The Master of Arts in Athletic Leadership and Master of Arts in Athletic Leadership Online provide current and aspiring coaches and administrators, at all levels, the opportunity to obtain a graduate education focused on leadership, ethics, and coaching development within the current landscape of athletics. This graduate program is designed to promote personal and professional growth in leadership, coaching integrity, and community influence using most of the standards of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (N.A.S.P.E.) and the university’s commitment to preparing caring, competent, and connected graduates. This program will promote the university mission of educating students to meet the challenges of our times. Intercollegiate athletics is a core component of the college experience and developing leaders within context this promotes multiple aspects of the Rider mission that include good decision-making, ethical lifestyles, and tolerance and respect for others.
Curriculum Overview
There are two models for the degree program, both requiring 36 credit hours. The first model is a "4+1" program for undergraduates in which two (2) courses (ATHL 501 and ATHL 502) are completed by rising seniors; the remaining 30 hours will be completed post-graduation. The second model is a traditional master's program consisting of 36 credits. The program allows the possibility of receiving credit for up to six (6) hours of the coaching/athletic administrative work depending upon prior professional experience (e.g., 2 years of full-time coaching or athletic administrative experience).
Degree Offered
- M.A. in Athletic Leadership
Contact
Gary Brosvic, Ph.D.
Director, MA in Athletic Leadership Program
609-896-5033
brosvic@rider.edu
Program Website: M.A. in Athletic Leadership
Associated College: College of Education and Human Services
Related Undergraduate Programs:
Athletic Leadership M.A. Program Requirements
(36 credits)
All students must complete the Core Requirements below and select one of the following Tracks:
- Athletic Administration Track
- Career Exploration Track
- Coaching Track
- Sports Psychology Track
Athletic Leadership Core Requirements
(15 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| The following courses are required for each track: | ||
| ATHL 501 | Sport Psychology | 3 |
| ATHL 502 | Evidence-Based Research and Athletics | 3 |
| ATHL 515 | Athletic Leadership | 3 |
| ATHL 650 | Internship of Athletic Leadership 1 | 3 |
| ATHL 651 | Internship of Athletic Administration 1 | 3 |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
- 1
Students may complete both ATHL 650 and ATHL 651 for 3 credits each or complete a total of 6 credits in either course.
Elective Course Options for All Tracks
See each track to determine the number of elective courses to select.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ATHL 507 | Athletic Governance and Policy | 3 |
| ATHL 508 | Athletic Risk Management & Wellness | 3 |
| ATHL 509 | Seminar in Legal and Ethical Issues in Athletics | 3 |
| ATHL 514 | Women and Sports | 3 |
| ATHL 516 | Sport Analytics | 3 |
| ATHL 517 | Athletic Finances | 3 |
| ATHL 518 | Athlete Development | 3 |
| ATHL 519 | Ethics in Sport | 3 |
| ATHL 550 | Current Issues in Athletics | 3 |
Athletic Administration Track
(15 credits plus core and elective credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses (see above) | 15 | |
| Required Courses for Track: | 12 | |
| Athletic Communication and Marketing | ||
| Athletic Facilities Management | ||
| Concepts and Principles of Athletic Administration | ||
| Administrative Decision-Making | ||
| Elective Course Credits | 9 | |
| Select 9 credits from the list of elective courses or from the courses available under any Track option. | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Career Exploration Track
(15 credits plus core and elective credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses (see above) | 15 | |
| Elective Course Credits | 21 | |
| Select 21 credits from the list of elective courses and/or those offered for a different Track. | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Coaching Track
(15 credits plus core and elective credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses (see above) | 15 | |
| Required Courses for Track: | 12 | |
| Seminar in Athletic Training | ||
| Athletic Risk Management & Wellness | ||
| Concepts and Principles of Coaching | ||
| Developing a Philosophy of Coaching | ||
| Elective Course Credits | 9 | |
Select 9 credits from the list of elective courses or from courses under any Track option. | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Sport Psychology Track
(9 credits plus core and elective credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses (see above) | 15 | |
| Required Courses for Track: | 9 | |
| Psychological Skills Training | ||
| Clinical Sport Psychology | ||
| Assessment in Sport Psychology | ||
| Elective Course Credits | 12 | |
Select 12 credits from the list of elective courses or from courses under any Track option. | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
Athletic Leadership M.A. 4 + 1
Overview
The Athletic Leadership M.A. 4+1 option is designed for undergraduate students who wish to combine undergraduate study in a major leading to a Bachelor's degree with graduate study leading to a Master of Arts in Athletic Leadership. Eligible students may complete six credits as an undergraduate, then 30 credits to complete the graduate requirement. Undergraduate students accepted into the program will take the following two (2) courses during their Senior year:
The remaining 30 credits will be completed upon acceptance into the M.A. in Athletic Leadership program.
