2015 Volume 25 Issue 2 Pages 2_337-2_350
The present study aimed to provide an overview and compare Master′s degree programs to clarify the characteristic features of the curriculum course contents and lecture formats among four Master′s programs in sport management education: the TIAS in Japan and the AISTS, FIFA Master, and FIMBA programs in Europe, by utilization of semi-structured interviews and analysis of the data from the interviewees.
The paper clarifies that there are two types of Master′s programs designed to foster practical sport managers: 1) programs supported by the IOC and FIFA, and 2) newly developed programs of existing university graduate schools. Both types of programs differ in their lecture formats. In the type 1 programs, experts working in the IOC and IFs are invited as guest speakers to give lectures that are mostly organized around a discussion format and basically involve the use of PowerPoint slides. On the other hand, in the type 2 programs, the classroom format is generally followed, in which individual classes by instructors are taken weekly and over an extended period of time, following the set pattern of the university graduate schools. However, the curriculum is also flexible, where guest speakers are invited, using the same Powerpoint format through discussion as in the type 1 program. Furthermore, the study revealed that the subjects of each graduate school can be divided into common subjects and specific subjects. The point of difference among the said subjects was found to lie in their focus on the graduate′s destinations, keeping in mind the concept of the backgrounds and human resources installed in each graduate school and program.
In conclusion, our study reveals new findings in context of the professional graduate schools in Japan and Europe.
