by Erika E. Nelson

After graduating a year ago with a Masters of Science from the Online Sport Management program at the University of Florida, Pete Paciorek landed his dream job as the Director of Athletics at Principia — an NCAA Division III college. Paciorek says, “To say that the (OSM) degree paid for itself is an understatement. The online platform at UF allowed me to continue to work full-time and provided me with an increased knowledge and skill set from an inspiring and accomplished faculty.” Pete also serves as an adjunct professor in OSM and is the author of Character Loves Company — Defining the Teachable Moments in Sports:
A Guidebook to Character Literacy Development.

Currently, HHP enrolls more than 400 students per year who are pursuing their undergraduate and graduate degrees completely online. HHP has an ever-growing number of online programs, and one that has become increasingly popular is the Online Sport Management Master of Science (OSM) degree. As with other online programs, OSM offers a unique opportunity to meet the educational needs of full-time professionals, and students can, and do, live all around the world while completing courses at UF.

Dr. Alyssa Tavormina, Professor and Director of the OSM program, believes OSM is effectively “designed for the working professional, especially those who are working in sport, which requires long work weeks along with nights and weekends…this program is perfect for individuals who need to work at their own pace and on their own schedule.”

The OSM program “is taught by the same expert faculty members as the residential Sport Management program. The student is getting no lesser experience by completing the degree online,” said Tavormina. Recent graduate Danielle Pechous, who now works for the Orlando Magic, considers her success in the program partly due to the video lectures the professors posted.

“Even though I couldn’t be on campus, these video lectures helped simulate the classroom setting where I could follow along with what they were doing. As a visual learner, this was particularly helpful for me,” said Pechous.

Unlike a lot of other graduate programs, OSM offers the option to specialize in three different areas: Athlete Development, High Performance Coaching, and Sport Law. With the Athlete Development specialization the program qualifies students to pursue a PAADS certificate, which is the Professional Association of Athlete Development Specialists. The OSM program is a perfect fit for those interested in all facets of sport and the essential administrative duties that help keep athletes on the field and effectively steer a successful organization. “We have had alumni landing jobs as college athletic directors, high school athletic directors, collegiate coaches and director of operations,”
said Tavormina.

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