Fields of Study

Sport Studies: Master of Science
in Sport Studies

For information contact:
Director of graduate studies
Department of Physical Education, Health, and Sport Studies
106 Phillips Hall (513-529-2700)
www.units.muohio.edu/eap/phs

This degree is for those interested in the cross-disciplinary study of sport and leisure.

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate preparation typically includes course work in exercise science, health, sociology, psychology, zoology, and related areas.

All applicants should have an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (4.0 scale). All applicants must submit scores from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) general test or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) and three letters of recommendation.

Program Requirements

Requirements include at least 15 semester hours in courses 600-level and above and at least 12 semester hours in courses offered by the department.

In the Sport Studies M.S. degree program, students may choose between concentrations in Sport Organization or Sport Behavior and Performance. Required courses and typical electives are listed and must be approved by your adviser.

Thesis and nonthesis tracks are offered. For the thesis option, you must complete 36 graduate semester hours; PHS 700 Thesis (4) and EDP 667 Behavioral Statistics (3); have a graduate faculty thesis adviser; and pass an oral comprehensive exit examination that includes defense of your thesis. For the nonthesis option, you must complete 36 graduate semester hours and pass an oral comprehensive exit examination.

Sport Behavior and Performance Concentration

The Sport Behavior and Performance concentration is designed to provide breadth and depth of knowledge concerning the behavior of participants in competitive sport. While the primary orientation is psychological, students are expected to engage in cross-disciplined inquiry. Cognate courses in this area examine sport behavior from developmental, physiological, historical, and socio-cultural perspectives. The concentration offers a critical mass of faculty (nationally and internationally recognized) and a high student placement rate in doctoral programs and in other sport careers. The philosophy is couched in a research-to-practice orientation.

Career opportunities include positions in: teaching at the university level (or elementary or secondary levels assuming teaching certification); coaching at all levels; athletic administration (university, national sport organizations); recreational sport programming (e.g., YMCA/YWCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts); academic advising/counseling (university athletic departments); consulting; or corporate fitness/wellness.

Required courses
PHS 621 Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Systems in Exercise, Health,
            and Sport Studies (2)
PHS 622 Quantitative Methodological Research Approaches in the Exercise, Health,
            and Sport Studies Fields (2)
PHS 623 Qualitative Methodological Research Approaches in the Exercise, Health,
            and Sport Studies Fields (2)
PHS 632 Psychological Foundations of Sport (4)
PHS 633 Psychological Interventions in Sport (4)
PHS 634 Social Psychology of Sport and Exercise (3)
PHS 611 Behavioral Approaches to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (3) or
       PHS 654 Studies in Exercise Behavior (3) or
       PHS 673 Developmental Perspectives on Youth Sport Participation (3) or
       PHS 675 Career Patterns in Sport and Physical Education I (4) or
       PHS 676 Career Patterns in Sport and Physical Education II (4) or
       PHS 685 Exercise, Aging, and Health Promotion (3)
PHS 620 Research Problems (4)
PHS 700 Thesis Preparation (4)

For students completing the thesis option:
EDP 667 Behavioral Statistics (3) or
           another course suited to your analytical perspective
EDP 672 Counseling Theories and Issues (3)
PHS 509 Nutrition for Sports and Fitness (3)
PHS 571 Sport, Leisure, and Aging (4)
PHS 575 Gender Relations in Sport (3)
PHS 610 Internships (1-4)

Sport Organization Concentration

This concentration is designed to provide breadth and depth of knowledge concerning how play, games, and sport relate to general features of social organization and social relations, and thereby, to provide comprehensive insights into the institutional arrangements and cultural values of society. The major premise is that play, games, and sports are culturally central to the life experiences of social classes and status groups in our society and to the power relationships that are characteristic of the interaction between them.

Coursework provides opportunities for students to evaluate how social class, ethnicity, race, and gender contour our enculturation into and via play, games, and sport. It also enables students to understand the historical development of contemporary sporting practices. Faculty are nationally and internationally recognized and there has been a high placement rate for students seeking Ph.D.s in sociology and physical education/kinesiology.

Career opportunities include positions in: teaching at the university level; professional sport organizations, amateur athletic sport organizations; NCAA sport organizations; private sports clubs (e.g., tennis, golf); or academic athletic administration.

Required courses
All of these:
PHS 621 Critical Perspectives on Knowledge Systems in Exercise, Health,
            and Sport Studies (2)
PHS 622 Quantitative Methodological Research Approaches in the Exercise, Health,
            and Sport Studies Fields (2)
PHS 623 Qualitative Methodological Research Approaches in the Exercise, Health,
            and Sport Studies Fields (2)
PHS 673 Developmental Perspectives on Youth Sport Participation (3)
PHS 675 Career Patterns in Sport and Physical Education I (4)
PHS 676 Career Patterns in Sport and Physical Education II (4)

Four of the following courses:
PHS 571 Sport, Leisure, and Aging (4)
PHS 572 Sport in Schools and Colleges (4)
PHS 574 Sport and Modernization (4)
PHS 575 Women, Gender Relations, and Sport (3)
PHS 673 Developmental Perspectives on Youth Sport Participation (3)

Choose one of the following:
(Only one of the following may be used to fulfill your degree requirements and your selection must be approved by your SO adviser.)
PHS 553 Special Topics with SO Focus (3)
PHS 610 Internship (1-4)
PHS 700 Thesis Preparation (1-10; 4 required in catalog)

One course outside concentration, but within the Sport Studies Program:
PHS 553 Special Topics with Sport Behavior and Performance focus (2-4)*
PHS 632 Psychological Foundations of Sport (4)
PHS 633 Psychological Interventions in Sport (4)
PHS 634 Social Psychology of Sport and Exercise (3)
* must be approved by SO adviser

One course outside Sport Studies Program, including, but not limited to:
EDL 625 Social Foundation of Education (3)
MKT 611 Professional Services Marketing (3)
PHS 509 Nutrition for Sport and Fitness (3)
PHS 562 Health Promotion, Planning, and Evaluation (3)
PHS 612 Foundations and Theory of Health Promotion and Education (3)
PHS 654 Studies in Exercise Behavior (4)
PHS 681 Human Motor Control and Learning (3)
WMS 510Q Queer Theories (3)
WMS 601 Introduction to Women's Studies (3)
WMS 602 Feminist Theory and Methodology (3)