UMD-Winter: Australia: Sport, Commerce, and Culture in the Global Marketplace (KNES)

This program will provide you with first hand experience in, and a thorough understanding of, the rapidly expanding global sport marketplace. For the 3-credit course, students will travel to two cities (Melbourne and Sydney) in January 2024 to examine the policy, management, and marketing of sport in Australian culture and society. While in Australia, students are fully immersed in the global and local complexities, cultures, and social relations of the Australian sport industry. The program will include: formal lectures delivered by the primary trip leaders as well as prominent guest scholars from Australian universities in the field of global sport culture, management, marketing, and media; meetings with sport managers and executives from governing bodies, corporate sponsors, sport media corporations, major venues, and professional teams who outline the workings of the Australian sport industry; field visits to locally and nationally prominent Australian sport spaces, venues, and facilities; and opportunities to participate in Australian physical cultural practices and experiences.

*There are three need-based scholarships (up to $1,000) available for this program. Complete the EA scholarship application and program application by October 1 to be eligible!

You must be in good academic and judicial standing and you must not have any registration blocks to participate in this program. The minimum GPA for this program is listed above.

UMD and non-UMD freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students are eligible to apply.

The program is open to students of all majors and academic backgrounds. It’s intended for those students with personal and professional interests in the area(s) of: sport management, sport policy, tourism and event management, sport sociology, sport coaching, sport science, kinesiology, public health, physical activity, and/or physical education.

If you are interested in this program but do not meet the eligibility requirements, reach out to the program director (listed in the Contacts tab) to discuss your interest in the program.

After you commit to the program, Education Abroad will enroll you in the following three (3) credit UMD course:

• KNES 342: Sport, Commerce, and Culture in the Global Marketplace - Australia Study Abroad

KNES students who have successfully completed KNES 287 will receive upper-level options credit for the course.

The credit you earn during this program will count as resident credit.

There will be a pre-departure meeting to prepare for the processes and procedures relative to the program. You will be expected to complete reading, writing, and discussion assignments prior to departure.

You will share university residence hall style apartments in Sydney and Melbourne.
 

Costs listed are for winterterm 2024. 

*This program qualifies for eligible Pell Grant recipients to apply for the Gilman International Scholarship. Online applications will open in mid-August and are due in October 5, 2023, at 11:59pm PT.

**There are three need-based scholarships (up to $1,000) available for this program. Complete the EA scholarship application by September 24 and program application by October 1 to be eligible!

NOTE: If you are a non-UMD graduate student, you will need to pay a $75 application fee to the UMD graduate school to participate in this program.

Please refer to the following resources for more information on funding study abroad

• Financial Aid
• Scholarships
• Financial Policies

PLEASE NOTE: All University of Maryland study abroad programs are financially self-supporting and, therefore, subject to cancelation due to low enrollment.

Dr. Michael Friedman is an Instructor in the Department of Kinesiology. His research examines the role of sports within urban development and he has published a book on baseball stadiums and urban design. This research is part of a broader commitment to examining the position, significance and impact of sport within society more generally.

The Teaching Assistant is a graduate student in the Physical Cultural Studies program in the Department of Kinesiology.

For course, itinerary or in-country information, please contact the Faculty Director. For general questions or assistance with applying, contact Education Abroad.

As a part of this program, you will engage in the following activities:

• Formal lectures delivered by the primary trip leaders as well as prominent guest scholars from Australian universities in the field of global sport culture, management, marketing, and media.
• Meetings with sport managers and executives from governing bodies, corporate sponsors, sport media corporations, major venues, and professional teams who outline the workings of the Australian sport industry (e.g. Victorian Institute of Sport, Netball Victoria, Rugby Australia)
• Field visits to locally and nationally prominent Australian sport spaces, venues, events, and facilities (e.g., Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australian Tennis Open, Sydney Olympic Park).
• Opportunities to participate in Australia physical cultural practices and experiences such as learning to surf, and playing netball and lawn bowls.
• (Pending) An optional excursion students can take to the Great Barrier Reef.