WIU, Augustana pave way for bachelor’s to master’s sport management program

Administrators from Western Illinois University and Augustana College gathered Monday to sign an agreement that will allow 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 enable 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. This agreement allows students who meet all requirements to 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 in the program. Graduates of WIU’s sport management program are prepared to pursue in-demand careers in fitness, wellness, sports or medicine.

Talentino said, “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.”

Talentino was joined by WIU President Guiyou Huang Monday at Augustana’s Peter J. Lindberg, M.D., Center for Health and Human Performance, which opened in fall 2021 to prepare students for health-related careers. The building includes cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art classrooms as well as a functional training lab and a human performance lab. 

Dr. Huang said Monday’s agreement opens 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 Huang.

WIU College of Education & Human Services Associate Dean Renee Polubinsky said the expansion of the university’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,” she said. 

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 sport management master’s program was first offered in 1972 and is now 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.