Students interested in the sports marketing field at Ottawa University might have an opportunity to explore that field in the coming school year.
Sports marketing could be offered as a concentration for business majors, according to Marylou DeWald, Chair for the Division for Business Administration and Public Policy.
“The business major sets up the foundation for the courses, getting knowledge across a wide range,” she said. “The concentration will get depth in the business field, in the sports marketing area.”
DeWald said in order to make the concentration possible, the proposal must go through a long process of gaining approvals. The approval process includes going through the college’s school of business, the academic counsel, the whole faculty senate, the university-wide undergraduate field and academic counsel. Only then can the sports marketing major become a reality.
“We do that to make sure it meets academic standards we want,” DeWald said. “It gives students what they want to obtain.”
Possible sports marketing classes that will be offered would be Consumer Behavior, Market Research, Integrated Marketing , Principles of Advertising and Public Relations.
Some adjunct and public relations professors, as well as communication professors would help in teaching the different classes.
DeWald said the idea for a sports marketing concentration stems from what the demand is for the subject.
“The demand is coming from two places,” she said. “Interest from existing and prospective students.”
DeWald said that current students, particularly upperclassmen, may have trouble completing the concentration because of the timing.
“Hopefully rising juniors could complete the courses,” she said. “Sophomores definitely have time to do it, but seniors are out of luck, unless they came back.”