USE Course Catalog

USE courses are designed for busy sports professionals. Each course is 10 weeks long, and consists of a live web class of 2 – 3 hours per week, plus assignments to complete on your own.

Required Courses:

USE 101R Principles and Practices of Sports Management

Brien O’Neill

This course explores the key principles and practices essential to effective sports management.

It begins with an overview of key developments in the history of sports management. It then proceeds with the study of sport management from a number of functional perspectives: management, marketing, and economics/finance. The course next undertakes the study of the key segments of sport management including high school and youth sports, collegiate sports, international sports, and sports played at the professional level. Finally, the course delves into two areas critical to operating an effective and efficient sports enterprise: sales and sponsorships.

USE 102R Make $$$ in Sports Without Breaking a Sweat!

Frank E. Cuzzi

This course provides an extensive evaluation of Sports Management thinking, tactics, and strategy. It explores the different relationships between the consumer/fan market and the sports industry market, including in-depth discussion of how new technology affects marketing in the sports industry. We cover sports marketing, promotion, media, licensing, advertising, the internet and corporate sponsorship in professional sports and in the NCAA. Finally, we will study sports “sales,” audience demographics, and media broadcasting since sport events are used as a vehicle to sell corporate products.

In addition, this course illustrates sports management as a career and how the business of sports relates to revenues minus costs. Leagues and pro teams can earn profits and college teams can break even from general revenues vs. costs planning for next season. For example, football can pay for non-revenue producing sports. Individual tours include weekly destinations plus players who are basically entrepreneurs, since they pay all their own expenses for travel and lodging against revenue from winnings, corporate sponsorships, and appearance fees. Youth leagues create local activities for kids and parents. Fitness centers create profit in towns or cities through the desire for wellness and conditioning.

If you can think like this, coach sports, read players or own a fitness center, you can make revenue in sports management.

USE 103R Champions of Change: Sports Leadership Fundamentals

Neil J. Simon

Sports and sport organizations are more than just opportunities to play a game. In the United States, sports allow leaders to help develop the character of the participants and their families, as well as the coaches, trainers, and all the support personnel. This course is designed for sport leaders, whom we call “champions.” A champion belongs to a sports organization and is charged with creating or implementing a sport program, as well as maintaining those efforts as times change.

This course presents information about sport leadership and leading, and also provides assistance with professional and personal development. The emphasis is on self-awareness, as well as the importance of the needs of various groups within sport activities. It explores Western and Eastern management concepts, identifying important characteristics and attributes from both philosophies to enhance your current style and help you to become an effective leader.

USE 104R Sports Management, Marketing and Leadership Overview

Frank E. Cuzzi

Sports Management – A practical introduction to the field of sports management, this course explores the everyday functions performed by major league officials, club front-office personnel, NCAA athletic directors, and others employed in event management. Topics include sports publishing, promotion, special events, research, public relations, club marketing, ticket sales, broadcasting sales, event management and future trends, including the Olympics.

Sports Marketing and Corporate Sponsorship – Sports marketing uses sports as the vehicle to sell corporate products in sports events. Nothing gets “on air” or “in print” unless the sport is a medium for selling corporate products to target audiences. Called “programming” on TV, these events must deliver specific audiences at specific times at an acceptable cost to advertisers/sponsors. This course includes discussions on audience demographics, image, advertising, promotion, seasonality, media, licensing, sales, and media/internet. It answers the question of how to market your sports event. Your team is entertainment to fans, programming to broadcast executives, viewing numbers to corporate advertisers, sampling opportunities to corporate sponsors, and content information to internet users and interested parties.

Sports Leadership – The development of leadership and managerial roles in sports comes from motivation, organizational assessment, planning, goal setting, and control strategies. The focus is on leadership behavior, personality types, group and team dynamics, and contingency analysis. You will explore your leadership style related to professional and collegiate sports coaching. By relating leadership style to sports leadership, you will receive significant career guidance.

