Designed for students to explore career interests and develop professional skills. The course provides firsthand exposure to a sport management setting. The student will be exposed to a variety of sport management areas which may include: sales, sponsorship, fundraising, event planning, marketing, community and public relations, and sports media and information. Experiences may take place in public and private organizations, schools and athletic settings. A total of 12 credit hours of SM 470 or placement in SM495 Capstone Field Experience is required. SM470 Internship may be taken for 1-6 credit hours and the course may be repeated up to 4 times, not exceeding 12 total credit hours. An internship is an intensive career-oriented work experience related to a students' field of study that provides practical application for professional development, classroom knowledge and exposure to industry practice.
Instructor permission
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
All materials are on Blackboard
At the end of the class, the student should be able to:
- Understand the nature of the sport industry, including its trends
- Analyze and appreciate job responsibilities, roles, and functions in sport management
- Gain practical experience in the sport industry while applying knowledge gained in the classroom
- Make useful contacts in the industry by networking
- Create and update a successful resume and cover letter
Tentative Schedule
Subject to change during the semester. Adequate notice of changes will be given.
Assignment guidelines, student grades, PowerPoints, and the course schedule are posted to the course Blackboard site. Students must log onto the site on a regular basis to ensure they are prepared for class and are completing the required assignments.
Preparedness and Professionalism: You are expected to come prepared for work so that you may participate in a professional fashion. This includes: 1) being in attendance PRIOR to the start of work, 2) paying attention and taking notes, 3) abstaining from the use any electronic devices during the work period (cellphones, mp3 players, headphones, smartwatches, etc.), and 4) remaining at work for the duration of the shift until you are dismissed by the supervisor.
Bi-Weekly Journal: Students will keep a journal of daily activities, work completed, experience gained, and hours worked. The journal will be submitted each week to Blackboard and graded by their professor.
Resume: Students will create and update their resume and submit it to Blackboard. Students must remember that resumes are working documents and therefore never “finished”. Resumes will be graded on the likelihood of receiving the attention of prospective employers.
Self-Evaluation: Students will evaluate their work completed at the end of their experience. Students will then meet with the professors to discuss their experience and what they learned.
Supervisor Evaluation: At the conclusion of the capstone experience, the student’s supervisor will complete an evaluation on their professionalism, knowledge of the industry, and work ethics.
Course Evaluation:
Evaluation Points
Preparedness and Professionalism 100 pts.
Bi-Weekly Journals (7) 10 pts. each
Resume 50 pts.
Self-Evaluation 50 pts.
Supervisor Evaluation 100 pts.
Final Presentation Video 100 pts.
Total Points 470 pts.
The grading scale will be as follows:
93-100=A | 90-92.99=A- | 87-89.99=B+ | 83-86.99=B | 80-82.99=B- | 77-79.99=C+ |
73-76.99=C | 70-72.99=C- | 67-69.99=D+ | 60-66.99=D | <60=F
Late Assignments Policy
Late assignments will NOT be accepted and will be given a 0. Students are responsible for completing all course requirements and for keeping up with all activities of the course whether they are present in class or not. Students are responsible for keeping a copy of their work, on disk or hard copy, until they have received a grade for all written assignments.
Instructor Course Policies
Students in this course are required to attend all work sessions in addition to turning in their assignments on time. Students will be penalized for any unexcused absences.
Workload: For each credit hour of internship credit, 40 working hours is expected. For example, a 6 credit hour internship should be 240 working hours.
Academic Integrity:
Students are reminded that presenting the work, ideas, writing, or concepts of others as one’s own constitutes a serious violation of academic integrity and fundamental academic trust. Such behavior is unacceptable at Wilmington College. Any instance of academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment and may, at the instructor’s discretion, result in failure of the course. The instructor will enforce Wilmington College’s policies regarding academic misconduct, including applicable penalties and guidelines related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI). All students are expected to adhere to the College’s Academic Honesty Policy as outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog and the current Student Handbook. These policies address examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the procedures for handling allegations of academic misconduct.
Americans with Disabilities Act:
ADA statement that reads, Americans with Disabilities Act: If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, contact Spencer Izor, the Associate VP for Compliance: spencer.izor@wilmington.edu, 937-481-2365, or visit her office in College Hall, Room 306.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: SP26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |