Sports Management Programs at Point Park University
Point Park University appears in our ranking of the 20 Best Online Masters in Sports Coaching.
The Rowland School of Business at Point Park University offers an undergraduate major in sports, art and entertainment management. Students have the chance to take courses in all three subject areas as they learn about the management of organizations and individuals. Through their required courses, they learn how to make decisions and solve problems, relate to others in a professional setting and communicate with clients and their coworkers. Those core courses are worth 39 credits and include a capstone that students do in their senior years.
More than 30 classes are available for sports, art and entertainment management (SAEM) majors. Introduction to SAEM is the first class they take, which helps them decide if this is the right major for them. Event Management is another course that teaches students how to create and manage special events. In the class called Marketing and Promotion for SAEM, students learn how they can promote programs for athletes and fans. Some of the other classes they might take include The Business of Concert Promotion and Touring, Amateur Sports, Facilities and Venue Design and Advertising, Public Relations and Social Media.
And online M.Ed. in Athletic Coaching is also offered.
Point Park University partners with more than 100 professional organizations and agencies to give students practical experience. They can choose a shadow program, which lets them shadow a coach, trainer, agent or another professional working in the sports management field. Students also have the option of doing sports management internships with teams across Pennsylvania such as the Pirates and Phillies as well as internships with national organizations. Most of the students in the SAEM program will also work with some of the teams on the Point Park University campus. The Point Park Pioneers play different NCAA sports, including golf, volleyball, softball, baseball, and basketball.
About Point Park University
Point Park University is a private university known as both Point Park and PPU. Established in 1960 as Point Park Junior College, it grew out of a former business school called the Business Training College. Founded by a woman and her husband, it was one of the only business colleges in the nation to admit men and women equally. Dorothy Finkelhor served as the president of the college and also worked as an instructor and in other roles to help her students. She saw the college outgrow the single room it originally had and oversaw the transition of the institute to a college. It adopted the Point Park Junior College name after moving to a new campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1960. The addition of new programs led to the school becoming Point Park College in 1965 and PPU in 2004.
Though the university nearly closed due to a recession in Pittsburgh in 1994, the university’s board of trustees created a new plan that brought it out of debt. The same board announced plans in recent years to make the campus greener. That campus is in the Golden Triangle and within walking distance of Point State Park. Several graduates of the university later played for teams in Major League Baseball, but its alumni also include broadcasters, actors and politicians. Point Park University has an enrollment of more than 3,200 undergrads and around 800 graduate students today.
Point Park University Accreditation Details
Students who took classes at another university can transfer their credits to PPU because it has regional accreditation. It comes from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and is in good standing. Students can also use this accreditation when it comes to obtaining financial aid because it lets them use the government form that is available online called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Some of the business classes that SAEM majors take have accreditation from the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) too.
Point Park University Application Requirements
PPU asks students to use the freshman application if they are in their senior years of high school or have a GED and have never attended college before. The basic requirements for incoming freshmen include a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a standard 4.0 scale and a transcript that shows the student took college prep classes. Those classes must include three units of math, life/health science and social studies with four units of English courses. The university also asks that at least one of their science classes include a lab component. A score of 18 on the ACT or 950 on the SAT is also required.
Students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher can apply without a test score. They will need to submit a writing sample of 500 words or a paper that they wrote in high school that a teacher graded. Though PPU does not charge an application fee, it requires that students apply through the online portal. This is also how they will check on the status of their applications and view the final decision made by PPU. Students need to submit proof of a GED or their high school transcripts too. Point Park will accept test scores, a writing sample and/or a letter of recommendation from any applicant also.
Tuition and Financial Aid
SAEM majors pay $15,590 per semester at Point Park for full-time enrollment. They also pay fees of $785 per term, which covers the technology, health services, and other fees charged by the university. Part-time students pay $878 per credit hour or $2,634 for each three-credit class they take. Some of the SAEM courses are worth only one credit hour. Part-time students will pay a minimum of $60 each semester for their fees too.
With the financial aid packages offered by PPU, undergrads can pay their upfront costs as well as the room and board charges that on-campus students pay. A $19,000 presidential scholarship is available for students who have a score of 26/1250 on the ACT/SAT and a GPA of 3.9 or higher. The Point Park Opportunity Grant provides $12,000 to students with a GPA of 2.8 or higher and a score of 17/920 on the ACT/SAT. Students receive an average financial aid package of more than $27,000 every year. Their packages can include government loans, federal work-study, state grants, and institutional aid. All sports management majors attending Point Park University will learn about their financial aid awards before the semester begins.
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