Heather Barber
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
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Heather Barber
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR -
Gretchen Browne
CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR -
Karen Collins
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Sport Studies Major (B.S.)
Sport Studies Major (B.S.)
Course codes have changed for many Kinesiology courses. Download the new course codes here.
What is sport studies?
The sport studies program allows you to bring your love of sport together with a deeper understanding of sports history, culture and practice. You’ll study sport history, psychology and sociology, exploring topics that range from marketing and mass media to race and gender. This major prepares you for a wide variety of career paths in school, college and professional sport, including coaching, administration, marketing and sports communications. It also prepares you for graduate study in areas such as sport law or sport psychology. Students interested in pro leagues, sporting goods or media are encouraged to take supporting coursework in related disciplines such as business, journalism or communications.
Why study sport studies at UNH?
As a student in the sport studies program at UNH, you’ll be able to pursue one of four focus areas: sports information/media relations, management/administration, marketing or coaching/psychology. You will gain practical experience and make professional contacts through internships in coaching, communications, marketing, event management and other aspects of the sport industry. Demand in this industry is expected to grow as participation in high school, college, professional and recreational sport rises.
Potential careers
- Athletic administrator
- Coach
- Events coordinator
- Front office – professional sport teams
- Marketing/PR manager
- Sports writer/journalist
- Talent scout
Contact
New Hampshire Hall, 124 Main Street
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: (603) 862-2071
Curriculum & Requirements
Sport Studies is an interdisciplinary major that provides a foundation for careers in the sport industry. Students may prepare for careers in school, college, and professional athletic administration/management, coaching, marketing, and sports media. The program also prepares majors for graduate study in areas such as sport law and sport psychology. Sport Studies students are encouraged to pursue a second major or minor in a complementary discipline, such as business, communications, english/journalism, or psychology.
Majors take a core of foundation courses as well as electives in applied areas such as sport marketing, athletic administration, and sport psychology. Majors must earn a grade of B- or better in SPST 565 Principles of Coaching and SPST 580 Sport Industry, and a grade of C or better in each required University and Sport Studies course. All majors must complete a minor or 20 credits of prior-approved coursework in supporting areas such as business, psychology, or education. In addition, a targeted internship experience or independent study is required. An internship experience is strongly recommended since it is often critical to career development. Interested students should consult with the undergraduate major coordinator, Heather Barber, Heather.Barber@unh.edu.
Recommended Major Sequencing of Courses
This list only includes major classes. Students should be registered for, and taking an average of 16 credits per semester to be ‘on track’ to graduate in 4 years. In most semesters, this means a student will be taking Discovery or elective courses, to meet this 16 credit ‘load’.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| ENGL 401 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| PSYC 401 | Introduction to Psychology | 4 |
| SPST 580 | Sport Industry | 4 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Spring | ||
| SPST 565 or SPST 562 |
Principles of Coaching or Sport Media Relations |
4 |
| Credits | 4 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PSYC 402 or SOC 402 or ADMN 420 |
Statistics in Psychology or Statistics or Business Statistics |
4 |
| SPST 562 or SPST 565 |
Sport Media Relations or Principles of Coaching |
4 |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Spring | ||
| SPST 560 | Sport Psychology | 4 |
| Sport Studies Elective 1 | 4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| SPST 650C | Internship in Sport Studies | 1-8 |
| 2 Sport Studies Electives 1 | 8 | |
| Credits | 9-16 | |
| Spring | ||
| SPST 740 or SPST 741 |
Athletic Administration or Social Issues in Contemporary Sport |
4 |
| Sport Studies Elective 1 | 4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| SPST 650C | Internship in Sport Studies | 1-8 |
| SPST 761 | Senior Seminar in Sport Studies | 4 |
| Sport Studies Elective 1 | 4 | |
| Credits | 9-16 | |
| Spring | ||
| SPST 740 or SPST 741 |
Athletic Administration or Social Issues in Contemporary Sport |
4 |
| Credits | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 62-76 | |
| 1 | 16 required credits of electives including 4 credits from SPST 650C Internship in Sport Studies or SPST 696 Independent Study. |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC 401 | Introduction to Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 402 | Statistics in Psychology | 4 |
| or SOC 402 | Statistics | |
| or ADMN 420 | Business Statistics | |
