Sport and Recreation Administration Accreditation
Learn about accreditation for Sport and Recreation Administration.
Accreditation for B.A. in Sport and Recreation Administration
The undergraduate major in Sport and Recreation Administration at the University of Mississippi is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT).
- COAPRT recognizes academic programs in colleges and universities that prepare new professionals to enter the parks, recreation, tourism and related professions.
- COAPRT Accreditation is a status granted to an academic program that meets or exceeds stated criteria of educational quality.
In the United States, accreditation of professional preparation curricula is conferred by non-governmental bodies, which are often closely associated with professional associations in the field.
COAPRT accredits baccalaureate degree programs in this profession; find accreditation standards and annual reports here:
- COAPRT Accreditation Standards
- 2024 COAPRT Annual Report
- 2023 COAPRT Annual Report
- 2022 Annual Report
- 2021 Annual Report
The UM sport and recreation degree programs have been accredited since 2000 and will be reviewed for re-accreditation in 2022. In 2015, based on University strategic planning initiatives, faculty evaluation, and advisory board recommendations, the program was renamed Sport and Recreation Administration.
- The UM degree program curriculum is focused on competencies needed to become professionally certified and simultaneously linked to COAPRT accreditation standards. Our model prepares students for positions with the competitive sport, recreation, tourism and related professions.
- Continuous data-based assessment and evaluation of the curriculum is completed by the SRA faculty annually to decide the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum in relation to both contemporary professional standards as well as COAPRT accreditation standards.
Data analyses of the curriculum and programmatic changes within the UM Sport and Recreation Administration Program (2016-2021) linked to COAPRT standards 7.01, 7.02. 7.03 are found here: Evidence 7.01-7.03 PDF
Internship Site Evaluators assessment of Students ability in CPRP competencies
1= Excellent Proficiency — Poor Proficiency =5
| Finance | Human Resource | Operations | Programming | Planning | Professional Communication | |
| 2016 | 1.71 | 1.58 | 1.55 | 1.36 | 1.50 | 1.25 |
| 2017 | 1.50 | 1.52 | 1.33 | 1.30 | 1.60 | 1.50 |
| 2018 | 2.14 | 1.67 | 1.63 | 1.58 | 1.60 | 1.65 |
| 2019 | 2.26 | 1.74 | 1.85 | 1.62 | 1.75 | 1.71 |
| 2020 | 1.86 | 1.53 | 1.25 | 1.43 | 1.25 | 1.38 |
| 2021 | 1.89 | 1.76 | 1.78 | 1.63 | 1.68 | 1.74 |
Supervisor-rated Proficiency Score Averages 2016 - 2021
| Mean | Ranking | |
| Programming | 1.54 | #1 |
| Human Resource | 1.64 | #2 |
| Operations | 1.65 | #3 |
| Professional Communication | 1.67 | #4 |
| Planning | 1.68 | #5 |
| Finance | 1.94 | #6 |
The contemporary Sport and Recreation Administration degree program curriculum culminates in a professional internship experience that requires students to apply the knowledge from their degree program (COAPRT 7.04).
Here's how we did in 2021:
- 91% of graduating students reported that the University of Mississippi COAPRT-based curriculum effectively prepared them for internship responsibilities.
- 100% of graduating students reported that their internship used knowledge gotten from their sport and recreation coursework.
- 86% of graduating students reported that the SRA degree program RACE (Recreation administration Continuing Education) experiences supplied professional preparation for their internship experience.
- 86% of graduating students showed that their University of Mississippi advisors were helpful in advising toward a career-oriented internship.
- 79% of students achieved or exceeded the rating of Excellent from their on-site internship supervisors.
- All students (100%) completing the internship were certified in CPR and First Aid prior to the internship.