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Abstract

Graduate Assistantships (GA) are a critical component of career preparation in sport management, yet little is known about how the GA experiences vary across institutions, and intercollegiate athletic departments. This exploratory study examined differences in intercollegiate athletic department GAs based on NCAA Division I subdivision, length of time the GA served in the position, and how the GA found the opportunity. Survey data were collected from GAs listed on athletic department staff directories. The instrument assessed functional areas, supervision, compensation, satisfaction, and perceived career impact. Chi-square analyses compared GA experiences across institutional and student-level variables. Overall, the findings suggest that GA positions in athletic departments provide broadly positive and meaningful experiences for students, but certain contextual factors influence the nature of these experiences. These findings suggest that while institutional characteristics may not drive GA quality, factors such as length of time in the position and how the position was secured can shape the educational value of the GA experiences. The results highlight the importance of intentional supervision structures and faculty involvement to optimize student learning and professional development in intercollegiate athletic GAs.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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