USE 105R Event Risk Management and Event Safety

Augustine Aloia

This course examines event risk and liability with an added focus towards the realm of sports. Through the use of scenarios, students will learn how to recognize, manage and limit risk in various small, medium and large event venues. In addition to evaluating risk, students will become familiar with the coordination of government and private resources to address such issues as overall security and safety, alcohol and drugs, medical facilities, fire safety, availability and quality of food and water resources, bathroom facilities, and the specific issues of indoor vs. outdoor events.

Elective Courses:

USE 106E Champions of Change: Understanding And Analyzing the Field of Play

Neil J. Simon

In the United States, sports are an opportunity for leaders to help develop the character of the participants, their families, coaches, trainers, and the support personnel. This course helps sport leaders (or “champions” as we call them) to better understand their role and functions, as well as how to guide the evolution of their sport with an organization. The leader is often charged with creating and implementing a sport program, guiding changes, and maintaining a sport organization.

This course presents information about sport leadership and leading, and also provides assistance with professional and personal development. The emphasis is on self-awareness, as well as the importance of the needs of various groups within sport activities. This course explores Western and Eastern management concepts, identifying important characteristics and attributes from both philosophies to enhance your current style and help you to become an effective leader.

USE 107E Champions of Change: Strategy and Implementation

Neil J. Simon

Sport and sport organizations are more than just games! They are businesses. To that end, sport organizations need to be run like a business with leaders in the know, not only about sports but also about strategy, effective business practices, financials, marketing, and more.

Once the character of the sport and preliminary programs and events are established, they have to be sustained by the results of their own practices. This course is designed for those who want to participate in leadership levels. The individual becomes a super “champion” of the sport. He/she makes things happen by creating and implementing a sport program, and then keeping it successful.

This course presents information about sport leadership and leading, and also provides assistance with professional and personal development. The emphasis is on self-awareness, as well as the importance of the needs of various groups within sport activities. This course explores Western and Eastern management concepts, identifying important characteristics and attributes from both philosophies to enhance your current style and help you to become an effective leader.

USE 108E Champions of Change: Business Case and Influencing

Neil J. Simon

Sport and sport organizations are more than just opportunities to play a game. In the United States, sports allow leaders to help develop the character of the participants and their families, as well as the coaches, trainers, and all the support personnel. This course is designed for sport leaders, whom we call “champions.” A champion belongs to a sports organization and is charged with creating or implementing a sport program, as well as maintaining those efforts as times change.

This course explores the business of sports and leading the organization’s change. While on this journey, the course will also provide you with professional and personal development. The course covers Eastern and Western management concepts to help you meet the needs of all the groups in your organization.

USE 109E Sports Math I

Roy Berglund

This course presents arithmetic calculations as a basis for algebra. We will cover whole numbers, fractions and decimals, along with their operations. You will also learn about percent, ratio and proportion, as well as how to simplify and evaluate arithmetic expressions. You will learn about rounding and approximation of results in geometric figures, such as squares, rectangles and circles. Examples include installment loan calculations and credit card charges.

USE 110E Get Ready, Start, Go Land That Position: Interview Preparation from Start to Finish

Julienne B. Ryan

What’s your interviewing winning game plan? Are you looking for ways to effectively gain sport-related positions? Are you seeking to learn interview skills that will help you be focused, present well, and get remembered in interviews?

In this course, you will learn the essentials of interviewing skills and what you need to know about networking, internship and job interviews. You will learn how to present yourself professionally by using personal narratives, strategic questions and excellent follow-up so you can land the position you want in a competitive market.

USE 111E Writing 101 for Sports Professionals

Eileen Merwin

Success in any profession relies on excellent communication skills. However, no matter how well you speak when managing, persuading, inspiring or even telling great stories, to advance in your career you must write with equal skill, confidence and style. This college-level course is designed to help sports professionals learn the craft of writing from the ground up by mastering sentence structure, punctuation and usage. You will expand your vocabulary and word choice while developing a distinctive style so that you can express yourself in writing precisely, correctly, and colorfully. Each unit will include relevant, contemporary sports-related readings and films as the basis for discussion and writing.