| SPST 560 | Sport Psychology | 4 |
| SPST 562 | Sport Media Relations | 4 |
| SPST 565 | Principles of Coaching | 4 |
| SPST 580 | Sport Industry | 4 |
| SPST 740 | Athletic Administration | 4 |
| SPST 741 | Social Issues in Contemporary Sport | 4 |
| Senior Capstone Experience | ||
| SPST 761 | Senior Seminar in Sport Studies | 4 |
| Cognate Requirement 1 | 20 | |
| Electives | ||
| Adviser approved KIN electives 3 | 16 | |
AT 668 | Ergogenic Aids in Sports | |
EXSC 720 | Science and Practice of Strength Training | |
KIN 505 | Activity, Injuries and Disease | |
KIN 798 | Special Topics | |
SPST 521 | Theory of Coaching Basketball | |
SPST 522 | Theory of Coaching Football | |
SPST 523 | Theory of Coaching Ice Hockey | |
SPST 525 | Theory of Coaching Soccer | |
SPST 528 | Theory of Coaching Track and Field | |
SPST 561 | History of American Sport and Physical Culture | |
SPST 561W | History of American Sport and Physical Culture | |
SPST 630 | Sport Facility and Event Management | |
SPST 631 | Sport Media Production | |
SPST 643 | Social Media Marketing in Sport | |
SPST 650C | Internship in Sport Studies | |
SPST 693 | Teaching Assistantship | |
SPST 696 | Independent Study | |
SPST 743 | Sport Marketing | |
SPST 765 | Advanced Topics in Coaching | |
SPST 780 | Psychological Factors in Sport | |
| Total Credits | 72 | |
| 1 | Select a minimum of 20 credits from other departments. All courses must be approved in advance by faculty adviser. |
| 2 | Majors must complete a minimum of 150 hours of industry experience before they can take SPST 761 Senior Seminar in Sport Studies. Students must be enrolled as a sport studies major for one full semester before taking SPST 761 Senior Seminar in Sport Studies. See adviser for details. |
| 3 | Include 4 credits of SPST 650C Internship in Sport Studies or SPST 696 Independent Study. |
Internal transfers to sport studies must have a 2.5 GPA as well as a minimum grade of C in PSYC 401 Introduction to Psychology, Statistics (PSYC, SOC, DS) and a minimum grade of B- in both SPST 565 Principles of Coaching and SPST 580 Sport Industry.
Explore Program Details
I. SPORTS INFORMATION
- cognate: Communications, English, Marketing
II. MANAGEMENT
- school or college athletic director
cognate : Admin, Education - school or college intramurals
cognate : Admin, Education, RMP - events management
cognate: Admin - conference/association administration
cognate: Admin
III. MARKETING
- college sales and marketing
cognate: Marketing, Admin, Communications
IV. COACHING/PSYCHOLOGY
- coaching at all levels
- athlete advising
cognate: Psych
Transferring into Sport Studies
Admission decisions on internal transfer into Sport Studies will be made by the Sport Studies faculty. Space in the option is limited by available faculty and staff resources. Applications may be submitted for admission to either the fall or the winter semester. All decisions will be made between semesters after a review of grades for the latest semester. Admissions will be granted based on space available. The faculty will consider overall G.P.A., grades in prerequisite courses, performance in other Sport Studies courses or activities, and resume. Attitude and commitment will play a major role in consideration. Only completed applications will be considered. Applicants will receive a letter of acceptance, deferral, or denial from the Department Chair. All decisions must be considered final.
Prerequisites and procedures
- Complete SPST 580 and SPST 565 with a grade of B- or better
- Complete PSYC 401 and Stats with C or better
- Overall GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Submit the following to the Department Office, Room 107, New Hampshire Hall:
- signed Transfer Application Form (or available in Room 107)
- unofficial (or WebCat) transcript
- resume, which must include contact information on two sport industry professionals who can speak to the candidate’s work (paid or volunteer) during the candidate’s college years.
- personal plan that speaks to career interest in school or college athletics or coaching at any level.
- All materials must be received in Room 107, New Hampshire Hall by December 1 (for winter admission) or May 1 (for fall admission).
- After submission of completed application, schedule an interview with Heather Barber. Part of this interview will include a careful evaluation of all courses in major and cognate needed to earn degree. Applications will not be processed without this interview.
- Go to the Registrar’s office and request that a transcript be sent to Heather Barber's attention, after grades are posted for the semester.
Examples of application materials
Applications will be reviewed after final transcripts are received. Students who do not follow the procedures or who miss deadlines will not be admitted to the program.
All majors are required to present updated resumes, personal plans, and portfolios for preregistration each semester. The field is highly competitive; simply "loving sports" means little. All majors are expected to begin volunteering with one or more of the following prior to seeking an internship: UNH Athletic Department, UNH Campus Recreation; Oyster River Youth Association, the Whittemore Center; Seacoast United Soccer Club. Without experience and a portfolio, students cannot expect to land internships. For more information about jobs and careers in sports see materials in the Sport Studies Lab.
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