The Ohio University online Master’s in Athletic Administration program specializes in developing interscholastic Athletic Directors, building on the students’ passion for serving young student-athletes and running a highly-successful athletic department. And because Ohio University established the first specialized academic sports program in the country in 1966, your degree will reflect a tradition of excellence nearly five decades long.
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Highly-ranked by U.S. News & World Report
Graduate in as few as 2 years
Prepare yourself for NIAAA certification
No GRE required for qualified applicants
Why Choose the OHIO Online Master of Athletic Administration?
The MAA is a unique program housed in the College of Business for coaches and athletic professionals who want to become highly effective athletic directors and administrators. It is designed to prepare you to excel in the demanding field of interscholastic athletic administration, while also preparing you for National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) certification.
Ohio University is the pioneer in sports education. By establishing the first academic program in the field of sports administration, this online program is recognized today as the premier professional training program for candidates seeking careers in the sports industry.
Accreditation
Ohio University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
The Department of Sports Administration and its academic programs, including the Master's program in Athletic Administration are accredited by the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA)
Tradition
Ohio University is proudly celebrating 50 years of world-leading sports business education. In 1966, the university established the first specialized academic sports program in the country – and has been leading the way ever since. The Ohio University online MAA program is recognized as the premier professional training program for candidates seeking careers in the sports industry.
Rankings
U.S. News & World Report recognized Ohio University on its 2017 list of "Best Business Schools," and "Best National Universities.
Named a "2017 Best College" by The Princeton Review
Ohio University ranks among the top 3% of higher education institutions globally as rated by the Center for World University Rankings.
What Our Grads Have to Say About Our MAA
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"This is the best decision I ever made for my education. It has made me better prepared for the business aspect of coaching. One of the most important parts that I learned about was the legal part. It’s stuff that we don’t know as athletic directors that will hang you up because you don’t know it."
- Jennie Lou Leeder
2013 Graduate
"I am an athletic trainer, and I wanted to stay in athletics but move to the administrative level. Becoming an athletic director is my No. 1 goal. I looked at the courses that Ohio University offered, and every course looked interesting and is something that I would directly use. Even now I could apply it, and later on when I move on to athletic administrator or athletic director it will be perfect."
- Debby Casey
2012 Graduate
"Everything that I've learned in this program I could implement right away into what I'm doing at my own school. … I learned so many new things that I had never even thought about."
- Austin Benton
2013 Graduate
"The coursework in the MAA online program helped me professionally in many ways. The program taught relevant material that I was able to use in my current position as an athletic director. It definitely challenged me and helped me grow professionally. Also, the faculty teaching the coursework are seasoned professionals in the business of athletics, so I was able to get real-world help right away."
- Jeff Walrich
2012 Graduate
Specialized Coursework for Athletic Leaders
The focused curriculum of Ohio University’s online master’s degree in Athletic Administration prepares you to excel in the demanding field of interscholastic athletic administration, while also preparing you for the NIAAA certification.
| SASM 6100 | Athletic Administration Seminar | 3 credits |
| SASM 6040 | Administration of Interscholastic Athletic Programs | 3 credits |
| SASM 6280 | Legal Foundations of Risk Management in Athletics | 3 credits |
| SASM 6670 | Human Resource Management in Sport Organizations | 3 credits |
| SASM 6260 | Sport Governance and Policy Development | 3 credits |
| SASM 6480 | Facility Management and Programming | 3 credits |
| SASM 6420 | Ethics in Sports | 3 credits |
| SASM 6800 | Seminar-Research Methods | 3 credits |
| SASM 6550 | Sport Marketing | 3 credits |
| SASM 6700 | Financial Administration of Sport Facilities and Programs | 3 credits |
| COED 6540 | Management and Leadership in Sport | 3 credits |
| SASM 6990 | Capstone Seminar in Sports Administration | 3 credits |
Experienced Faculty
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Scott Smith
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Scott Smith - Program Director
Dr. Scott Smith is the Program Director for Ohio University’s Online Master’s in Athletic Administration program. Prior to this position, he was an Associate Professor and Chair for the Department of Physical Education & Sport at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. He also served as the Director of the Sport Management program at Central Michigan, where he still teaches graduate courses in the program.