USE 112E High School Sports Marketing

Rachel Hall-Schlachta

Successful Sports Marketing is a program that allows students to examine how basic marketing principles and functions are applied to the sports industry. It is a program where high school students work toward career/college goals through online classroom instruction and hands-on marketing activities. You will participate in online discussions, assignments and tests in addition to related marketing activities. The course explores sport consumer behavior, sports market segmentation, distribution decisions in sports marketing, sponsorship and endorsement, sports brand management and licensing, legal issues in sports marketing and career opportunities. A student-driven business plan will give real life experience to the sports marketing experience.

The course will prepare you to use basic marketing principles to successfully present sporting events. Case studies and a semester project allow you to practice these skills and give you information to create a sports marketing plan for your school team or local league.

USE113E International Sports Marketing

Dr. Dena Bateh

International Sport Marketing examines the international sport environment. Although it touches on the international aspects of US sport, it will predominantly be treating sport outside the USA. It provides an overview of sport throughout the world, including sports and sport events and competitions, the global sport calendar, governance, key organizations and actors, management, business and financial elements, marketing, key trends and topics, and cultural significance.

USE114E International Sports Law

Dr. Basem El Hendawy

This course provides an overview of international and foreign jurisdiction, regulation, and practice issues. Students will primarily focus on the regulation of sports in the U.K. and continental Europe, with an emphasis on soccer (football). Topics include the regulation of professional and amateur athletics, the organizational structure of sports leagues and associations, labor-management relations, international sports regulatory agencies, individual rights of athletes and spectators, and the application of tort and criminal law principles to sports.

USE115E Social Media in Sports

Linda A. Amerigo

This course will enhance your skills in sports marketing. It provides practical experience in a segment of the industry that has become very powerful. We will examine the concepts and processes used in social media, marketing and communications of sport organizations at all levels. In order to develop effective social media marketing and communications plans, students will analyze current marketing techniques and issues, with special emphasis placed on the unique aspect of sport products, consumers, and fan relations.

USE116E Website and Blog Development for Sports

Linda A. Amerigo

This course will provide students with the knowledge, skills and practical experience necessary to be effective sports managers in the online environment. Building usable, effective sites that are also attractive requires an innovative approach and a manageable toolkit. This course teaches students about the issues faced by web designers and the free tools available. Making use of a site design analysis process, students will produce a detailed needs analysis, which will culminate in site design proposals and development.

USE117E Sports Business Computer Applications

Linda A. Amerigo

This course provides an overview of business applications. Students learn to apply Microsoft® Office tools including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook to accomplish business objectives as they apply to sports management. The course is delivered by faculty certified as Microsoft Office User Specialists (MOUS), who have practical application experience. Other topics include uses of the Internet for effective problem solving and how information is used across the sports industry.

USE118E Organizational Effectiveness in Sports

Jesse Battino

This course starts with the belief that everyone is capable of leadership. By sharing a series of alternative perspectives of leadership, and by considering these perspectives, participants will build a personal model of leadership that they can put to immediate use in sports management.

Students will examine the process of leading, planning, and managing a given sport organization’s future in a multicultural environment in the new millennium. Key elements of policy development and strategic planning include the role of leaders and managers, strategy formulation, environmental analysis, and strategy implementation in creating and sustaining a comprehensively diverse workplace. A primary goal of this course is to enable students to critically analyze relevant aspects of strategic management and its potential impact on the creation of effective practices within sport organizations.

USE119E The Art of Coaching Women’s College Soccer

Patrick Horne

This course gives students a general overview of the game of soccer and its world structure (FIFA), offers a good understanding of the 17 laws that govern the game, and introduces students to the game’s major tournaments. At the core of the course are the women’s game and the differences between coaching women and men in college.

Discussion topics on the women’s college game include recruiting, motivation, training, systems of play and other effective nuances required to build a successful women’s program.

USE120E Internship

Professor: TBD by Subject

USE’s Internship program offers valuable learning opportunities for the intern’s academic and career goals. This internship will utilize the intern’s skills and training to enhance his/her capabilities. While USE is a global entity, our internships in the US are easier for us to implement. Students will receive academic course credits for this internship.

Prerequisite – Participants must have taken and passed four (4) courses in the certificate program. This way, the internship is far more valuable for our students’ learning purposes.