USSU Course Naming and Numbering System

All courses are designated with three letters and three numbers. The three letters indicate the area being studied in the course, and the three numbers indicate the degree level of the course.

Area of course study (Three letters)

• SAB – Sports Psychology or Sociology
• SAD – Sports Medicine
• SAM – Sports Management
• SAR – Sports Research
• SCS – Sports Coaching
• SPT – Individualized Study; Internship; Thesis; Dissertation

Level of course study (Three numbers)

• 100-200 courses: lower-division undergraduate level courses
• 300-400 courses: upper-division undergraduate level courses
• 500 courses: master’s level graduate courses
• 600 courses: master’s/doctoral level graduate courses
• 700 courses: doctoral level graduate courses

Full course catalog of doctoral level course listings

SAB 622: Structure and Function of the Olympic Games (3 credit hours)

The structure and function of the Olympic movement, starting with the International Olympic Committee and moving through the national governing bodies to international sports associations, is the focus of this course. It emphasizes the unique characteristics of the Olympic Movement and various political, social, and economic impacts on the Games.

SAB 634: Ethics in Sport (3 credit hours)

This course is concerned with the study of Sports Management ethics and the manner in which ethics can be applied and implemented in an individual’s personal and professional life. We will be reminded “whereas ethics are precepts of right and wrong in our behavior and judgments, the word morality often refers to a way of life, to beliefs, attitudes, motives, and values individuals learn and exhibit in a social context.”

This course is required in the doctoral program core.

SAB 635: Combatting Corruption in Sports (3 credit hours)

This course will explore the phenomena of corruption in the sports industry globally. The act and practice of corruption will be defined and case studies on corruption will be explored from historical and contemporary perspectives. The course will also identify the main governing and policy making bodies to combat corruption exploring their roles and effectiveness. Corruption will be discussed as it relates to ethics and governance in sports. Core issues in sport corruption will be presented with the focus to see what can be learned and understood from sports corruption past and present.

SAB 636: Effective Governance to Combat Corruption in Sports (3 credit hours)

This course is divided into two main sections and presents the basics of specific managerial activities necessary for governance, policy development, and financial administration in sport organizations. In the first section of the course, theoretical underpinnings for sport governance are presented, in relationship to the management functions of planning, organizing, decision making, and strategic management. In the second section, necessary characteristics of ethical decision making, and social responsibility are examined as they are applied and implemented in the governance structures of various sport industry segments including scholastic sport, community amateur sports, campus recreation, intercollegiate athletics, Olympic Sport, Paralympic sport, individual professional sports, and international sports.

SAB 657: Sport Psychology Interventions (3 credit hours)

This course provides insight into the assessment, development, and implementation of psychological interventions designed to optimize elite athletic performance. Students will explore evidence-based mental skills training techniques and theories, including visualization, concentration, and attention control strategies, pre-performance routines, arousal regulation methods, and confidence-building interventions. The course emphasizes translating research into practice.

SAB 659: Group Dynamics in Sports and Exercise (3 credit hours)

This course provides an in-depth study of the influence of teams on the individual’s performance and the influence of individuals on team performance in sport and exercise settings. There is a particular focus on interpersonal aspects such as cohesion and leadership.

SAB 660: Sports in America Current Issues: Sport and Public Policy (3 credit hours)

This course examines some of the most compelling policy issues affecting the sports world from an interdisciplinary perspective including economics, history, urban planning, not-for-profit administration, public health communications, political science, and philosophy.

SAB 661: Contemporary Issues in Sports (3 credit hours)
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the major issues in the world of sports, including the Olympic Games as a reference point for discussion and analysis. Topics include performance-enhancing drugs, human growth hormones, gender inequity, race and ethnicity, youth, adolescent, and adult sport programs, media involvement, economics, management structures, and globalization. By examining how these issues manifest in sport and on the Olympic stage where international visibility, cultural diversity, and high-stakes competition converge students gain a deeper understanding of sport’s societal impact and the complex challenges facing athletes, organizations, and governing bodies worldwide.
This course is required in the doctoral program core.

SAB 667: de Coubertin, Thorpe, and The Rise of the Modern Olympic Movement (3 hours)
This course explores the development of the modern Olympic Movement from the founding speech by Pierre de Coubertin in 1892 through the cancelled Games of 1916, with a special focus on the impact of Jim Thorpe. A double gold medal winner at the 1912 games in Stockholm, Sweden, Thorpe was later named the Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century.  His personal history provides a backdrop for exploring the expansive cultural and political issues surrounding the early years of international sport.

