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Overview
Career Opportunities
Tuition
Admissions/Requirements
Curriculum
Leading a high-profile school athletics or activities program requires skills in facilities management, recruiting and retaining high quality staff, budgeting, promoting programs, staff, students online and in the community, relevant laws and policies, public relations, and more. Classes are offered in a flexible 5-week format.
The William Woods program is one of a handful of graduate degrees in the nation that trains you in these skills at all levels. Coursework helps prepare you to formulate effective practice, philosophy, and planning to lead a comprehensive athletics and activities program.
The program leads to the initial certification of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and is one of the few to be recognized by the NIAAA as meeting the educational requirements toward becoming a Registered Athletic Administrator (RAA) or a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA). It does not meet Missouri requirements for building-level administrative certification.
At William Woods, you’ll be participating in an athletic administration master’s program known for its excellence and for providing a significant number of the leaders in Missouri’s state school system. As one of these students, you will have the opportunity to learn from active practitioners in the athletic field and make the connections you need for leadership and career growth.
This online degree is designed to fit the schedules of working teachers and administrators and can be completed in two years or less from anywhere. You can expect rigorous coursework with real-world relevance, designed and taught by professionals who have proven their expertise. We structure the curriculum so you can develop lasting relationships with peers focused on similar career goals. And, to make this an investment you can count on, your tuition will not go up as long as you stay continuously enrolled.
This online athletic administration degree prepares you to take your place in the management of an athletics/activities program in a middle school, high school or university. You’ll have the skills and official requirements to manage the recruiting of athletes and staff, manage facilities, direct public relations and marketing of the program, and perform other duties.
Completed application + official transcripts showing a minimum 2.5 GPA from an accredited university or college.
This program can lead to the initial certification through the National Interscholastic Athletics Administration Association; it is one of a few to be recognized by the NIAAA as meeting the educational requirements toward the Registered Athletic Administrator (RAA) and Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) certification.
NIAAA certification isn’t required for most jobs in Athletics/Activities administration, but it is helpful for many positions, and sets the candidate apart.
William Woods online graduate education programs are available to students across the country. In Missouri, our students come from Fulton, Columbia, Jefferson City, St. Louis, Kansas City, Moberly, Springfield, Ozark, Cape Girardeau, Rolla and many more locations. Beyond Missouri, our online graduates hail from California, Illinois, Kansas, Washington, Arkansas and other states.
Our graduate education programs are available online and are ranked among the best online programs in Missouri by US News and World Report.
Many of our graduates hold leadership positions in Missouri’s schools, including leadership in athletics.
30 Credits
The Master of Education degree program in Athletic/Activities Administration is intended to provide the student with the advanced skills necessary for effective administration of athletic and activity programs on the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels. Only one of a handful of such programs offered in the nation, this unique degree examines all levels: middle school through collegiate. The student will develop these skills: formulating effective practices involving program management; recruiting of athletes, coaches and officials; time management; maintaining amateurism; sports law; facilities management and scheduling; fiscal management; and public relations and marketing of the athletics/activities program. The program is designed to prepare the student for national certification as an athletic/activities administrator on the secondary and/or intercollegiate levels.
| This course will focus on laws, rules and regulations for sports and sporting competitions and related activities. Middle school to intercollegiate athletics and activities programs will be examined in relation to their embedded risk management, human resources, safety standards, compliance to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title IX, student dress codes, conduct codes; plus embedded issues related to sexual harassment, hazing, drug testing and scholarship of athletic/activities program participants. credits: | Sports Law | 3 |
| Meeting participant eligibility standards, maintaining amateurism status, institutional contracts and planning for athletics contests, and the development of student athlete and coaching manuals will be covered through practical application activities in this course. Other applications include scheduling, delegation of tasks, conflict resolution and procurement of equipment and personnel. A major, final project will be the development of a comprehensive tournament plan or major activity event/conference plan (e.g. sport competition at the district or regional/state level, conference breakouts and workshops). credits: | Practical Aspects of Athletic/Activities Administration | 3 |
| This capstone course for the program will require completion of 90 hours of clinical field experiences in the form of a student internship, a program professional portfolio in electronic format and a comprehensive Athletics/Activities Administrator Coaches Manual. All three culminating projects will be required to be submitted for evaluation as a graduation requirement. Prerequisite: All other program courses (EDU509 is a final capstone course) credits: | Athletic Admin Field Experiences | 3 |
| This course will examine the philosophical and organizational approaches to various athletic and activity programs; ranging from those starting at the middle school level to intercollegiate programs. Topics will include organizational structures, program budgeting, communications and leadership techniques. This course will also focus on organizational rules, services and membership of athletics associations such as the NCAA, the NAIA and the National Federation of State High School Activities Associations. credits: | Introduction to Interscholastic/Intercollegiate Athletics/Activities Administration | 3 |
| This course will explore all facets of the athletics/activities supervision process as it pertains to managing and maintaining facilities; evaluating coaches and support staff; supervising and managing athletic contests, including techniques of spectator management. credits: | Supervision of the Athletics/Activities Program | 3 |
| This course will provide athletics/activities directors with a broad understanding and better perception of current issues and common challenges they will face in the local and state educational community, as well as those evolving issues on the national and global levels. These include gender equity, emergency/crisis planning as well as issues regarding co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. credits: | Current Issues/Common Challenges in Athletics/Activities Administration | 3 |
| This course will aid the athletics/activities administrator in building positive character and citizenship traits for participants in athletics and activities programs. Course content will focus on developing the traits of respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, integrity, sportsmanship, collaboration and fairness. In addition, issues on student motivation, cheating and characteristics of adolescent behavior will be examined. credits: | Athletics/Activities Administration: Developing Character & Citizenship | 3 |
| This course will focus on how to share the vision and mission of the program with future participants and community stakeholders. The course will emphasize developing positive relations with the public, speaking in public, communicating with various public media and raising money using fund development methods. Learners will also examine how to encourage community and student involvement with the program. credits: | Athletics/Activities Program Promotion | 3 |
| This course will involve the study of department/school finance, program budgeting, profit/loss formulas, bookkeeping, bidding processing for equipment and services procurement, plus the basics of contractual agreements and compensation for officials. credits: | Financing the Athletics/Activities Program | 3 |
| This course will focus on the practical application of digital tools and mobile apps within the athletic/activities environment. Students will investigate available digital tools and mobile apps to support program administration and provide efficiency within various programs, consider available productivity tools to support program administration, gain experience using software applications to enhance functionality and skill development within athletic/activities programs, independently investigate how mobile apps can be leveraged to provide support for such programs, and develop the skills to utilize video to enhance/support the athletic/activities environment. Access to a mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone, video editing software, and an applications package such as Office 365 or Google Apps will be essential for the course. credits: | Digital Tools in the Athletic/Activities Environment | 3 |