M.S. Degree

Admission
Admission to the Master’s program in the Department of Tourism, Recreation & Sport Management requires graduation from an accredited college or university with a minimum grade average of B for all upper-division undergraduate work, and satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Students from countries where English is not the primary language are also required to score a minimum of 550 (213 computer-based; 80 internet version) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). International students whose native tongue is English or who have studied at a United States college or university for one year or more need not submit TOEFL scores but must submit satisfactory scores on the GRE before their applications for admission can be considered.

Applications will be accepted year round, but, those who are applying for Departmental and College Financial Assistance (Assistantships or Fellowships) must submit their applications by the following dates:

Fall Admission: Apply by February 1
Spring Admission: Apply by October 1
Late applications may be considered.

Recreation, Parks & Tourism Program
Concentrations
• Tourism and Commercial Recreation
• Natural Resource Recreation
• Recreation Administration and Supervision
• Campus Recreation Programming and Administration

Sport Management Program

Advisors, supervisory committee chairs, and supervisory committee members:
There must be a minimum of three supervisory committee members including the supervisory committee chair, and each member must hold graduate faculty status. The graduate coordinator will assign the student to a graduate faculty advisor prior to his/her first semester of enrollment. The student has until the end of the first semester of enrollment to select a supervisory committee chair. The necessary forms must be completed and submitted to the department chair who approves the supervisory chair.

It is strongly recommended that the supervisory committee members be selected by the end of the first semester of enrollment. However, in no case shall they be selected later than the end of the second semester of enrollment. The necessary forms must be completed and submitted to the department chair for nomination of the supervisory committee members, approved by the college dean, and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School.

If the student selects the thesis option, one supervisory committee member must be from outside the student's major department. If the student selects a minor, one supervisory committee member must be from the minor department. If the student desires to change his/her supervisory committee chair or supervisory committee members, s/he must petition to the department graduate committee, who makes a recommendation to the department chair for final approval.

The supervisory committee approves the student's degree plan preferably by the end of the first semester of enrollment and no later than the end of the second semester of enrollment. Any changes to the degree plan must be approved by the student's supervisory committee, graduate coordinator, and the department chair.

Pre-requisites
Pre-requisites are based on the content and requirements of individual graduate courses and are listed accordingly in the Graduate Catalog.

Thesis procedures
• The student develops a prospectus.
• The supervisory committee chair approves the prospectus.
• The student selects the supervisory committee members.
• The student writes the first three chapters (Introduction, Review of Literature, and Methods) and presents the proposal in a public forum.
• The student completes and defends the thesis in a public forum.
• All forms must be completed and submitted per the university's schedule.

Internships
• Internships will be 3 credits.
• Internships will be conducted the same as undergraduate internships.
• The student's supervisory committee chair will assist with the internship placement and serve as the university internship supervisor.

Electives:
Students may select elective courses from the graduate courses offered by the department, or they may select courses from other departments on campus such as education, sociology, psychology, gerontology, business, management, public relations, forestry, urban planning, exercise physiology, health promotion and wellness, and many others. The University of Florida has excellent educational and instructional facilities and is one of the few public university members of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The Department of Tourism, Recreation & Sport Management also has fully qualified and certified faculty in each of the emphasis areas offered by the program. Final responsibility for knowing and meeting the academic policies of the graduate school always rests with the student.

Comprehensive Examinations:
Written examinations are required of all master's degree students who elect the non-thesis option. Written examinations will be given once in the fall (first week of November) and once in the spring (first week of March). Written examinations will be taken during the student's last semester of course work (excluding internships). Questions will address 3 areas: (1) core (administration, trends, and theories); (2) specialization; and (3) research.

Supervisory committee members will write the questions and grade the answers. Supervisory committee members will meet and discuss the written examinations and decide whether the student: A. passes; B. re-writes any part; C. takes an oral exam on any part; or D. fails. If the student fails, s/he must wait and take the entire written examinations again the following semester. If the student re-writes any part or takes an oral exam on any part and fails that part a second time, s/he must wait and take the entire written examinations again the following semester.