UNITED STATES SPORTS ACADEMY

Continuing Education and Distance Learning
Daphne, Alabama

Distance Learning Program

Learning experiences and student requirements in distance learning are similar and equivalent to courses offered in the traditional on-campus setting. Courses are taught by an Academy faculty member, who is responsible for advising and facilitating the learning experience during the structured offering of distance learning. The vast majority of the Academy's students are using the distance learning system for part or their entire degree program.

The flexibility of the Academy's distance learning delivery system offers students the ability to pursue educational interests on their schedule and at their location. To experience the online option, prospective students should check out the free demo course at http://www.ussaonline.org and use the following information: Login: ussademo1 and Password: democourse.

Delivery Media

Distance learning students at USSA receive a code for the Web-based course and textbooks. The USSA library and its extensive reference database can be accessed through the USSA Web site. All students are required to have access to a computer and the Internet at the time they start the first course.

Programs of Study

Distance learning offers the student an opportunity to earn a master's degree or a doctoral degree through a Web-based environment, though there is a residency requirement for the doctoral degree.

The United States Sports Academy offers an upper-level Bachelor of Sport Science (B.S.S.) degree program in sports coaching and sports management. The program consists of the final 60 semester hours of the 120 hours required for the B.S.S. degree. The goal of the B.S.S. program is to provide needed education credentials to students interested in pursuing careers in the sport industry.

The Master of Sport Science degree is offered in the following majors: fitness management, sports coaching, sports management, sports medicine, and sports studies. Each major requires 33 semester hours of course work. The Academy offers dual majors in any two curriculums that range between 42–48 semester hours of course work.

The graduate program in fitness management examines issues in health and physical fitness, such as obesity. The fitness major is versatile in that it offers individuals opportunities to pursue careers in corporate, private, public, and not-for-profit organizations.

The graduate program in sports coaching is designed to prepare a student for leadership in the dynamic career of sports coaching. Program objectives are established to prepare each student for the multiplicity of demands involved in the control and operation of individual and team sports. The graduate curriculum is designed to prepare students for further study in sport at a higher level or develop and build their own concentration.

The graduate curriculum in sports management is designed to prepare each student for the increasing number of career leadership opportunities in the field of sport and recreational management. Program objectives prepare the student for a multiplicity of demand involved in the operation of sport programs at various levels. Sports management students are prepared for careers as sports facility managers, sport information directors, sport front office administrators, or sport community relations' directors.

The graduate program in sports medicine is designed to prepare students for prevention, management, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries with the multiplicity of demands involved with the successful operation of sports medicine programs at various levels. Upon graduation, successful students receive the United States Sports Academy's certification in sports medicine.

In the sports studies curriculum, students work with their adviser to select the courses from any major to build their own concentration. The courses are selected in accordance to the student's interest.

The United States Sports Academy (USSA) is a nonprofit, private graduate school designed to serve the nation and the world as a sport education resource, with programs of instruction, research, and service. Since 1972, the Academy has been addressing the need to provide high-quality, sport-specific programs. The Academy is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the Bachelor of Sports Science (B.S.S.) degree, Level III; Master of Sport Science degree (M.S.S.), Level III; and the Doctor of Sport Management degree (D.S.M.), Level V.

The Doctor of Sports Management, like the master's degree, is designed for the working professional. The 60 semester hours required to complete the degree may be earned through a combination of on-campus study and distance learning online, mentorship, and directed individualized study. The doctoral program is designed to prepare students to perform with a high degree of efficiency and proficiency in the sports industry, including sport education. There are three specialization areas: finance, marketing, and human resource management. There is also an emphasis in sports medicine for those already licensed or certified in the area. The curriculum is designed to enable students who are recent master's degree graduates, working professionals, sports enthusiasts, athletic administrators, and sports education instructors to achieve their personal, educational, and professional objectives in a sport-specific environment. The degree normally requires three to five years to complete.