SAB 670: Selected Readings in Sports Coaching (3 credit hours)
This course will provide students with an opportunity to conduct a series of literature reviews about an approved sports coaching topic. The selected topic should include literature reviews pertaining to the concepts and/or issues faced by coaches while performing their coaching responsibilities. The focus of this course is to enhance the student’s research and composition abilities while gaining in-depth knowledge regarding the profession of sports coaching.

SAB 671: Advanced Coaching Theories (3 credit hours)
This course allows students to select sports coaching readings from a preselected reading list in order to complete a series of book reports. These sports coaching readings will consist of topics such as leadership, communication, management, skill acquisition, and risk management. The focus of this course is to enhance the student’s knowledge concerning the profession of sports coaching.

SAB 758: Psychology of Sport Injuries (3 credit hours)

This course integrates biopsychosocial models, stress and coping theories, and social cognitive frameworks to understand injury vulnerability, psychological adaptation, and rehabilitation outcomes. Students will examine how individual differences, social contexts, and environmental factors influence injury experiences while developing applied knowledge essential for advanced practice in this specialized area.

SAB 768: Psychology of Human Behavior (3 credit hours)
This course examines cognitive psychology principles through the lens of athletic performance and human movement. Students explore how cognitive processes, including perception, attention, memory, knowledge representation, and decision-making, influence behavior in sport and exercise contexts. The course integrates traditional cognitive psychology theories with applied examples from athletic performance, skill acquisition, and motor learning. Students will develop an understanding of how cognitive mechanisms underlie expert athletic performance and how psychological principles can be applied to enhance human performance across various domains.

SAB 778: Mental Health and Psychopathology in Sport (3 credit hours)

This course examines the intersection of mental health and athletic performance, providing comprehensive knowledge of psychological disorders commonly encountered in sport settings. Students explore the prevalence, assessment, and recognition of conditions such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and trauma among athletes. The course emphasizes differentiating between performance challenges and clinical conditions while developing screening protocols and understanding the scope of practice. Students learn evidence-based approaches to supporting athlete mental health within interdisciplinary care teams.

SAB 791: Selected Readings in Sports Theory (3 credit hours)
The goal for this course is to conduct database searches on an approved topic in sports theory.  In this course, students will present a comprehensive analysis and application of the approved topic within the scope of sports theory.  It is advisable to compile readings and research on topics that may relate to one’s dissertation topic.

SAM 622: Structure and Function of Professional and Amateur Sports Organizations (3 credit hours)

The course provides an analysis of professional and amateur sports organizations from a philosophical, historical, and operational perspective. It takes an in-depth look at the management and business practices of this industry. It is designed for leaders in the industry who will manage effective and efficient sports organizations.

SAM 640: Labor Relations in Sports (3 credit hours)

This course provides an in-depth examination of areas of labor relations that are particularly relevant to sports. The growth and development of unions within the sports industry is explored with an emphasis on labor-management agreements currently utilized in professional sports.

SAM 644: Sports Marketing Research (3 credit hours)

This course examines marketing research pertinent to the successful operation of sports enterprises. It includes the study of research design, data analysis, and the presentation of results.

SAM 660: Financial Aspects of Sports (3 credit hours)

This course involves an in-depth study of the financial challenges facing contemporary sports administrators, including an examination of financial data analysis, sources of funding, budgeting and financial accountability, inventory management and production control processes, profit distribution, taxation, and accounting processes.
This course is required in the doctoral program core.

SAM 662: Sports Entrepreneurship (3 credit hours)

This course involves the study of entrepreneurship for those with a serious interest in owning their own businesses. Students prepare a comprehensive business plan for starting or acquiring a business. The process of operating a business is also explored.

SAM 672: Personnel Training and Development (3 credit hours)

This course reviews various forms of personnel training and development. On-the-job and off-the-job training programs, personnel evaluation procedures, and needs assessments are also examined.

SAM 682: Facilities Planning in Sports (3 credit hours)

This course examines the principles, guidelines, and recommendations for the planning, construction, maintenance, and management of sports facilities. It is designed to provide students with an awareness of the facilities appropriate to sports programs, ranging from colleges to ultramodern fitness centers.

SAM 730: Sports Leadership Principles (3 credit hours)
This course is designed to provide an examination of effective leadership. Students will examine general concepts of leadership (theories, principles, traits, skills, etc.) that are necessary for every sports organization. Emphasis is placed on applying these concepts to diverse athletic contexts, including collegiate, professional, and Olympic-level organizations.
This course is required in the doctoral program core.

