News Release
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David Bernard
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A Running Start For Sports Management Students
WilmU's new athletic administration courses prepare students for professional certification.
Two new courses at Wilmington University allow management students aiming for careers in school sports leadership to hit the ground running.
Certified Athletic Administration I and II, offered as electives in the Master of Science in Management's sports management concentration but also available as "stackable" graduate credits toward a standalone certificate, are the fastest route to the nationally recognized certified athletic administrator (CAA) credential.
"Normally, completing the courses that are required to sit for the CAA exam can take up to two years, through a series of one-day workshops taught by representatives of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association," said Janice Wardle, chair of the sports management program in WilmU's College of Business. "The courses are not offered all the time, and they're often taught at different locations."
There's a more convenient option now. "WilmU has embedded all of the required CAA material into two seven-week classes," said Wardle. "And we're fortunate to have an NIAAA certified master administrator on our adjunct sports management faculty."
As a result, she said, "students can complete the CAA course requirements and sit for the national exam in just 14 weeks instead of two years."
Designed in partnership with and approved by the NIAAA, the two courses prepare students for the exam while covering such topics as strategies and philosophies of athletic administration, organizational management of interscholastic competitions, sportsmanship and fundraising.
Since many states, including New Jersey, require middle school and high school athletic directors to attain professional certification within two years of their hiring, WilmU's accelerated path to a CAA offers a valuable return on investment to both the recipients of the credential and the schools that employ them.
Additionally, the Delaware Department of Education is presently considering a proposal that would authorize increased salaries for public school athletic directors who have earned professional certification.
Certified Athletic Administration I and II (course catalog numbers MSP 7510 and MSP 7511) will be taught at Wilmington University's Wilson Graduate Center in New Castle and its Dover campus beginning this fall, with online versions of the courses currently in development.
For more information about the CAA credential or Wilmington University's graduate sports management program, contact Janice Wardle in the College of Business by email to janice.e.wardle@wilmu.edu or call (302) 356-6786.
About Wilmington University
Wilmington University is a private, nonprofit institution committed to providing flexible, career-oriented, traditional and online associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Ranked as the second fastest growing nonprofit doctoral institution in America by The Almanac of The Chronicle of Higher Education (2004-2014), Wilmington University enables greater student success through affordable tuition, academic excellence and individualized attention. For more information, contact Wilmington University at 302-356-INFO (4636), via email at infocenter@wilmu.edu, or visit www.wilmu.edu.
