Sport Management Appeals
The sport industry is perhaps the most difficult industry in North America in which to secure entry-level positions. The UWG Sport Management program is designed to provide students with the knowledge, experience, opportunities and industry contacts necessary to begin a fulfilling career in sport business. Employers in the industry are highly selective because the number of applicants routinely exceeds the number of available positions. To ensure that our graduates can be competitive in this job market, the Sport Management program can be no less selective than the industry we serve in our admissions process.
While competitive academic standards have been established for admission and matriculation, the faculty do realize that there can be events in students' lives that hinder their ability to live up to their academic potential. The Sport Management appeals process provides students who do not meet the admissions criteria an opportunity to document significant circumstances that have negatively impacted their academic performance. Students should note that this is not an opportunity to appeal the admissions standards. Rather, the process is an opportunity for students to make the case that their prior academic performance, due to extenuating circumstances, is not indicative of their true potential. Further, the process allows the student to demonstrate that, if given the opportunity, they will be able to meet the standards soon after being granted admission into the program.
Students should note that admission and matriculation into the Sport Management program is considered to be a privilege and not a right.
General Guidelines for Appeals
Prior to filing an appeal, the student must have formally applied for regular admission to the program by the appropriate application deadline and been denied admission. If there is no denied application for admission, there is no decision to be appealed. A student's appeal of an admissions decision will not be considered if he/she has not passed the Regents Reading Exam or the Regents Writing Exam.
It is the student's responsibility to initiate the appeals process. This must be done by filing the Sport Management Appeals Form along with the supporting documentation required per the Appeals Form.
All appeals packets must be delivered to the Chair of the Department of Leadership and Applied Instruction by 5:00 p.m. on the appropriate date:
For Spring: November 15
For Summer: April 15
For Fall: July 15
Appeals Application Recommendations
As noted earlier, the sport industry is extremely competitive to enter and the Sport Management program has an academically rigorous curriculum. Therefore, it is in the best interest of industry constituents, the academic program, and the students that the faculty be selective in the admissions process and in their consideration of appeals of admissions decisions. Below are some recommendations to guide students through the preparation of the appeals materials. Each case will be judged on its own merits and following these recommendations in no way guarantees that a student will be admitted to the Sport Management program.
- Recognize that admission to Sport Management is a privilege and not a right.
- The rationale for the student's deficient academic performance should be substantial and evidence should be presented that demonstrates the steps taken by the student to overcome the challenges faced.
- The Sport Management faculty is likely to be more sensitive to what a student has done rather than what he/she "plans to do". Therefore, the faculty is more likely to look favorably on a student who has completed two or more semesters of 3.0 + GPA-level work in substantive courses (i.e., excluding PWLA activity courses) in the semesters immediately preceding a student's appeal rather than on a student who makes great promises, but whose academic record does not support a reasonable inference that he/she will be able to live up to his or her assertions. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the student take courses in a proposed minor or other career-supporting courses and demonstrate to the faculty that he/she is capable of high-level academic performance before applying for an admissions appeal.
- The tone of the student's appeals materials should demonstrate that the student accepts responsibility for his/her past performance. Also, the student should remember that the admissions standards are not appealable.
- The student should not focus on what will (or will not) happen or how he/she will be inconvenienced if the faculty denies the appeal.
- The student should have a record that demonstrates that he/she is truly interested in Sport Management and is not merely seeking a degree. This means that the student should be able to document involvement in the sport industry beyond being a participant in physical activity and sports. Volunteering at sporting events, membership and activity in the Sport Management Society and working with sport organizations are ways in which a student can help substantiate his/her interest. The faculty is unlikely to be moved with claims that a student "has always dreamed of working in sports" when in fact the student's resume does not support this claim.
- The student must convince the faculty that he/she has the ability to meet the 2.50 overall GPA requirement soon after being admitted to the program if his/her appeal is successful.
- The student should not be under any investigation or penalty related to aberrant behavior as a student at the University (e.g., Honor Code violations, etc.) at the time of the appeal.
Successful Appeals [These will also be included on any letters of successful appeals]
- Students who have been admitted without the minimum overall GPA of 2.50 must maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.50 in all subsequent semesters. Students who fail to meet this minimum semester GPA standard will be dismissed from the program and will not be allowed to reapply for admission until they achieve a minimum overall GPA of 2.50.All students must have a minimum overall GPA requirement of 2.50 in order to register for SPMG 4686 Internship in Sport Management. This includes students admitted with an overall GPA below 2.50.
- All students must have a minimum overall GPA requirement of 2.50 in order to graduate. This includes students admitted with an overall GPA below 2.50.