Internships and Experiences
Students within the Sport Management Program are exposed to many real life experiences during their college career. These experiences take the form of internships, practicum, volunteer hours, academic conferences, and international experiences.
Each student is required to undertake a 12 credit, 480 hour internship. The program places interns in hundreds of locations nationally and internationally and in many cases, the internship can result in a full-time position within the host organization. Slippery Rock Sport Management majors have completed internships over 350 different sport organizations. Recent internships have been completed with:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Cleveland Indians
- College Athletic Recruiting Service
- Daytona International Speedway
- Eastern Washington University
- Florida Gulf Coast University
- Hurricane Junior Golf Tour
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Philadelphia Union
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Princeton University
- Rio Olympic Games
- Tulsa Shock
- United States Olympic Committee
- University of Kentucky
- Xavier University
Each student is required to complete four practical experiences. Each practicum consists of a minimum of 50 hours over three weeks of hands on, industry specific experience. Practica allow students to enhance their skills for future internships and employment.
Some of the conferences attended by Sport Management students include:
- Sport Entertainment and Venues Tomorrow
- Stadium Managers Association
- Sport Marketing Career Day Student Conference
- Robert Morris University Sport Management Student Career Conference
- Mount Union Sales Conference
Career Fair Opportunities:
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Sports Industry Career Fair
- Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx Internship and Career Fair
- Atlanta Hawks Career/Internship Fair
- Philadelphia Flyers/76ers College Career Fair
The Sport Management Alliance maintains a relationship with Landmark Event Staffing Services Inc. Landmark provides event services at Heinz Field. As a Slippery Rock Sport Management Major, a student has the opportunity to work events such as University of Pittsburgh Panthers Football Games and Pittsburgh Steelers games. The student gains valuable experience in the Sport Management industry, as well as earning compensation that can be used towards Sport Management apparel, conferences and international trips.
SRU Sport Management students are required to donate 120 hours of their time to help others. Every spring the program hosts a community outreach day where students and faculty volunteer to help local/community agencies.
The Sport Management Alliance is a student-directed organization dedicated to enhancing the professional development of future sport managers. While education is a vital ingredient to achieving success, the SMA provides Sport Management majors with outside university experiences. SMA provides students with opportunities to meet academicians and practitioners in the Sport Management field.
Hands-on experience and networking are two instrumental factors to enhance marketability in the sport industry. SMA organizes activities and trips that attempt to optimize the interaction between the Sport Management student and professionals in the field. SMA also organizes social trips to Toronto, Erie, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cleveland where students visit sport facilities and learn more about the industry.
An executive board is elected each year and provides the officers with experience in leadership and decision making. Monthly meetings are held to keep Sport Management majors aware of activities. Each month a sport manager from a sector of the industry is invited to share their experiences and provide advice to ensure success. The meetings also provide the major with an opportunity to network with their peers and professors. These activities ultimately provide students with the tools to develop themselves academically and professionally.