Sport Management Admissisons Requirements

Appeals of Sport Management Admissions Decisions

The sport industry is perhaps the most difficult industry in North America in which to secure entry-level positions. The UWG Sport Management program is designed to provide students with the knowledge, experience, opportunities and industry contacts necessary to begin a fulfilling career in sport business. Employers in the industry are highly selective because the number of applicants routinely exceeds the number of available positions. To ensure that our graduates can be competitive in this job market, the Sport Management program can be no less selective than the industry we serve in our admissions process.

While competitive academic standards have been established for admission and matriculation, the faculty do realize that there can be events in students’ lives that hinder their ability to live up to their academic potential. The Sport Management appeals process provides students who do not meet the admissions criteria an opportunity to document significant circumstances that have negatively impacted their academic performance. Students should note that this is not an opportunity to appeal the admissions standards. Rather, the process is an opportunity for students to make the case that their prior academic performance, due to extenuating circumstances, is not indicative of their true potential. Further, the process allows the student to demonstrate that, if given the opportunity, they will be able to meet the standards soon after being granted admission into the program.

Students should note that admission and matriculation into the Sport Management program is considered to be a privilege and not a right.

General Guidelines

Prior to filing an appeal, the student must have formally applied for regular admission to the program by the appropriate application deadline and been denied admission. If there is no denied application for admission, there is no decision to be appealed. A student’s appeal of an admissions decision will not be considered if he/she has not passed the Regents Reading Exam or the Regents Writing Exam.

It is the student’s responsibility to initiate the appeals process. This must be done by filing the Sport Management Appeals Form along with the supporting documentation required per the Appeals Form.

All appeals packets must be delivered to the Chair of the Department of Physical Education and Recreation by 5:00 p.m. on the appropriate date:
For Spring: First Monday in November
For Summer: First Monday in April
For Fall: First Monday in August

Appeals Application Recommendations

As noted earlier, the sport industry is extremely competitive to enter and the Sport Management program has an academically rigorous curriculum. Therefore, it is in the best interest of industry constituents, the academic program, and the students that the faculty be selective in the admissions process and in their consideration of appeals of admissions decisions. Below are some recommendations to guide students through the preparation of the appeals materials. Each case will be judged on its own merits and following these recommendations in no way guarantee that a student will be admitted to the Sport Management program.

Recognize that admission to Sport Management is a privilege and not a right.
The rationale for the student’s deficient academic performance should be substantial (e.g., death of a family member, severe illness or injury, etc.). If physical injury/illness, emotional distress or other similar trauma is alleged, the student should provide documentation that he/she has received treatment and has been cleared by the attending professional to return to a challenging classroom environment. If the alleged events that “caused” poor academic performance occurred more than one semester preceding the student’s application, the student’s record should demonstrate: a) that he or she has made significant academic progress since the event(s); and/or b) the student has been seeking help to overcome academic deficiencies by regularly utilizing on-campus resources (e.g., the Writing Center, EXCEL Center) or is in regular attendance at other recognized tutoring sessions; and c) has been working closely with the academic advisor.
The Appeals Committee is likely to be more sensitive to what a student has done rather than what he/she “plans to do”. Therefore, the Committee is more likely to look favorably on a student who has completed two or more semesters of 3.0 + GPA-level work in substantive courses (i.e., excluding PWLA activity courses) in the semesters immediately preceding a student’s appeal rather than on a student who makes great promises, but whose academic record does not support a reasonable inference that he/she will be able to live up to his or her assertions. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the student take courses in a proposed minor or other career-supporting courses and demonstrate to the Committee that he/she is capable of high-level academic performance before applying for an admissions appeal.
The tone of the student’s appeals materials should demonstrate that the student accepts responsibility for his/her past performance. Also, the student should remember that the admissions standards are not appealable.
The student should not focus on what will (or will not) happen or how he/she will be inconvenienced if the Committee denies the appeal. For example, the student should not discuss how he/she might have to delay a wedding, trip to Europe or other plans if the Committee does not grant the appeal. This would, in effect, place the blame for the student’s inability to meet requisite admissions standards on the Committee or on the standards themselves. This, of course, would violate #4 above.
The student should have a record that demonstrates that he/she is truly interested in Sport Management and is not merely seeking a degree. This means that the student should be able to document involvement in the sport industry beyond being a participant in physical activity and sports. Volunteering at sporting events, membership and activity in the Sport Management Society and working with sport organizations are ways in which a student can help substantiate his/her interest. The Committee is unlikely to be moved with claims that a student “has always dreamed of working in sports” when in fact the student’s resume does not support this claim.
The student must convince the Committee that he/she has the ability to meet the 2.50 overall GPA requirement soon after being admitted to the program if his/her appeal is successful.
The student should not be under any investigation or penalty related to aberrant behavior as a student at the University (e.g., Honor Code violations, etc.) at the time of the appeal.

Successful Appeals [These will also be included on any letters of successful appeals]

Students who have been admitted without the minimum overall GPA of 2.50 must maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.50 in all subsequent semesters. Students who fail to meet this minimum semester GPA standard will be dismissed from the program and will not be allowed to reapply for admission until they achieve a minimum overall GPA of 2.50.
All students must have a minimum overall GPA requirement of 2.50 in order to register for SPMG 4686 Internship in Sport Management. This includes students admitted with an overall GPA below 2.50.
All students must have a minimum overall GPA requirement of 2.50 in order to graduate. This includes students admitted with an overall GPA below 2.50.
Conditionally Admitted Students
Students admitted on a conditional basis will not be allowed to register for upper-division SPMG courses until they meet all regular admissions criteria.
Conditional admission merely “reserves” a seat for the student in upper-division SPMG courses. Therefore, students should assemble a schedule that would include courses from their minor, etc. as if they were not going to be admitted. Once they meet the requirements for admission, those “reserved” seats will be made available to them.

Sport Management Appeals Form