Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
The online undergraduate sport leadership degree program prepares students with the leadership knowledge and skills to effectively traverse, integrate, and collaborate across varied sport-related fields using a customizable approach tailored to students’ educational and career needs. Students are provided opportunity to coalesce multiple pathways in the sport sciences in a flexible, customizable, online format with curricular stranding and programmatic assessment related to leadership theory and research in sport and their application in diverse sport contexts. This degree program is a viable option for first-time freshmen, transfer students, or degree-seeking industry professionals desiring the flexibility of an entirely online education with a customizable curriculum in the sport sciences.
In addition to the institution’s general education requirements, students will complete courses in career and professional development, diversity, as well as leadership theory and application in sport. Students will also select from four bundles of courses aligned with the major dimensions of sport sciences – administrative, pedagogical, psychological, and social. Students will explore electives outside the sport sciences to maximally tailor their degree program to their academic needs and career interests. The online BA in Sport Leadership is a customizable degree, the purpose of which is to provide students a well-balanced education along with the competencies needed to pursue a career in a sport-related industry of their choice.
Admissions for 2025-2026
All students are directly admitted into the Sport Leadership program who meet the University requirements.
Students admitted from other majors within WVU must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA).
Students transferring from another institution must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA).
In-Person Major Code: 5542
Online Major Code: 5545
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 75 | |
| Sport Leadership Major Requirements | 45 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 | 31-37 | |
| CAHS 191 | First-Year Seminar | 2 |
| General Electives | 42-36 | |
| Total Hours | 75 | |
Sport Leadership Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Sport Leadership Core | ||
| CAHS 300 | Career Exploration in Applied Human Sciences | 3 |
| CAHS 489 | Capstone Experience in AHS | 3 |
| SEP 371 | Sport in American Society | 3 |
| SM 350 | Leadership Theory and Application in Sport | 3 |
| SM 485 | Management of Sport Organizations | 3 |
| Integrated Dimensions of Sport (at least 12 credits must be at the 300-400 level) | 30 | |
Administrative Dimensions of Sport | ||
| Sport Facility Management | ||
| Sport Event Management | ||
| Sport Governance | ||
| Esports Governance | ||
| Esports Marketing | ||
| Sport in the Global Market | ||
| Liability in Sport | ||
| Sport Marketing & Sales | ||
Pedagogical Dimensions of Sport | ||
| Sport for the Exceptional Athlete | ||
| Principles and Problems of Coaching | ||
| Coaching Pedagogy | ||
| Best Practices in Pre-K Movement | ||
Psychological Dimensions of Sport | ||
| Introduction to Sport and Performance Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Exercise Psychology | ||
| Performance Psychology of Teams and Groups | ||
| Sport and Performance Enhancement | ||
| Psychology of Injury and Rehabilitation | ||
| Development in Early and Middle Childhood | ||
| Adolescent Development | ||
| Trauma, Resiliency, and Children | ||
| Career and Lifespan Development | ||
Social Dimensions of Sport | ||
| Games in American Culture | ||
| African Americans in Sports | ||
| The Olympic Games | ||
| Families Across the Life Span | ||
| Introduction to Parenting | ||
| Family Interaction and Communication | ||
| Introduction to Helping Professions | ||
| Diversity and Human Relations | ||
| Total Hours | 45 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CAHS 191 | 2 | Dimension of Sport 2 | 3 |
| Dimension of Sport 1 | 3 | GEF 6 | 3 |
| GEF 1 | 3 | GEF 7 | 3 |
| GEF 2 | 4 | GEF 8 | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Dimension of Sport 3 | 3 | SM 350 | 3 |
| GEF 3 | 3 | Dimension of Sport 4 | 3 |
| GEF 4 | 3 | Dimension of Sport 5 | 3 |
| GEF 8 | 3 | GEF 1 | 3 |
| GEF 8 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Dimension of Sport 6 | 3 | CAHS 300 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | SEP 371 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Dimension of Sport 7 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| SM 485 | 3 | CAHS 489 | 3 |
| Dimension of Sport 8 | 3 | Dimension of Sport 10 | 3 |
| Dimension of Sport 9 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Sport Leadership
Program Learning Outcome #1 --- Program graduates will apply interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions to complex professional issues in their field of study (i.e., use leadership theory and research to critically examine, and solve, real world case scenarios in sport settings; develop a leadership philosophy and portfolio illustrating their competencies and experiences in various sport settings).
Program Learning Outcome #2 --- Program graduates will reflect on their professional readiness and think critically about the continued refinement of the interdisciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions learned across the curriculum (i.e., reflect upon professional goals, values, and skills and how those have changed over time; engage in experiential learning to identify professional challenges and development opportunities).
Program Learning Outcome #3 --- Program graduates will model professional and ethical behaviors that are consistent with the industry standards and the related recommendations for best practice learned across the curriculum (i.e., display professionalism and ownership of professional growth; apply ethical principles to decision-making in a professional setting).