SAM 735: Strategic Planning in Sports (3 credit hours)

The course is designed to provide an analysis of strategic planning, including the development of vision and mission statements and the use of environmental scans, gap analysis, action planning, and benchmarking. A variety of strategic issues in sports will be explored. An understanding of the policies and mechanics of strategic planning in sports will be provided.

SAM 736: Communication for Leadership (3 credit hours)
This course will assist sports professionals with improving the communication process. Effective communication is needed to lead a sports organization successfully. Problems that may occur in a sports organization as a result of people failing to communicate properly are identified. A variety of communication skills are explored.

SAM 737: Leadership: Theory and Practice (3 credit hours)
This course explores a variety of contemporary notions of leadership, including traditional theories, salient models, new domains, and the importance of understanding change. The course will allow you to explore how leadership theory can inform and direct the way leadership is practiced. Included are leadership topics, research finds, questionnaires, case studies, and everyday applications.

SAM 738: Strategic Management for Sports Organizations (3 credit hours)
This course examines, prepares, builds, and enables development of skills necessary in understanding strategy formulation implementation, evaluation and control by applying a variety of tools and techniques related to strategic analysis. You then use that analysis to formulate organizational goals, tactical implementation to reach goals, and monitor plans. You will use internal and external data as part of the planning, implementation, and monitoring processes in order to sustain a competitive advantage in current and future domestic and global markets including the business of sport.
This course is required in the doctoral program core.  

SAM 743: Practical Applications in Sports Business Management (3 credit hours)
The primary focus of this course is to understand the specific and practical applications of business, management, and marketing in the contemporary environments of the multi-billion-dollar sports industry. It explores key aspects of the sports industry and provides a wealth of information on how to succeed as a sport business professional. Course topics include mastering the craft of sport business, applying modern media strategies, and creating a framework for leadership. Practical and essential advice is provided to students looking to advance their career in sports business.
This course is required in the doctoral program core.

SAM 744: Advanced Sports Marketing (3 credit hours)
The objective of this course is to expose students to advanced topics in the study of sports marketing. Specific topics in the course include advanced sports marketing theory related to consumer behavior, advertising, sponsorship, e-commerce, and global marketing. The information acquired in this course will equip students for a career in sports marketing or a related field.

SAM 786: Legal Aspects of Sports (3 credit hours)
An in-depth examination of areas of the law that are particularly relevant to sports. Specifically, developments in negligence law, contract law, and constitutional law as they apply to sports are considered, and recent developments and trends are studied. This course is designed to build on previous studies of law and sports to provide students with opportunities for in-depth study and appreciation of the legal aspects of sports and the most significant current impacts of law on sports.
This course is required in the doctoral program core.

SAM 787: Sports Related Concussions (3 credit hours)

Widespread dissemination of knowledge has the potential to decrease the rate of concussions occurring in sports, as well as improve the current guidelines in place. This course provides an in-depth review of the risks, prevention, recognition, treatment, and management of sport-related concussions. This course also discusses the importance of awareness and education strategies for coaches, athletes, parents, administrators, and health care professionals.

SAM 788: Principles of Management in Sports Medicine (3 credit hours)

In this course, the administrative components of Sports Medicine are explored. Topics include advanced concepts of legal liability, financial management, scheduling, supervision, documentation, and general administration.

SAM 789: Seminar in Sports Medicine Management Issues (3 credit hours)

This course is an advanced study of historical foundations, contemporary trends and issues, organizational planning, and risk management in the field of Sports Medicine. Topics include an in-depth case analysis of the role of Sports Medicine, traditional and non-traditional settings in Sports Medicine, and the impact of healthcare reforms on the profession of Sports Medicine.

SAR 674: Research Statistics in Sports (3 credit hours)

This course is an overview of statistical methods utilized in sports and exercise science. Emphasis will be placed on computer software-based analysis. Topics include hypothesis testing, normal distributions, t tests, analysis of variance, chi-square, nonparametric techniques, correlation, and linear regression.

SAR 710: Advanced Exercise Physiology and Scientific Principles in Fitness and Health (3 credit hours)

This course is designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of exercise physiology and the scientific principles used to evaluate physiological components.  Through selected readings, past and current research will be evaluated and considered for future research and application in the health and fitness industry. Topics include nutrition, bioenergetics, cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular physiology, and endocrinology.
This course requires a prerequisite or administrative approval: SAR 520.

