Berry College Kinesiology Department is adding a new major to their concentration.
Ashley Garcia, Viking Fusion Videographer
Starting in the fall of 2016 the Kinesiology department will begin offering Sports Administration as a major.
Berry students who choose to pursue the new major will need to complete 24 hours of core classes and 6 hours from one of the two emphases, Communications or Operations. There will also be an option to get a United States Tennis Association (USTA) certification. This certification will require student work at the Tennis Center and training offered online by the USTA. This new major will be one of the only five programs that are officially endorsed by the USTA in the country.
The Sports Administration major will add another dimension to the Kinesiology Department. Assistant Professor in the Kinesiology Department, Dr. David Elmer said “This major helps our department expand our offerings to students, providing an avenue for those who are interested in sport and exercise, but who have a passion more for the administration, management, marketing, and communications aspects than the physiology, performance, and health sides of physical activity.”
The new major will be made up of Kinesiology, Communications, and Business courses. Classes will include several currently offered courses, while some of the courses have been adapted from dormant or defunct courses. A few examples of these courses will include Facilities Management and History of Sports. There will also be new classes added, like Legal and Ethical Issues and Sports Leadership Development.
The career opportunities that are unique to Sports Administration could include; athletic director, tournament planner or manager, sports agent, director of marketing or media relations, and director of facilities.
Elmer also said, “We believe, based on the interest of current and prospective students, that this could become a relatively popular major. In fact, several students are already taking steps to prepare them to switch to this major once it is implemented this fall.”