The admission process for this program ensures that only capable students are enrolled. For more information please visit the Master of Arts in Athletic Leadership page on the Rider website.
Contact:
Gary Brosvic, Ph.D.
Director, MA in Athletic Leadership Program
609-896-5033
brosvic@rider.edu
Courses and Descriptions
ATHL 501 Sport Psychology 3 Credits
This course covers psychological and social-psychological antecedents and consequences of exercise, physical activity, and sports participation. Emphasizes theory and research on personality, motivation, arousal, cognition, attributions, attitudes, self-efficacy, leadership effectiveness, and group dynamics. Emphasis is placed on applications for maximizing effectiveness while serving in the position of coach or administrator.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 502 Evidence-Based Research and Athletics 3 Credits
This course in research methods prepares the student to understand materials and issues associated with but not limited to the logic of the scientific method, research design, and qualitative and statistical analysis of data. Students will be afforded the opportunity to conduct research in the course on topics.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 503 Strength, Speed, and Conditioning 3 Credits
Emphasis will be placed upon assessment, description, and analysis of sport movement and designing training programs to enhance performance variables. While this course will assist those who desire to sit for the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) Certified Exam, it is NOT a preparation course for the NSCA-CSCS exam.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 504 Seminar in Athletic Training 3 Credits
Introduces the profession of athletic training and the basic principles of preventative care commonly used in the profession. Topics will include athletic training facility organization and procedures; protective sports equipment; construction of protective devices; and application of protective taping, braces, wrapping, and protective pads. Areas to be studied include the role of the athletic trainer in sports medicine, mechanisms of athletic injuries, tissue response to injury, blood-borne pathogens, introductory techniques of the assessment and evaluation of athletic injuries and emergency procedures.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 505 Athletic Communication and Marketing 3 Credits
Seminar in Sports Media and Communication is a critical examination of the symbiotic relationship between the mass media and professional sports franchises and major college athletic programs. This course deals with the workings and processes behind executing the proper techniques of sports information and media relations, as well as an analysis of the culture of sports in modern society. Students will develop a practical focus on sports information and promotion, including the role of the sports information director and events promoter, with emphasis on advanced concepts of public relations, publicity and marketing.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 506 Athletic Facilities Management 3 Credits
Seminar in Facilities Management and Event Planning provides an examination of principles and techniques of planning and operating sport facilities. Emphasizes the principles and concepts of organization and administration including communication, personnel management, management of physical resources, and risk management. Examines a variety of sport operations such as indoor stadiums, athletic field complexes, and managing recreation and intramural activities.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 507 Athletic Governance and Policy 3 Credits
Students in this course will explore principles, techniques, and processes related to the management of college athletics. It is important in today's dynamic environment of collegiate athletics that students value effective leadership and management principles. Through analyzing case studies, students will demonstrate problem solving related to handling athletic personnel and program issues. Studying collegiate athletic administration involves interpreting NCAA By-laws, including a comparison between Division I, II, and III compliance regulations. To ensure readiness for athletic management, students will evaluate the duties of an athletic director and create a strategic plan for an athletic department, including a mission statement and comprehensive budget. Lastly, students will characterize the critical steps to getting hired in collegiate athletics. Students will also prepare a portfolio, including an application letter and resume customized for applying for a position in athletic administration at the collegiate level. At the end of the course, students will understand the primary duties of the athletic director and the intricacies of managing an intercollegiate athletic program.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 508 Athletic Risk Management & Wellness 3 Credits
Students in this course will explore proactive approaches to managing risks associated with conducting health, physical education, recreation and outdoor education programs. This course will emphasize safety as a foundation of quality program planning. Students will study governing associations and leadership/management skills required to be successful in the world of college athletics.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 509 Seminar in Legal and Ethical Issues in Athletics 3 Credits
The purpose of the course is to familiarize the students with the business of sports and various issues related to sports management. Legal, ethical, economic, social and managerial issues related to sports will be addressed. Sports law issues that will be covered include tort law, contract law, employment discrimination, antitrust law and constitutional law. Also covered will be the structures and authority of the organizations involved in amateur and professional athletics.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 514 Women and Sports 3 Credits
Women and Sport focuses on women winning access to the playing field as well as the front office in sport. Using research-based materials, course members will gain an understanding of how women have been involved in sport and physical activity, how women have struggled for widespread recognition and legitimacy, how women continue to carve out their role in shaping sport as it is known today, in the future, and society’s ongoing conversation about what it means to be a female athlete or a woman working in sport.
