The Sport Management (SM) program is a concentration within the undergraduate major in Applied Physiology and Sport Management (APSM) housed in the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development.
This program provides a rigorous curriculum for understanding management principles required of professionals in the world of sport. The required introductory class for students interested in applying for the Sport Management concentration is APSM 2310 Contemporary Issues in APSM.
Academic coursework and experiential learning opportunities within this program prepare students for a variety of possible career paths including:
- Sports marketing
- Management of professional, collegiate or amateur sport organizations
- Representation of professional athletes
- Sport public relations
- Sport facility and event management
- The APSM major leads to a Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in either Applied Physiology & Enterprise or Sport Management. Both concentrations require coursework in the physiological sciences and business.
The core curriculum is required of all APSM majors and introduces the discipline; establishes the scientific basis of health, fitness and human performance; introduces the business principles and skills necessary to establish and maintain a sports-related or fitness-related business; and familiarizes students with the legal and ethical aspects of the fitness, health and sport industries.
The program culminates in a mentored senior project. Students select a concentration of interest in either Applied Physiology & Enterprise or Sport Management. The two primary content areas of science and management are integrated by the organizing principle of evidence-based practice, which parallels the mission of the Simmons School to integrate theory, research and practice.
Independent Study in APSM
The following students are completing their requirements for independent study credit for spring 2013:
Whitney Reichlin
Growing up in garden beds along the farm laden lands of the Pacific Northwest, Whitney has always found health and wellness to be a prominent passion. Pursuing an Applied Physiology degree (with mathematics and biology as a minor) at SMU since fall 2009 has provided great opportunities for her pursuit of a career in dietetics. She teaches group fitness at the SMU gym, recently obtained her certification in personal training, and provides nutritional advice for clients at Equinox fitness.
This semester, she works as a Research Assistant in the Wellness Department alongside Dr. McAlexander. The team is analyzing Fitness Assessment data to determine the effects of collegiate physical activity classes on body composition. The picture above was taken in Quito, Ecuador, where Whitney was able to spend an Alternative Spring Break working with impoverished children on public health, nutrition, and overall basic wellness fundamentals.
Sydney Merriman
My name is Sydney Merriman and I am from Shreveport, LA. I am currently a junior at SMU majoring in Sport Management with a minor in Applied Physiology and Enterprise. I am also a Delta Gamma here at SMU. Last year I was DG’s Director of Social Events and this year I am the Director of Anchor Splash. I love being active and playing sports so I play almost every intramural sport offered.
This semester I got the opportunity to intern at IMG Dallas for independent study credit. I met the general manager of the office through one of my APSM classes that he visited last fall. Before I started interning in the office this spring, I got to work at the Red River Rivalry and the UIL Texas State Championships for football, both properties managed by this office. Their third property that I help them with is the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine. This semester I have worked on updating their media list, gathering magazine market research, getting in contact with Dave Campbell Army Strong Team of the Year high school football coaches, researching possible advertising markets to get into for the next magazine and so much more. It has been a great experience thus far and I look forward to working the rest of this semester.
Lindsay Strafuss
My name is Lindsay Strafuss and I’m a senior at Southern Methodist University, majoring in Sport Management. I’m originally from Memphis, TN and have enjoyed being a student- athlete on the SMU Equestrian Team. I have always had a passion for sports fueled by my two triplet brothers, and hope to work in the sports industry after graduation.
For my Independent Study Project I am currently interning for the Dallas Stars, the professional ice hockey team, of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. I work in the corporate sponsorship division and have learned a great amount in my spring 2013 semester. I have written up contracts for several of their major corporate sponsors while conducting research for their 2013-2014 season. My current corporate research assignment is to watch a Dallas Stars away game and a Dallas Mavericks away game. I will then analyze the corporate sponsors and advertisers of those games, and the number of billboards, features, and commercials they will run throughout the entire game. This type of research has helped me understand the analytical mindset of a young professional working for a Dallas sports team, and will certainly help me in my future career beyond SMU.