What is COSMA?
The Commission on Sport Management Accreditation is a specialized accrediting body whose purpose is to promote and recognize excellence in sport management education worldwide in colleges and universities at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels through specialized accreditation.
Programs, students, employers, and the general public all benefit from the external verification of quality provided through COSMA's accreditation process. They also benefit from the process of continuous quality improvement that is encouraged by COSMA's developmental approach to promoting excellence in sport management education. COSMA is the only organization offering discipline-specific accreditation in sport management. COSMA is recognized by CHEA and the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
|
We immediately began recognizing the impact accreditation was having within the University, community and externally ." COSMA accreditation has become a selling point on prospective student-athlete tours and a highlight we as instructors express proudly when meeting with students and their families. We have seen an increase in students actively wanting to pursue leadership positions in our HSS student group since the completion of COSMA accreditation." [COSMA accreditation] has benefitted our program to continue its strength and excellence. Additionally, it brings our program the credibility we need to compete with other colleges and universities in the state of Georgia. We are the only College\University with SPM COSMA Accreditation and that sets us apart from the larger universities in the state." |
COSMA Vision
The vision of COSMA is to be the leader in mission-driven and outcomes-based programmatic accreditation for sport management education for student-oriented institutions of higher education worldwide.
COSMA MISSION
The Commission on Sport Management Accreditation is a specialized accrediting body whose purpose is to promote and recognize excellence in sport management education worldwide in colleges and universities at the bachelors, master's and doctoral levels through specialized accreditation.
Goals & functions
- To be the premier sport management accrediting body for 4-year institutions of higher education, both domestically and internationally.
- To provide a forum to promote excellence in sport management education in colleges and universities throughout the world.
- To identify characteristics of excellence in sport management education and establish accreditation expectations to assess excellence in sport management education.
- To promote continuous improvement in sport management education through the use of outcomes assessment and other quality assurance processes, thereby benefiting our members, higher education, and the public.
- To establish a continuing relationship with individuals and groups who are interested in promoting excellence in sport management education, including business and industry, government agencies, professional associations, and other groups throughout the world.
- To promote innovation and creativity in teaching and learning, including the sharing of best practices in sport management education and assisting in the professional development of sport management educators.
- To be a resource to member institutions and the public concerning issues in sport management education and accreditation.
- To assist programs in benchmarking through the sharing of best practices and providing research and information.
- To facilitate the globalization of sport management education through promoting awareness, understanding, and cooperation among domestic and international institutions.
- To promote ethical practices in sport management and sport management education.
- To promote fairness and diversity in sport management and sport management education.
In furtherance of its goals, but not in limitation thereof, COSMA shall work toward developing the following activities:
- Develop and promulgate sound educational expectations and practices for the accreditation of sport management baccalaureate and graduate degree programs.
- Collect and disseminate information about sport management education throughout the world.
- Provide appropriate support for worthy projects and research in sport management education, as requested.
- Sponsor meetings, conferences, workshops, and symposia.
- Confer recognition upon outstanding supporters of sport management education.
- Engage in lawful and ethical activities that will enhance and promote the study of sport management education and apprise the public of its value, scope, and character.
- Assure equal treatment among COSMA members through regularly-evaluated and intentional policies and practices subject to member review and discussion.
COSMA utilizes a distinctly different approach to specialized accreditation in sport management. It uses both characteristics of excellence in sport management education and assessment of educational outcomes as a basis for making accreditation decisions, rather than the prescriptive input standards approach. For COSMA, the measurement and advancement of academic quality focuses on the overall level of performance of the academic unit in the context of its mission and broad-based goals as measured by the degree to which it accomplishes its intended student learning outcomes and operational outcomes.
Because of the essential role that educational processes play in determining educational outcomes, COSMA has developed accreditation principles based on best practices in sport management education. These principles promote excellence in sport management education through a benchmarking process, which is helpful in determining whether the sport management program is, or is not, achieving its mission and broad-based goals, and is interpreting the results of the outcomes assessment process.
Educational institutions are unique, with differing missions, goals, processes, and intended learning outcomes. COSMA principles assess progress toward excellence, allow for a continuum of accomplishment, and encourage continuous improvement. There is no standard of learning that fits all programs, but there are principles that can apply to all programs.
COSMA is committed to a developmental approach to excellence in sport management education. COSMA and its members function in a collaborative and cooperative manner, encouraging each other toward higher levels of quality in sport management education.
COSMA is both flexible and innovative in applying its philosophy of accreditation. It recognizes that sport management education exists within a dynamic, complex environment that requires innovative approaches to achieving quality educational outcomes.
Membership in COSMA entitles an academic unit to pursue accreditation of their sport management programs. Accredited status is achieved through an intensive process that includes completion of a candidacy program, completion and review of a self-study, site visit by accreditation team, final approval by the COSMA Board of Commissioners and submission of annual reports. Once approved, accredited status is valid for 7 years.
Because of the essential role that educational processes play in determining educational outcomes, COSMA has developed accreditation principles based on best practices in sport management education. These principles promote excellence in sport management education through a benchmarking process, which is helpful in determining whether the sport management program is, or is not, achieving its mission and broad-based goals, and is interpreting the results of the outcomes assessment process.
Educational institutions are unique, with differing missions, goals, processes, and intended learning outcomes. COSMA principles assess progress toward excellence, allow for a continuum of accomplishment, and encourage continuous improvement. There is no standard of learning that fits all programs, but there are principles that can apply to all programs.