ATHL 515 Athletic Leadership 3 Credits
In any profession or endeavor, the attitude and overall culture of a team is a direct reflection of its leadership. In the sports realm, there are many different leadership approaches that have been considered effective. This course will provide an overview of these approaches based on a comprehensive review of the literature related to sport leadership. The primary goals of this course are to help current and aspiring sport leaders gain a better understanding of effective leadership, to provide the necessary tools in developing effective leaders, and to provide networking opportunities for individuals who share similar goals and aspirations across various domains. The leadership principles may be beneficial to individuals in a variety of settings. This course offers coaches, administrators, players, and scholars the opportunity to learn and apply leadership principles within various contexts.
ATHL 516 Sport Analytics 3 Credits
This course will discuss the theory, development, and application of analytics in sports and the application of analytics in sports for purposes of in-game strategy, player performance, team management, sports operations, and fantasy competitions. Students will be introduced to topics in the applied analysis of sports, with a focus on supporting team decision-makers and applying modern, practical analytic techniques to sports data in search of actionable insight and a competitive edge. The four major team sports of North America (football, baseball, basketball, and hockey) will be the primary subjects of study, but the course’s learning objectives are universally applicable to all sports. Emphasis will be placed upon becoming familiar with the full analytic life-cycle: asking productive and relevant research questions, finding the correct data, applying the appropriate tools, discovering insights, and clearly communicating results.
ATHL 517 Athletic Finances 3 Credits
Athletic Finances examines the financial tools that sports managers use to run their sport businesses. Course members will explore traditional and innovative methods of revenue acquisition and financial management in sports organizations, the financial business structure of sports organizations, and the financial planning and forecasting processes that make organizations effective. Various other aspects of finance are discussed as they relate to sports organizations, including the time value of money, capital structuring, stocks and bonds, inventory management, and higher education.
ATHL 518 Athlete Development 3 Credits
Athlete Development focuses on sports-specific learning to prepare athletes with the necessary critical elements leading to an improvement in their chosen sport, emphasizing technical development, physical preparation and sports specific knowledge. The course follows the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model, an approach to athlete-centered sport that combines skill instruction with long-term planning and an understanding of human development. The LTAD model integrates current research on talent development and assessment into practice to help sport leaders plan athletic development across the life span or design detailed programs for a particular group, including those with physical and cognitive disabilities.
ATHL 519 Ethics in Sport 3 Credits
Ethics in Sport focuses on focus on how people should treat one another in sport settings and, therefore, on a critical examination of ethical issues central to contemporary sport. As a class we will thus consider these questions: 1) What place, if any, does sport have in a good life? 2) What counts as cheating in sport, and why is it morally wrong? 3) Is it morally permissible to use performance-enhancing drugs or genetic forms of enhancement to boost athletic performance? 4) How is it possible to achieve equality for women in sports in a culture where dominant sports tend to privilege such traditionally male features as strength, power, and speed?.
ATHL 520 Psychological Skills Training 3 Credits
Psychological Skills Training (PST) teaches techniques grounded in mental training principles used by elite athletes, business professionals, and special operations personnel to achieve and maintain the highest levels of resilience, readiness, and performance. Classic PST techniques that define the canon of mental toughness will be presented with history and theory and extensive embedded self-exercises teaching self-awareness training, goal setting, imagery and visualization, attentional and concentration techniques, arousal and intensity regulation, and stress management. A complete mindfulness sports performance enhancement (MSPE) protocol using the latest research from the sport sciences, psychology, and neuroscience will be presented including guidance for building mindfulness skills essential to consistent, optimal performance.
ATHL 521 Clinical Sport Psychology 3 Credits
Clinical Sport Psychology presents a new way of thinking about the psychological processes that are involved in attaining and maintaining sport expertise. The course, based on clinical and sport research, bridges the gap between clinical and sport psychologists by presenting a model that connects athletic performance, basic psychological processes, and relevant empirical findings. Successful completion of course materials provides the practitioner with greater understanding of the varying dimensions of clinical phenomena and how nonclinical, subclinical, and clinical issues affect athletic performance and the overall well-being of athletes.
