Master of Athletic Administration Program Overview – New Fall 2020

Hello, my name is Kelley Walton. I am the Director of the Master of Athletic Administration Program at Ohio University and this is an overview of the curriculum, format, and application requirements for the MAA program.

The Master of Athletic Administration Program specializes in preparing students for a career in interscholastic athletic administration. Through the MAA program, students earn a master of science and athletic administration degree. The MAA program is housed in the College of Business at Ohio University and provide students with a business focused curriculum.

We provide a high quality, high value, curriculum, designed to ensure our students have the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to administer and lead a successful interscholastic athletic program.

The MAA Program has a close relationship with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, or the NIAAA, as you likely know it, and offers concurrent leadership training course training within several of our courses. This helps provide the national standard for athletic administration education for our students and it provides the specific training needed as they work toward their RAA, CAA, or CMAA certifications with the NIAAA.

The curriculum is comprised of 11 courses that students will take over five semesters. Students will take one course at a time and courses are generally seven weeks long with one week break between courses. The courses in the program are, Foundations of Interscholastic Athletic Administration, Governance and Strategic Planning for Interscholastic Athletics, Data Analysis and Communication for Interscholastic Athletics, Legal Foundations and Interscholastic Athletics, Facility and Event Management in Interscholastic Athletic Administration, Financial Administration in Interscholastic Athletics, Human Resources Management in Interscholastic, Athletics, Marketing in Interscholastic Athletics, Leadership and Ethics in Interscholastic Athletic Administration, Interscholastic Athletic Leadership Seminar, and Interscholastic Athletic Leadership Capstone. Again, this curriculum is tailored to interscholastic athletic administration.

The MAA program is a 30 credit hour degree program that takes five semesters to complete. We are fortunate to have numerous full time and adjunct faculty with a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with our students. Several members of our MAA faculty are current or retired athletic directors and/or association directors, and we have content experts in certain areas like law, human resources, and marketing.

One of the best parts of the program is the student interaction and collaboration. Most think with an online program that it is a distant feeling taking classes. That’s not the case with the MAA Program. Our students are active and engaged and the cohort model provides a strong group of support as you go through the program and beyond. Classes are designed to provide practical learning experiences for our students. As well, we combine academic foundations with practical learning application based assignments to ensure that students are ready for the job of an athletic director.

The National Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association is the leading national association for athletic directors. They are a tremendous resource for athletic directors. Ohio University has a partnership with the NIAAA to provide leadership training courses within some of our classes.

While leadership trading materials are only a part of the educational materials that are used in the MAA Program, they provide a tremendous value for our students by serving as a foundation for certain interscholastic athletic principles and preparing students for NIAAA certifications, which are strongly encouraged.

Students take one course at a time and courses are generally seven weeks long with a one week break in between. The program takes five semesters, or 21 months, to complete, so just a little under two years, and the courses are delivered in a manageable online format, specifically designed for working professionals.

The MAA Program offers one on campus residency opportunity for students. This is a required part of the MAA program. It takes place on Ohio University’s campus in Athens at the end of June each year. This athletic leadership forum residency coincides with the one credit hour course Interscholastic Athletic Leadership Seminar and involves a variety of activities such as, leadership presentations and coursework, experienced athletic director panels, career development, NIAAA certification information, connecting you with your cohort, connecting with other MAA cohorts, connecting with faculty, touring Ohio University’s athletic facilities, and a lot more. It is a weekend filled with both academic content and the opportunity to connect with your classmates. While the travel and time are never easy, as we have students from all over the United States, and often have at least a few international students, it is consistently one of the highest rated parts of the MAA Program.

The MAA Program starts a new cohort, or a group of students, every semester, so that means that a new group of students starts every fall in August, spring in January, and summer in May. The admission requirements for MAA students are that they must have a minimum of two years of athletic administration or coaching experience at the middle school or high school level, a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four year college or university, a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale in your last 60 semester hours, two letters of recommendation from a professional reference, one of those must come from an athletic director, a current resume detailing your professional and academic experience, and a two to four page purpose statement that explains why you’re looking to advance your education at Ohio University and specifically in the MAA program. It’s important to note that there is no GRE and no GMAT required.

Thank you for your time today. To learn more, or to get prequalified for admission, visit onlinemasters.ohio.edu today. You can find our program information under business, athletics, and online Master of Athletic Administration. Thank you.