Each course requires the student to complete online quizzes, assignments, a research paper, and a proctored final examination. A course is graded as follows: discussion, 10 percent; quizzes, 0 percent; written assignments, 20 percent; class paper, 35 percent; and the final exam, 35 percent.

All degree-seeking students must pass a written comprehensive examination in order to graduate. Students must have completed and passed all course work before taking this examination. Students at USSA have the option of a thesis, mentorship, or elective classes.

Special Programs

USSA has certification programs in several areas, including sports agency, sports coaching, and sports management. These programs are available to people of all educational backgrounds. The cost for the continuing education program is $150 per course, which is equivalent to 4 continuing education units (CEUs).

Credit Options

A student may transfer up to 15 (master's) and 24 (doctoral) semester hours from a regionally accredited graduate school as long as such courses are equivalent to courses offered in the Academy's undergraduate and graduate program, credit was earned in the past four calendar years, the student received a grade of B or better in the course(s), and the academic committee approves the transfer of credit. For more information, students should contact the Office of Student Services.

Faculty

The Academy has more than 30 faculty members. They are located both on-site and at various locations around the country. All faculty members have terminal degrees. The majority of them are specialized in a sport science.

Admission

Students who have completed at least 60 semester hours at another college or junior college or those who possess an associate degree from a community or junior college may be eligible to enroll immediately in the Bachelor of Sports Science program. The Academy has a different enrollment plan for those students who have 49 to 59 semester hours of credit from another institution.

For full-standing admission to the master's degree program, an applicant must be a graduate of a four-year regionally accredited undergraduate institution, with a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better, and obtain either a GRE score of at least 800, an MAT score of at least 27, or a GMAT score of at least 400. In the case in which the student's reported standardized test score (one of the three above) is below the stipulated score, students may still attain full standing by achieving a minimum 3.0 grade point average in their first 12 credits of course work.

Tuition and Fees

For online delivery, bachelor's degree courses are $250 per semester hour, master's degree courses are $400 per semester hour, and doctoral courses are $500 per semester hour. The cost does not include additional fees, textbooks, or shipping. International shipping is slightly higher. Prices are subject to change without notice, though current pricing can always be found on the Academy's Web site.

Financial Aid

USSA has a wide variety of financial aid programs available to qualified students. Students can obtain more information by visiting http://www.fafsa.gov.

Applying

A student applying for admission to the bachelor's degree program is required to submit the following items to the Office of Student Services: a completed application form accompanied by a $100 application fee (the fee is nonrefundable and constitutes part of the admission credentials), an official copy of all college transcripts, a written essay, a resume, and proof of insurance (residential students).

For the Master of Sports Science degree program, approval of applications from students currently enrolled in a bachelor's program are conditional based upon the successful completion of that degree prior to their commencement of study at the Academy. A student applying for admission to the master's degree program is required to submit the following to the Office of Student Services: a completed application form accompanied by a $50 application fee (the fee is nonrefundable and constitutes part of the admission credentials); an official copy of all college transcripts; three letters of recommendation; an official score report of the GRE, MAT, or GMAT results taken within the last five years; a written personal statement which describes the personal motivation or reasons for desiring a master's degree; and a resume or vita.

A student applying for admission to the doctoral degree program is required to submit the following to the Office of Student Services: a completed application form accompanied by a $100 application fee; an official copy of all college transcripts; three letters of recommendations; an official score report of the GRE (minimum 950), MAT (minimum 40) or GMAT (minimum 500) results within the last five years; a qualifying essay (not to exceed 3,000 words, in narrative form); and a resume or vita.

CONTACT

United States Sports Academy
1 Academy Drive
Daphne, Alabama 36526
Phone: 251-626-3303
800-223-2668 (toll-free)
Fax: 251-625-1035
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.ussa.edu

For further information, the complete catalogs of the United States Sports Academy can be viewed by visiting the Academy's home Web page (listed at the end of this description).