ATHL 522 Assessment in Sport Psychology 3 Credits
Assessment in Sport Psychology integrates and synthesizes the theoretical concepts of sport and performance psychology into meaningful application. Emphasis is placed on creating and then assessing performance-enhancement programs for clients through the exploration and application of theory, research, and intervention strategies to assist clients pursuing excellence. The construct of excellence is thoroughly explored, including common roadblocks and the type of contexts in which the skills and knowledge are used in the field of clinical mental health counseling, sport and performance, intrapersonal relationships, and career.
ATHL 550 Current Issues in Athletics 3 Credits
This course will provide students the opportunity to survey the various sub-disciplines related to coaching and athletic administration, and their methods of inquiry. The course will place emphases on critically appraising research literature, and data collection, data organization and analyses for various research questions.
ATHL 601 Concepts and Principles of Coaching 3 Credits
The learning experiences in this course are afforded through a variety of instructional approaches. This will ensure opportunities to meet the course objectives. Course content includes, but is not limited to, the following: philosophical foundations of coaching, integrity; program mission and priorities; scientific basis of sport; basic conditioning and training principles; basic wellness; psychological foundations of coaching; leadership strategies; communication; team dynamics and cohesion; personality, basic traits and states influencing performance; pedagogical principles of sport; learning motor skills; process of coaching; managerial functions of coaches-planning, controlling, evaluating; event/facility/equipment management; legal duties and risk management; promotions, marketing, fundraising for coaches; multitask management, self-management; intangibles in coaching.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 602 Developing a Philosophy of Coaching 3 Credits
Athletic Coaching – Developing a Philosophy provides the opportunity to learn and reflect upon the necessary skills for a successful coach. The course will cover numerous topics to allow course members the opportunity to learn, evaluate and self-reflect on their abilities and skills as a coach, and to develop a personal philosophy of coaching. The course addresses the differences in levels of competitive sports, the personal roles that coaches should exhibit, the professional roles expected and the organizational influences on the world of a coach in order to maximize the development of athletes and team while progressing from one season to the next in the annual coaching cycle.
Prerequisite(s): Current enrollment in ATHL 601 or satisfactory completion of ATHL 601.
ATHL 621 Concepts and Principles of Athletic Administration 3 Credits
Concepts and Principles of Athletic Administration explores the complexities of intercollegiate athletics while explaining the organizational structures, key players, terms, and important issues most relevant to the growing but often misunderstood fields of recreational studies, sports management, and athletic administration. Intercollegiate athletics create unique challenges to higher education—for while they are closely integrated into their institutions—athletic programs often operate outside of traditional university governance structures while contributing significantly to a school’s culture, identity, and financial outlook. Course members in this course will explore principles, techniques, and process related to the management of college athletics, characterize the critical steps to getting hired in collegiate athletics, and prepare a portfolio, including an application letter and resume customized for applying for a position in athletic administration at the collegiate level.
ATHL 622 Administrative Decision-Making 3 Credits
Students in this course will explore principles, techniques, and process related to the management of college athletics. It is important in today's dynamic environment of collegiate athletics that students value effective leadership and management principles. Through analyzing case studies, students will demonstrate problem solving related to handling athletic personnel and program issues. To ensure readiness for athletic management, students will evaluate the duties of an athletic director and create a strategic plan for an athletic department, including a mission statement and comprehensive budget. Lastly, students will characterize the critical steps to getting hired in collegiate athletics. Students will also prepare a portfolio, including an application letter and resume customized for applying for a position in athletic administration at the collegiate level.
Prerequisite(s): Current enrollment in ATHL 621 or satisfactory completion of ATHL 621.
ATHL 650 Internship of Athletic Leadership 3 Credits
The learning experiences in this course are afforded through a variety of instructional approaches. This will ensure opportunities to meet the course objectives. Course content includes, but is not limited to, the following: philosophical foundations of coaching, integrity; program mission and priorities; scientific basis of sport; basic conditioning and training principles; basic wellness; psychological foundations of coaching; leadership strategies; communication; team dynamics and cohesion; personality, basic traits and states influencing performance; pedagogical principles of sport; learning motor skills; process of coaching; managerial functions of coaches-planning, controlling, evaluating; event/facility/equipment management; legal duties and risk management; promotions, marketing, fundraising for coaches; multitask management, self-management; intangibles in coaching.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director.
ATHL 651 Internship of Athletic Administration 3 Credits
The internship affords students professional experience with an organization where the course theory can be applied to best practices. The internship is developed in consultation with the student, the student’s academic advisor and the Internship. A learning/work plan is prepared by the student for approval by the site supervisor, both of whom share responsibility for the internship.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of Program Director or approval by CLAS Dean's Office.