Western Illinois University and Augustana College have signed an agreement that will give Augustana students an accelerated path to completing a master’s degree in Sport Management at WIU.
The integrated bachelor’s to master’s agreement will allow Augustana students who have completed their undergraduate kinesiology degree, plus three bridge courses, to immediately transfer to WIU to complete the Master of Science degree. Under the new agreement, students who meet all requirements can complete both degrees in five years.
Augustana College President Andrea Talentino said the college’s kinesiology program is one of its fastest growing majors, with 70 students declared. Graduates of WIU’s Sport Management program are prepared to pursue in-demand careers in fitness, wellness, sports or medicine.
“This agreement with Western Illinois University represents one more avenue available to these talented students as they continue to build their academic and professional experiences,” Ms. Talentino said in a news release.
This program agreement will open doors for students who are passionate about serving others locally and nationally.
“We are eager to partner with Augustana on this initiative, and the new agreement will bring more opportunities to model social responsibilities for all sports contexts in the Quad Cities and beyond,” said WIU President Guiyou Huang.
Renee Polubinsky, WIU College of Education & Human Services associate dean, said the expansion of the WIU’s sport management program to the Quad-Cities region is significant.
“This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program and are happy to provide opportunities to students seeking careers in leadership roles in the sporting industry,” said Ms. Polubinsky.
Augustana introduced a kinesiology major and minor in 2019. The major focuses on human anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, exercise physiology and socio-cultural approaches.
WIU’s sports management master’s program was established in 1972 and is one of the oldest and most established sport management programs in the nation.
The program includes strategies for leading, managing and marketing sport enterprises, as well as the economic and financial applications of sport. Students are exposed to the cultural capital, ethical, legal and socially-inclusive foundations of sport in the United States and around the world.
For more information on WIU’s integrated programs or this partnership, contact the WIU College of Education and Human Services at (309) 298-1981, or visit wiu.edu/sportsmanagement/.
Also, WIU and the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, gathered in Macomb, Illinois, recently, to officially sign four 2 + 2/3 articulation agreements for academic programs within WIU’s Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration (RPTA).
The agreement, consistent with the state of Illinois’ Culinary and Hospitality Model Programs of Study, allows students who transfer from the College of DuPage to seamlessly pursue a Bachelor of Science in RPTA at Western. The agreements apply to the College of DuPage’s Associate of Applied Science degrees in Meeting and Event Planning, Travel and Tourism, Restaurant Management and Hospitality Management and allow transfer into WIU’s Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management option.
The agreements signed by WIU President Huang and College of DuPage Dean of Arts, Communication and Hospitality Brian Carlson will allow students to transfer between the two schools and complete their bachelor’s degree in two or three years, depending on the courses they select.
“College of DuPage is pleased to offer these seamless agreements for our students,” said Dean Carlson. “Western’s flexible course offerings, award-winning faculty, and hands-on curricula provide the ideal pathway for COD students to pursue their educational goals.”
