Admission Requirements - Sports Management

Graduate study in Sport Management leads to the Master of Science. The Master of Science in Sport Management Degree requires a minimum of 36 hours of academic credit and a written/oral comprehensive examination. Participants applying to the Sport Management degree program may be selected based upon their leadership potential, preparation, employment history, and knowledge of current professional practices.

An applicant for graduate study is expected to hold the bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. The applicant's preparation must be appropriate to the desired program and must meet the requirements of the specific degree program pursued.

Each prospective graduate student must submit an application to the Graduate School and receive a letter of admission before registering for courses.

A senior at Virginia State University who has a superior scholastic record and is within six hours of qualifying for the bachelor's degree may be admitted to Graduate Studies; but work applied toward the bachelor's degree may not be used as credit for the master's degree. Enrollment in graduate courses must be approved by the departmental chair and the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach.

Application Procedures

1. Submit a completed application form with the fee of $25 to the Graduate School Office.
2. Have two official transcripts from each collegiate institution attended sent to the School of Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach. To be considered official, a transcript must be received directly from the institution. Graduates of Virginia State University must comply with this requirement.
3. An applicant must have taken the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) by the time s/he applies. If an applicant does not meet GRE program requirements, s/he may be admitted on a conditional basis (for one semester only). Students admitted on a conditional basis can only take a total of six credit hours of course work until they have met the GRE requirements of their respective program. After the first semester, the student must have met the specific GRE program requirements.
4. Requests for transfer credit of graduate courses already completed must be submitted to the student's major professor with evidence that it is a graduate level course; a catalog description for the course is necessary to determine its equivalency to offerings at Virginia State University.
5. Applicants whose native language is not English are required to present a minimum score of 500 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Exceptions are made for transfer students from other U.S. colleges who have completed at least one semester of course work with a grade point average of "C" or better.

Unconditional Admission

Graduates of regionally accredited college, with a minimum grade-point average of 2.75 (on a four point scale) may be granted unconditional admission provided all other requirements have been met. The grade-point average is based on either the last two years of college or the entire undergraduate record, whichever is better, except that the grade-point average of student who attended more than one college is based on the entire record.

Conditional Admission

Two classes of graduate students are granted conditional admission to Graduate School

1. A graduate of an institution approved as four-year College by the State Department of Education in the state where it is located, but not accredited by its regional accrediting agency may be admitted conditionally; however, s/he must have an undergraduate average of 2.75.
2. Applicants who have met the general admission requirements of the Graduate School but who have not cleared program area admission requirements may be admitted conditionally, pending program area action. Program area admission requirements must be met by the end of the first semester.

The processing procedures will be as follows:

1. Applicants for admission to the graduate program will be considered when all required materials have been submitted by the applicant. Applications should be submitted on or before February 1, of each year;
2. The Committee for Physical Education review all applications and interview top candidates for admission;
3. Applicant acceptance into the program will be recommended by the Coordinator of Sport Management to the Chair of Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance and the Dean of the College of Education (COE). The dean of the COE will forward the recommendations for the top candidates who satisfy all the requirements to the Dean of Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach;
4. The Dean of the Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach will notify the candidates of their admission or denial to the graduate program.