Colleges for Professional Golf Management

University of Idaho

• The University of Idaho's Professional Golf Management program is the only one in the Northwest that is accredited by the Professional Golf Association (PGA). This five year program combines a degree in marketing with golf-specific courses and internships. Admission is competitive and is based on high school grades and test scores, and students must have a golf handicap of 12 or less prior to graduation. The first year consists mostly of general education courses, with the first internship taking place in the summer between the freshman and sophomore years. In the second and third years, students complete business core courses such as accounting and economics while continuing with golf internships each summer. The fourth year curriculum focuses on upper level golf and marketing courses, and students complete their last internship over the summer and fall semesters of the fifth year before returning to finish their coursework in the spring. Throughout the program, students can work on their game at UI's own 18 hole golf course.

  University of Idaho

  PO Box 443161

  Moscow, ID 83844

  208-885-4746

  uidaho.edu

Sam Houston State University

• Located in the east Texas city of Huntsville, Sam Houston State University is home to the state's only PGA-approved professional golf management program. Students who do not meet the handicap requirement as a freshman are enrolled in the Player Development Program, where they receive specialized instruction to bring their handicap down to 12 or less. The nearby Raven Nest Golf Club serves as a laboratory for students to practice both their golf game and their management skills, and students get further training through four separate internships throughout the five years of the program. During each internship, students have specific goals to achieve. For example, in the first internship students practice giving a clinic on equipment and observe a rules official at a tournament. Beyond the golf-specific courses and internships, students also complete the requirements to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration.

  Sam Houston State University

  Box 2056

  Huntsville, TX 77341

  936-294-4810

  shsu.edu

Campbell University

• Campbell University, a small Christian university in North Carolina, is one of the only private colleges in the US with a PGA-approved professional golf management program. Students in the program complete all the liberal arts courses required of students at Campbell, including six credits of religion and four semesters of weekly chapel attendance. Golf management students also complete business core courses in subjects such as marketing, financial planning, and sales principles. The third component of the degree is the major curriculum, which includes courses such as Food and Beverage Management, Introduction to Teaching, and Golf Shop Operations. Students gain real world experience through 14 months of internships at three separate PGA-approved facilities. A unique aspect of Campbell's program is the opportunity for students to begin working on their MBA in their senior year. Students who are admitted into the MBA program complete the additional 21 credits needed for the graduate degree over five semesters and are then able to graduate with both degrees at the end of five years of study.

  Campbell University

  PO Box 567

  Buies Creek, NC 27506

  910-893-1200

  campbell.edu