Commission on Sport Management Accreditation

The Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) is a specialized accrediting body whose purpose is to promote and recognize excellence in sport management education worldwide in colleges and universities at the baccalaureate and master's levels through specialized accreditation.

COSMA is the only organization offering discipline specific accreditation in sport management.

Programs, students, employers, and the general public all benefit from the external verification of quality provided through COSMA's accreditation process. They also benefit from the process of continuous quality improvement that is encouraged by COSMA's developmental approach to promoting excellence in sport management education.

COSMA utilizes a distinctly different approach to specialized accreditation in sport management. It uses both characteristics of excellence in sport management education and assessment of educational outcomes as a basis for making accreditation decisions, rather than the prescriptive input standards approach. Using a foundation of seven accreditation principles based on best practices in sport management education, COSMA allows for a continuum of accomplishment and encourages continuous improvement.

There is no standard of learning that fits all institutions, but there are principles that can apply to all institutions. COSMA is both flexible and innovative in applying its philosophy of accreditation. It recognizes that sport management education exists within a dynamic, complex environment that requires innovative approaches to achieving quality educational outcomes.

Membership in COSMA entitles an institution to pursue accreditation of their sport management programs. Accredited status is achieved through an intensive process that includes completion of a candidacy program, completion and review of an institutional self-study, site visit by accreditation team, final approval by the COSMA Board of Commissioners and submission of annual reports. Once approved, accredited status is valid for seven years.

The St. John Fisher University Sport Management Department became an institutional member of COSMA during the 2012-13 academic year, and were granted Candidacy Status towards accreditation in December of 2014. Our self-study was prepared during the 2015 calendar year and we hosted a four-member site team visit in spring 2016. In September of 2016, we became the first undergraduate sport management program in New York state to receive COSMA accreditation. The program will be seeking reaffirmation of accreditation in Fall 2023.

For more information, visit the COSMA Accreditation website.

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