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Date 4-27-06
Contact Jana Bryant 601.266.4491
Hattiesburg—Graduate
student Amber Rivers plans to be one of the first students to earn
a new master’s degree being offered at the University of Southern
Mississippi and hopes that it will be her ticket to a career in
the sports business industry.
“This is the
door opening up for my dream,” says Rivers, who would like to work
in sport marketing with an organization like NASCAR. “The internship
is going to get my foot in the door, and once I’m there, the rest
is up to me.”
An internship
component is a hallmark of the new Master of Business Administration/Master
in Sport Management dual degree program, a 60-hour, high-intensity
program that combines courses from both the existing MBA and sport
management degree programs from the College of Business and the
School of Human Performance and Recreation, respectively.
Dr. Lou Marciani,
associate professor and director of the School of Human Performance
and Recreation, said the Southern Miss program will be one of only
three such university dual degree programs in the country. A handful
of others offer MBA degrees with an emphasis in the sport management
area.
“The sports
business arena is more competitive and demanding than ever. Every
team, league, athletic department, conference and organization needs
new and better talent, both on the playing field and in the executive
suite,” said Marciani. “Graduates of this program will be extremely
marketable with a sophisticated knowledge of business fundamentals
and a comprehensive understanding of the multibillion dollar sport
business world. They’ll have a skill set necessary for any executive
suite.”
The industry
demands have changed and created a need for more individuals with
a solid business background, says Marciani. The Sports Business
Journal estimated the size of the industry at $213 billion
in 2002. Marciani says that figure now is above the $400 billion
mark.
Career opportunities
exist throughout the country in a variety of organizations, including
intercollegiate sports, event and facilities management, sport marketing
and public relations, and corporate sports, said Dr. Dennis Phillips,
the program’s coordinator and associate professor in the School
of Human Performance and Recreation.
“Our goal for
the MBA program has always been to produce graduates with more than
just technical knowledge, but also with other skills that will separate
them from the rest of the pack. This is a great partnership that
will be a huge benefit to students seeking careers in the sports
industry,” said Dr. Francis Daniel, director of Graduate Academic
Programs in the College of Business.
Applications
for the fall semester are due by July 15. For more information about
the new program, contact the School of Human Performance and Recreation
at 601.266.5578.
For more information,
contact Southern Miss Marketing and Public Relations at 601.266.4491.
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