Scott received his bachelor’s degree in Science Education from Bluffton University in Ohio, his M.Ed. in Athletic Administration from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a PhD in Sport Management and an educational specification degree in Educational Leadership, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
With the exception of four years of work in the University of Missouri Athletic Department, most of Scott’s professional experience prior to Central Michigan University was in interscholastic athletic programs. Scott served as an Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at single high school districts in Ohio and Missouri and also served as an Assistant Superintendent and District Athletic Director in two large districts: Dayton Public Schools in Ohio and Wichita Public Schools in Kansas.
Even though his full-time position is currently in higher education, Scott continues to maintain his association with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). Currently, he serves as the University Liaison and the Curriculum Coordinator for the NIAAA Leadership Training Institute.
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Aaron Wright
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Aaron Wright, CAA - Program Faculty
Aaron Wright became an Ohio University faculty member in Sport Management in 2005, and from 2007-2009 he also served as Undergraduate Coordinator for the Sport Management program.
Aaron received both his MBA and Master’s in Sports Administration degrees from Ohio University in 2005. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Haverford College, where he also played varsity basketball. After completing his undergraduate studies, Aaron played and coached basketball professionally in Europe for three years. He then returned to the United States and spent eight years as a high school athletic director, teacher, and boys’ basketball coach at Sandy Spring Friends School in Maryland. During his tenure at Sandy Spring, he also served as President of the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference for three years.
Aaron also worked in Division III intercollegiate athletics administration at Middlebury College in Vermont before relocating to Ohio to begin his graduate studies.In 2012, Aaron earned his CAA from the NIAAA.
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Mike Crauder
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Mike Crauder - Program Faculty
Mike Crauder has 26 years of experience working in public education in Oregon. During his time in Oregon, he held a variety of positions at elementary, middle school, high school, and district level, including eight years as a high school athletic director. After Mike received his Bachelors of Science in Mathematics Education from Ohio University in 1968, the Navy took him West. Prior to being drafted, he worked in student services for the University. Once released from active duty, he returned to college at the University of Oregon where he received his Master’s in Recreation and Park Management in 1974. His work with the Portland Park Bureau led to positions with Molalla School District and eventually to Corvallis. During this time, he earned his standard principal’s license from Lewis and Clark College.
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Kelley Walton
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Kelley Walton - Program Faculty
Kelley Walton is an attorney, professor and consultant with over ten years of legal and human resources experience. She received her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and a Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School. Kelley worked for the Columbus Blue Jackets (National Hockey League) for its first 10 years of existence. Her first three years with the Blue Jackets were spent in the legal department. The last seven were as the Director of Human Resources, overseeing the employment of 150+ full-time and 300+ part-time employees. During that time, she oversaw all efforts involved with recruiting, workers compensation, 401(k) administration, benefit administration, employee contracts, and employee evaluations. For all 10 years at the Blue Jackets, she oversaw all immigration efforts for the club.
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Gregory S. Sullivan
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Gregory S. Sullivan - Program Faculty
Dr. Sullivan is a newly appointed Associate Professor and Director of the Professional Masters of Sports Administration (PMSA) program in the Department of Sports Administration, College of Business at Ohio University. He comes to Ohio University from Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio where he was a tenured Associate Professor and was recognized as Teacher of the Year. Prior to his career in academia, Dr. Sullivan enjoyed a successful two-decade career in the commodity markets in trading (Engelhard Metals, Citibank, and Deutsche Bank), marketing (Prudential Securities), and investment banking (Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein). He holds a PhD in Sport Management from The Ohio State University, an MBA in Sport Management from Seton Hall University's Stillman School of Business, and recently completed a second Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.