
• Interpret and evaluate research studies in sport management.
• Analyze and apply sport management principles, approaches, and rationales to contemporary sport management cases.
• Organize and plan programs of service designed to meet local, state, regional, national, and international needs.
• Prepare research within the field of sport management for presentation and/or publication.

Assessment:

The program requires students to successfully complete a written and oral comprehensive examination prior to generating a dissertation proposal and subsequent research study. The comprehensive exam consists of written and oral components.

Teaching:

The program is designed to enhance critical thinking, analytical, statistical, and research-based skills required for survival in the contemporary sport industry. Students acquire these skills through engagement in an integrated academic learning and research-oriented environment with highly regarded faculty. The program is offered in a blended format, combining online and face-to-face courses. This format provides a high level of accessibility and flexibility to best serve the working sport practitioner who desires a Ph.D. in Sport Management.

Careers:

The program prepares graduates for a broad range of sport management-related positions, including:

• Higher education
• Research
• Professional or amateur athletics
• Professional sport industry

Other:

• The sports industry has grown into a $435 billion industry over the past two decades.
• The program is one of the few Ph.D. programs that is offered primarily online in the United States.
• The program concentrates on developing students to generate the research, critical thinking, and teaching skills necessary for them to be successful in the sport industry and higher education.
• The program is designed to address the challenge by industry and educational institutions to train high-quality academicians with a sport management background.
• Students will be offered the chance to develop and produce original theoretical-specific knowledge that is germane to the sport industry and academy.
• Such research-oriented endeavors will permit the doctoral students to be in the middle of new advances in sport management.