SAR 715: Contemporary Issues in Health and Fitness (3 credit hours)
The health and fitness industry is dynamic.  Constantly new research is changing the way we think about health and fitness programs and design. Through selected readings, current ‘hot topics’ in the health and fitness industry will be evaluated. Topics include nutritional, exercise physiology, strength and conditioning, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition.

This course requires a prerequisite or administrative approval: SAR 520.

SAR 720: Advanced Strength and Conditioning (3 credit hours)
The focus of this course is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the physiological principles, mechanisms, and program design necessary to plan, evaluate, and modify exercise programs.  Particular attention will be given to periodization techniques.  Through selected readings, past and current research will be evaluated and considered for future research and application in the health and fitness industry. Topics include speed, power, strength, hypertrophy, agility, bioenergetics, program design, and periodization techniques.

This course requires a prerequisite or administrative approval: SAR 710. 

SAR 776: Research Methodologies (3 credit hours)

This course will introduce research design methods to sports professionals employed in a variety of settings. The format and techniques for writing a scholarly research paper will be presented. Various types of research commonly used in Sports Management are reviewed. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses are covered, with an emphasis on their application to sports.

This course is required in the doctoral program research core. 

SAR 790: Selected Readings in Sports (3 credit hours)

The goal for this course is to conduct library database searches on an approved sports topic. This course is a comprehensive analysis and discussion of selected aspects of sports. It is advisable to compile readings and research on topics that may relate to one’s dissertation topic. The focus of this course is to support a student’s specific research interests.

This is a required course for doctoral students. It must be taken in the final semester of coursework.

SPT 684: Graduate Summer Institute (3 credit hours)
Designed for doctoral-level students, this course offers an immersive summer experience focused on advanced leadership, professional development, and specialization within the student’s area of study. Emphasis is placed on real-world application and peer collaboration.
This is a HIPE course option.

SPT 685: Workplace Special Project (3 credit hours)
Doctoral students apply sport industry knowledge to lead complex projects within their workplace. Guided by faculty mentors, students address organizational needs and produce high-level deliverables contributing to their professional portfolio.
This is a HIPE course option.

SPT 686: Learn Abroad I (3 credit hours)
Designed for doctoral students, this course involves comprehensive international fieldwork and analysis. Participants synthesize their experiences into professional insights aligned with global sport leadership and policy.
This is a HIPE course option.

SPT 687: Learn Abroad II (3 credit hours)
Doctoral students deepen their global expertise by conducting international research and presenting findings that bridge scholarly knowledge and field experience.
This is a HIPE course option.

SPT 688: Internship I (3 credit hours)
Doctoral students undertake a supervised internship designed to develop advanced leadership, project management, and field-based expertise in the sports profession.
This is a HIPE course option.

SPT 689: Internship II (3 credit hours)
This doctoral-level internship emphasizes executive-level leadership, research application, and strategic influence within sport organizations. Deliverables align with dissertation and career goals.
This is a HIPE course option.

SPT 791: Doctoral Research Design (3 credit hours)

The dissertation is the final culminating project for the doctoral program. The dissertation represents the formal development of an original piece of research under the direction of a dissertation chairperson and two committee members. This course serves as the formal beginning of the dissertation process. In this course students will apply their knowledge of literature search and research methodology to design, refine, and defend their dissertation proposal.

This course requires a prerequisite or administrative approval: SAR 790.

SPT 792: Doctoral Data Collection & Analysis (3 credit hours)

The dissertation is the final culminating project for the doctoral program. The dissertation represents the formal development of an original piece of research under the direction of a dissertation chairperson and two committee members. This course builds on the work done in SPT 791. After securing permission from the USSU Institutional Review Board, students will execute the approved research design and methodology. Successful data collection and statistical analysis are key objectives.

This course requires a prerequisite or administrative approval: SPT 791

SPT 797: Directed Individualized Study (3-6 credit hours)

Individualized study is directed by a qualified graduate faculty member in a specific interest area. It is designed to provide flexible alternatives, and it is personalized to the individual student. This course may involve scholarly research, data collection and reporting, preparation of educational materials, or the design and application of policy and programs.
This course requires permission from the Chief Academic Officer prior to registration.

SPT 799: Doctoral Dissertation (3 credit hours)

The dissertation is the final culminating project for the doctoral program. The dissertation represents the formal development of an original piece of research under the direction of a dissertation chairperson and two committee members. This course represents the completion of the dissertation process and includes the writing, editing, and successful defense of the dissertation manuscript.

This course requires a prerequisite or administrative approval: SPT 792.