This master’s degree is designed for current and aspiring professionals working in the sports administration, recreation or coaching fields. Through the program, you will gain advanced knowledge in an area of sports management, recreation or coaching. An optional thesis and internship opportunities are available. Graduates of this program are equipped with expertise to provide strong leadership in their chosen careers.

Prerequisite: Undergraduate transcript evaluation; Submission of a personal essay regarding career goals directly related to the specific program of study, including chosen specialization.

Three specialization options are available:

Coaching (Offered Fully Online)
Sports Administration (Offered in a Blended Format)
Recreation and Leisure (Offered in a Blended Format)

Thesis and Thesis Committee

A completed thesis must be submitted for the approval of the thesis committee within two years from the completion of the course work. This time requirement may be waived at the discretion of the majority of the Department's Graduate Committee. The thesis committee shall consist of a minimum of three members:

The candidate's thesis professor who will serve as chair,
A member representing the candidate's major discipline (generally from the degree granting institution),
A third member representing a related field selected at large from the University of Nebraska Graduate Faculty. This member cannot be a member of the candidate's department.
Non-Thesis Option

In addition to their coursework, students pursuing the  MAE in Physical Education Exercise Science, General Kinesiology and Sport Sciences, or Physical Education Master Teacher Non-Thesis Option must successfully complete a comprehensive examination prior to graduation. Comprehensive examinations are to be taken on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney unless an off campus site and a waiver for the on campus requirement are approved by a majority vote of the KSS graduate faculty. Comprehensive examinations will be offered the last week of March, June, and October. The comprehensive written examination will consist of at least three questions.

one question relating to research techniques
one question relating to content from their graduate coursework
one question relating to the student's area of focus/emphasis
Scoring of the comprehensive written exam will be scored as

Pass - no further examination is required
Conditional Pass with an oral examination required - Following the oral exam the student can then be granted a Pass or No Pass with remediation required. Students earning a No Pass must then take another written comprehensive examination within a time period specified by the examination committee.
No Pass - the committee will then recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies that the candidate be reexamined after a specified interval. Means for improvement shall be recommended to the candidate by the committee.
After a student takes a second comprehensive examination, the student will be given the same scoring as above, except in any situation in which the student receives a score of No Pass the committee will then recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies that the candidate be refused graduation.

Program Information and Admission Requirements

Admission to degree work is contingent on

1. Evaluation of the candidate's undergraduate transcript.
2. These criteria are supplemented by Submission of a personal essay regarding the student's career goals directly related to the specific program of study (and emphasis area of appropriate).

Graduate students in the department of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences must select either a thesis or a non-thesis option

Tuition fee-2 years$26,000

Total fee-2 years$52,000