Page 6 - Academic Report FINAL VERSION WEB

FEATURES

B.S. in Sport Management
A Bachelor of Science in sport management is joining Middle Georgia State University’s degree lineup.

The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the degree proposal at its February 2019
meeting in Atlanta. “Sport management is a growing field, nationally and in Georgia,” said MGA provost Dr.
Jon Anderson. “We are excited about the potential for this degree program, which meets a need for our stu-
dents interested in working in the business and management side of sports, recreation, fitness, and related
industries.”

Middle Georgia State will house the bachelor’s degree, to be launched in fall 2019, in the School of Business
and offer it on the Cochran and Macon campuses. Most of the University’s intercollegiate sports teams are
based on the Cochran campus but some are based in Macon. While MGA’s student athletes have diverse aca-
demic interests and major in everything from information technology to history, the new degree is expected
to be especially attractive to those who want to work in sports-related industries when their playing days are
over. Sport management programs prepare individuals to apply management principles to the organization,
administration, or management of athletic programs and teams, sport recreation services, and related sectors.

According to information cited in the degree proposal, Plunket Research Ltd. recently estimated the eco-
nomic impact of U.S. sports and recreation at about $520 billion. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says that
more than 19.3 million Americans are working in the management, business, finance, entertainment, sports,
and recreation sector. Sports, recreation, fitness, and related services and retail sectors have been recognized
as among the largest new drivers of job creation of the current decade, growing more than 12.6 percent since
2010. Through 2026, employment in entertainment, sports, and recreation advertising, promotions, and mar-
keting occupations is projected to increase at a rate of 9-10 percent above the average for all occupations.

The degree program is built on a strong liberal arts and general business curriculum. The program consists
of 120 required credit hours, including a 42-hour core curriculum, 18 hours of discipline-specific coursework, 18
hours of general business coursework, 21 hours of sport management coursework, and 21 hours of approved
electives. The program features an embedded minor in business and at least three semester hours of intern-
ship experience.
M.A. in Technical Writing

A Master of Arts in technical and professional writing is coming to Middle Georgia State University. The
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved the degree at its May 2019 meeting. MGA will
launch the degree in academic year 2019-2020.

“We’ve had a graduate certificate in technical and professional writing for nearly two years, so a full mas-
ter’s program was the next logical step,” said Dr. Chip Rogers, an associate professor of English who coordi-
nates the program. “Many of Middle Georgia State’s undergraduates getting bachelor’s degrees in English,
new media and communications, information technology, and other disciplines have been asking for a mas-
ter’s program like this so we are confident of the enrollment potential.”

The fully online master’s program will consist of 30 credit hours, which is double what was required of
students to earn the graduate certificate. The degree is designed to prepare students for or advance their
careers in technical and professional writing, editing, research, web content management, advertising, human
resources, business, government, non-profits, marketing, and more.

Courses cover rhetorical theory, the craft of technical and professional writing, and advanced digital lit-
eracy. The program also offers instruction in document design, production, and editing. Other topics include
multimedia composition, usability testing, project management, website development, and publishing across
print and digital platforms.

A variety of regional employers--media outlets, public relations firms, real estate agencies, museums, art
galleries, publications, law offices, Robins Air Force Base, K-12 schools, area colleges and universities, health
services, local and state government offices, and businesses--value essential critical thinking and communica-
tion skills in their working professionals. MGA’s Master of Arts in Technical and Professional Writing is designed
to help students build the skills employers value and use them in both print and digital platforms.

Rogers noted another advantage to expanding the graduate certificate to a master’s degree: federal fi-
nancial aid is not available for students in graduate certificate programs but it may be an option for those
pursuing master’s degrees. He also said no additional faculty hires will be required to expand the program to
a master’s degree.
2 mga.edu | finding greatness