A classroom emphasis on sports communication-related fields at colleges and universities across the country has more than doubled in the past four years, according to a survey of those offerings conducted by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
The survey found the number of schools that report providing a certificate, minor, emphasis or full program in some form of sports communication has increased from 14 in 2007 to 34 during the 2010-11 academic year.
Graduate students in the Curley Center conducted the telephone survey of the 452 programs affiliated with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The Center compared the most recent survey to a similar study it conducted in 2007.
Along with 34 schools providing a more complete academic emphasis on sports communication, the survey found 215 schools (48 percent of those surveyed) offered at least on course in the field. That represents a 20 percent increase from 2007.
The most common courses among all schools surveyed were sports writing (62 schools) and sports broadcasting (57). Other common courses include: sports public relations or publicity (19), sports marketing (14) and sports media production (13).
The John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, a first-of-its-kind center established in 2003, offers a certificate program to more than 150 Penn State students. The Curley Center's classroom core includes five classes -- introduction to the sports industry; sports writing; sports broadcasting; sports information; and sports media and society.
Along with those courses, the Curley Center stresses the value of interaction with on-campus guest lectures and special events as well as numerous on-campus co-curricular media opportunities and off-campus internships.