In January 2009, a new master’s degree in Sports Administration will be offered at Fairleigh Dickinson University, according to a press release on fdu.edu.

The 36-credit degree will be available to students starting Jan. 12, and classes will be held at both New Jersey campuses as well as in Eatontown and Trenton. Beginning Jan. 15, the program will also be available online to students who cannot make it to classes, according to the FDU press relase.

The program will be based around 15 credits worth of required courses, 15 credits in a specialization and six elective credits, according to the press release. Specializations include sports administration, coaching or recreation.

Also according to the press release, students who would like to specialize in sports administration will focus on those who want to work within the amateur or professional sports systems. These students would concentrate on marketing and promoting events, player interaction and operations, among other things.

Those who are interested in the coaching specialization will learn methods and theories on how to create an environment where a team and sport will thrive, regardless of age and fitness level, according to the Web site.

Lastly, the recreation specialization will teach students how to organize a range of sports activities within a community setting, according to the press relase. Students will learn how to operate faciltiies and develop programs for individuals of different ages and capabilites.

The degree was approved by the New Jersey President’s Council executive board in September. Charles R. Brown, the director of athletics, physical education and recreation at the University of Maryland in Baltimore said that the program is “contemporarily relevant, academically sound, intellectually rigorous and well structured,” according to the press release.

This semester, FDU has launched a master’s degree program in homeland security, the first of its kind in New Jersey.

The Master of Science in Homeland Security (MSHS) program, directed by the School of Administrative Science based at FDU’s Metropolitan campus, is one of a few offered in the country, according to the university’s Web site. Classes are designed to be conducted off-campus and online.
Twelve students have enrolled in the program, whose online-based classes already have begun and seem to be successful, according to FDU’s public relations office in Teaneck. Those students will get the credentials they need to further their careers within the field of homeland security.

Some of the goals of the MSHS program are to provide graduate-level studies for the non-traditional student involved in homeland security, support success of the students in the educational process, and contribute to the preparation of world citizens through global education, according to the FDU Web site.

FDU’s terrorism, emergency management and computer security forensics certificate programs, which began in 2004, have produced more than 300 graduates, according to the FDU Web site.

The students in FDU’s certificate courses were asking for a higher level degree with which to distinguish themselves, Paulette Laubsch, director of the new program, said in a Nov. 12 Daily Record article. “For many, it’s that they want a credential that says they know what they know.”
Students in the MSHS program must complete 36 credits, including four mandatory courses, to earn their degrees. The program is divided into three areas of specialization: terrorism and security studies, emergency management and leadership.

BY KAYLA HASTRUP
News Editor