A recent survey of graduate students places the University of Windsor’s Master of Human Kinetics in Sport Management as the overall number one program in Canada, and best in the world for quality of teaching.

The rankings were recently released by SportBusiness, a consulting and research group renowned for its global intelligence in the business of sport.

The annual rankings place graduate-level sport management programs from around the world in various categories, and the University of Windsor’s MHK achieved several top 10 scores. Along with being the top-ranked Canadian program in the list, the MHK was listed as:

• number one for quality of teaching,
• third for the number of female students in the program,
• seventh for job support, and
• seventh in student satisfaction.

Alumni of the program were not surprised by the results and are encouraged by the continuing success of the program.

Recent graduate Frederik Ehlen currently works for the Ottawa Senators and made his way from Germany to be a part of the program.

“The program really challenged me to be self-motivated and gave me the opportunity to gain project experience that has been invaluable to my career,” he said. “I had never been to Canada before, but after connecting with a faculty member I was confident in my choice to come.”

Jorden Bagley, another recent graduate, said instructors taught her that it’s not enough just to think something, you need to prove it.

“The sport industry is really trying to improve in the area of gender equality,” Bagley said. “In the rankings, I was proud to see that our program is a leader in helping to change the culture.”

All the graduates interviewed valued the connections they were able to make with fellow students and some of the top sport organizations they were engaged with throughout their time at the University of Windsor.

“I had never worked with such a dedicated group of faculty, staff, and students. The connections we made, both personally and professionally, will serve us for a lifetime,” said Bami Ogunlana, who has gone on to work as a project co-ordinator in Toronto.

Peter Baldwin, communications and events specialist with the Essex Region Conservation Authority, said he valued the way faculty gave him support and encouragement: “The program set me up for success in my professional life. The faculty are second to none and I had a great experience in my time in the Faculty of Human Kinetics.”

Baldwin relocated to Windsor from Nova Scotia as a mature student and after interacting with faculty, decided that the University of Windsor would be the best venue for him to pursue his passion for sport.

The rankings are a welcome boost to the Faculty of Human Kinetics as it moves toward the first year of direct entry into the undergraduate sport management and leadership program in the fall of 2021.

Acting dean Jess Dixon couldn’t be more pleased.

“We pride ourselves on hiring faculty who are not only excellent researchers but also engaging and passionate in the classroom,” he said. “Our placement in this year’s rankings reaffirms what we have always known and strive to accomplish in the Faculty of Human Kinetics. I wish to thank our alumni for their time and input on this process, and for helping our vision of delivering a world class program become a reality.”

View the rankings at https://www.sportbusiness.com/postgraduate-rankings-2020/.

—Martin Vaughan