COSMA is committed to a developmental approach to excellence in sport management education. COSMA and its members function in a collaborative and cooperative manner, encouraging each other toward higher levels of quality in sport management education.
COSMA is both flexible and innovative in applying its philosophy of accreditation. It recognizes that sport management education exists within a dynamic, complex environment that requires innovative approaches to achieving quality educational outcomes.
Membership in COSMA entitles an academic unit to pursue accreditation of their sport management programs. Accredited status is achieved through an intensive process that includes completion of a candidacy program, completion and review of a self-study, site visit by accreditation team, final approval by the COSMA Board of Commissioners and submission of annual reports. Once approved, accredited status is valid for 7 years.
history of cosma
In the mid-1980s, sport management programs were proliferating throughout North America. Two movements were occurring simultaneously: (a) Academics from the U.S. and Canada were creating the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), whose purposes would be to host an annual conference and publish a scholarly journal, and (b) the National Association for Sport & Physical Education (NASPE), one of five national associations that comprised the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD*), was exploring the idea of providing curricular guidance to existing and emerging sport management programs. At the 1986 AAHPERD National Convention and Exposition in Cincinnati, NASPE and NASSM representatives discussed the possibilities. Following this meeting, NASPE appointed a task force of sport management faculty and practitioners to develop guidelines for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs.
The NASPE Sport Management Task Force developed the original curriculum guidelines in 1986. The NASPE Board of Directors approved the guidelines in 1987. In June 1989, NASSM President Bill Sutton formed a Committee on Curriculum and Accreditation. In 1989, NASSM and NASPE agreed that there was a need to provide some level of quality assurance to students enrolling in sport management programs and to the employers hiring graduates of those programs. The organizations formally joined together in 1989 to create the NASPE-NASSM Joint Committee that would oversee the continued development of curricular guidelines for sport management. These guidelines were approved by the NASPE and NASSM members at their annual conferences in 1990. From this work came the creation in 1993 of the Sport Management Program Review Council (SMPRC), an independent entity acting on behalf of both NASSM and NASPE for the purpose of reviewing sport management programs.
In July 2005, NASPE and NASSM representatives met to discuss the proposed direction of SMPRC including movement toward accreditation. Two task forces were formed: the Accreditation Task Force and the Standards Task Force. These task forces were comprised of members from each association and were charged with investigating sport management accreditation from both a process and policy perspective, as well as a standards perspective.
The Accreditation Task Force and Standards Task Force provided preliminary reports to representatives in May 2006. At the 2006 NASSM Annual Conference, a roundtable discussion was held to collect feedback from the NASSM membership regarding sport Management accreditation.
The formation of the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) was proposed in January 2007 and draft accreditation manuals were provided to NASSM and NASPE members for review and feedback. Additional meetings were held at the 2007 NASSM and AAHPERD Annual Conferences to present the refined model.
In September 2007, NASSM and NASPE identified a timeline to officially launch the COSMA organization in July 2008.
*In 2014, AAHPERD officially re-branded as SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators.
The NASPE Sport Management Task Force developed the original curriculum guidelines in 1986. The NASPE Board of Directors approved the guidelines in 1987. In June 1989, NASSM President Bill Sutton formed a Committee on Curriculum and Accreditation. In 1989, NASSM and NASPE agreed that there was a need to provide some level of quality assurance to students enrolling in sport management programs and to the employers hiring graduates of those programs. The organizations formally joined together in 1989 to create the NASPE-NASSM Joint Committee that would oversee the continued development of curricular guidelines for sport management. These guidelines were approved by the NASPE and NASSM members at their annual conferences in 1990. From this work came the creation in 1993 of the Sport Management Program Review Council (SMPRC), an independent entity acting on behalf of both NASSM and NASPE for the purpose of reviewing sport management programs.
In July 2005, NASPE and NASSM representatives met to discuss the proposed direction of SMPRC including movement toward accreditation. Two task forces were formed: the Accreditation Task Force and the Standards Task Force. These task forces were comprised of members from each association and were charged with investigating sport management accreditation from both a process and policy perspective, as well as a standards perspective.
The Accreditation Task Force and Standards Task Force provided preliminary reports to representatives in May 2006. At the 2006 NASSM Annual Conference, a roundtable discussion was held to collect feedback from the NASSM membership regarding sport Management accreditation.
The formation of the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) was proposed in January 2007 and draft accreditation manuals were provided to NASSM and NASPE members for review and feedback. Additional meetings were held at the 2007 NASSM and AAHPERD Annual Conferences to present the refined model.
In September 2007, NASSM and NASPE identified a timeline to officially launch the COSMA organization in July 2008.
*In 2014, AAHPERD officially re-branded as SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators.
ADDITIONAL HISTORICAL materials:
- Susan G. Zieff , Angela Lumpkin , Claudia Guedes & Terry Eguaoje (2009) NASPE Sets the Standard, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 80:8, 46-49, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2009.10598378.
- NASPE-NASSM Joint Task Force on Sport Management Curriculum and Accreditation (1993) Standards for Curriculum and Voluntary Accreditation of Sport Management Education Programs, Journal of Sport Management, 7, 159-170.
- An Abridged History of the NASPE-NASSM Sport Management Program Approval, 1986-2007.
- Bowling Green State University, Center for Archival Collections - find materials and meeting minutes from the early years of the SMPRC.