Exercise and Sport Science Major, B.A.–Sport Administration

The sport administration program provides students with course work specific to sport-related business and administrative functions, settings, and organizations. Course topics include administration, economics, event planning and management, facility management, finance, law, marketing, sales, analytics and leadership/organizational behavior, sponsorship, and other important components of the sport industry. Students will also complete at least one (1) sport administration internship as part of program studies.

For more information, please contact Danielle Smith.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Exercise and Sport Science program (sport administration track), students should be able to:

Understand and apply fundamental processes related to the sales process, marketing of sport, and marketing through sport
Recognize the challenges of planning, designing, and managing an effective and efficient sport event, as well as designing and managing a variety of sport and multipurpose facilities, and applying solutions or best practices to challenges
Understand and identify the proper legal theory, including contracts, torts, property, agency, administrative, and Constitutional law as applied in the sport industry
Apply specific critical thinking and analytical techniques used by financial managers to economic/financial challenges found in various sport settings
Identify their own leadership qualities and core values, assess how their unique approach will help or hinder their ability to lead, and set a personal leadership vision to guide them within the sport industry
Identify opportunities for experiential learning in the sport administration field, develop a professional portfolio and networking skills, understand organizational structures, and successfully navigate a sport

In addition to the program requirements, students must

earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.

For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.

Students seeking the major in exercise and sport science–sport administration (EXSS–SA) must complete the following requirements in addition to required General Education courses:

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Core Requirements
EXSS 221	Introduction to Sport Administration ¹	3
EXSS 288	Emergency Care of Athletic Injuries and Illnesses	3
EXSS 322	Fundamentals of Sport Marketing	3
EXSS 323	Sport Facility and Event Management	3
EXSS 324	Finance and Economics of Sport	3
EXSS 326	Legal Aspects of Sport	3
EXSS 424	Sport Sales and Revenue Production Seminar	3
EXSS 493	Field Experience in Sport Administration	3
Six (6) additional credits must be earned in EXSS courses (at least one course, 3 hours, must be at the 200 level or above). ²		6
Additional Requirements
ECON 101	Introduction to Economics (prerequisite for EXSS 324) ^{H, F}	4
STOR 151	Introduction to Data Analysis	3
or STOR 155	Introduction to Data Models and Inference
or PSYC 210	Statistical Principles of Psychological Research
Total Hours		37

H	Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply.

FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute.

¹: EXSS 221 is a prerequisite for EXSS 322, EXSS 323, and EXSS 493.
²: EXSS 420 and EXSS 430 may also be used. Note: EXSS 493 may be taken twice for a maximum total of six credits, but may not be used to fill this requirement.

Students considering graduate work in sport administration should take EXSS 273.

Exercise and Sport Science (EXSS) course descriptions.

Special Opportunities in Exercise and Sport Science

Honors in Exercise and Sport Science

The senior honors program provides exercise and sport science majors the opportunity to pursue an independent, two-semester research project. A student must have an overall grade point average of 3.3 or above prior to acceptance into the departmental honors program and must maintain an overall average of 3.3 or above to remain in the program. Students complete EXSS 693H and EXSS 694H. Honors study involves the completion of a substantial piece of original research and the formal oral presentation of the results. Those successfully completing the program are awarded their degree with either honors or highest honors. Previous senior honors thesis topics and more information can be found on the EXSS department web page. Please contact Dr. J.D. DeFreese by email if you are interested.

Departmental Involvement

In addition to its academic offerings, the department houses many research laboratories, and the campus recreation program. Both provide experiences outside the classroom. Students may also affiliate with the Carolina Sports Business Club and the Carolina Sport Administration Club.

Experiential Education/High-Impact Experience

The following courses satisfy the experiential education requirement in the Making Connections curriculum and some satisfy the high-impact experience requirement in the IDEAs in Action curriculum.

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
EXSS 51	First-Year Seminar: Entrepreneurship in Human Performance and Sport	3
EXSS 207	Coaching Principles	3
EXSS 393	Sports Medicine Clinical	1
EXSS 395	Undergraduate Research Course	1-3
EXSS 420	Program Planning in Recreation Services	3
EXSS 493	Field Experience in Sport Administration	3
EXSS 593	Practicum in Physical Fitness and Wellness	1-3
EXSS 693H	Senior Honors Thesis	3
EXSS 694H	Senior Honors Thesis	3

Laboratory Teaching Internships and Assistantships

The fitness professional students serve a practicum with local fitness organizations.

Study Abroad

The Department of Exercise and Sport Science offers summer study abroad programs depending on faculty availability. Refer to the department’s website and the study abroad website for more information. For other study abroad experiences the department will gladly work with its majors in advance of the experience to determine appropriate credit.

Undergraduate Awards

The Patrick F. Earey Award, named in honor of a longtime faculty member, is given annually to the outstanding senior major in the department. The award signifies exemplary leadership, academic achievement, and extracurricular involvement by a senior exercise and sport science major.

The Ronald W. Hyatt Scholarship, named in honor of the late Dr. Hyatt, one of Carolina’s “priceless gems” and a faculty member in the department, is a merit-based scholarship awarded annually to an outstanding full-time undergraduate exercise and sport science major with junior status.

Undergraduate Research

Students are encouraged to explore research interests by taking EXSS 395, completing independent research studies, or writing senior honors theses. Please review the EXSS website under the research laboratories tab to determine where your research interest lies. Contacting individual faculty in your area of interest is encouraged, or reach out to J.D. DeFreese, the EXSS director of undergraduate research.