About Work Experience
Want to know why our sport management program stands out compared to area colleges offering the same major? Two words: Work Experience. Our sport management alumni have found that the 450 hours the work experience course requires — above and beyond other internships — has helped them land numerous positions.
It is the final requirement for graduating seniors and can only be undertaken if a student has at least a 2.7 GPA. The experiential learning course lets you use theories and applied practice learned throughout the sport management program’s curriculum in a culminating internship. This is a full academic semester experience consisting of 450-500 hours of work experience. It is taken concurrently with Ethics and Current Issues in Sports (SPM 475) and no other courses may be taken during the work experience semester.
Course Objectives:
At the completion of the course the student will be able to:
- Explain the professional responsibilities associated with this work experience.
- Synthesize practical experience with learning from classes in the sport management program’s curriculum.
- Understand, articulate, and demonstrate proven concepts of professional behavior and conduct.
- Apply professional communication skills in a variety of work situations and tasks.
- Work independently and in groups to achieve organizational goals; articulate strengths and weaknesses in personal performance and/or group processes for future improvement.
- Apply critical thinking skills in a variety of situations and tasks.
- Demonstrate the ability to solve problems within the work environment.
- Develop and maintain a network of professionals within the sport management industry.
- Evaluate career options and explain personal professional goals.
Student Expectations:
To fulfill the requirements of the course and meet the objectives described above, you must focus on both on-site work and academic work. Remember to:
- Maximize all on-site learning opportunities. An outstanding Work Experience requires you to put forth your best effort at all times. You should be continually seeking new learning experiences from the very beginning of the experience until it concludes. In addition, you should perform all work at the highest quality possible.
- Complete the required assignments and meet all deadlines. The assignments in this course provide you with opportunities to reflect on your on-site experience and deepen your learning. Assignments must be turned in on time. Late assignments will not be accepted unless you have permission.
- Actively work to enhance your development as a professional. The culture of this class (both its on-site component and academic component) is one in which you must practice positive habits that are critical to professional success. Thus, in addition to the expectations stated above, it is also expected that you will focus on the following areas:
- Communication: Practice appropriate and professional communication throughout your interactions on an on-going basis. To this end, ALL communication related to the course must be conducted with the utmost level of professionalism (i.e. if you write an e-mail to your professor, it should contain appropriate spelling, grammar, punctuation, content, etc.). Spelling, grammar, and professional formatting are required for ALL written endeavors.
- Initiative: Your professor is more than happy to discuss professional questions, ideas, or topics beyond what he or she assigns to you in this course. The Work Experience is the capstone of your college career and, as such, you should make the most of it by taking the initiative to seek out feedback and assistance. The best professionals do so routinely.
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