The United States Sports Academy is committed to preparing students for careers in the field of sport, and because of that commitment the institution is giving master’s degree seekers a FastTrack option that will allow them to complete their program as quickly as 15 months.

The Academy’s new FastTrack master’s degree option will launch its first round of courses on September 1, 2020, and the institution is currently seeking students to join the first cohort. The program allows you to finish your Master of Sports Science (MSS) degree as quickly as 15 months – half the time of the institution’s traditional master’s program. The institution offers master’s degrees in sports management, sports coaching, and sports health and fitness.

Interested students should contact the Academy’s admissions team at 1-800-223-2668 or admissions@ussa.edu for registration information.

“I believe that this new option will be ideal for some students who want to get through the program fast and interact with other learners,” Academy Provost Dr. Tomi Wahlstrom said. “This will be the most interactive and engaging way to learn online and I am excited to be able to offer it.”

Each FastTrack program course lasts five weeks and students take three courses every semester, one at a time, totaling at nine courses per year (27 credits). Since the Academy’s MSS programs consist of 33 credit hours, each program can be completed in four semesters (15 months). This excludes dual major programs although students enrolling in the FastTrack program can continue in the standard (Lifestyle option) program to complete them.

The FastTrack option follows a lockstep cohort model, meaning students enroll together at a specific start date and progress through the program together. The order of courses is predetermined so there is no need to worry about what course to take next. The schedule is predetermined as well.

In addition to the speed of the program, the FastTrack will also help students develop better time and workload management skills. Students are able to manage their time better while focusing on one course at a time. Courses can be successfully completed with study time of no more than two hours per day, on average. Each five-week course consists of weekly discussions, individual projects/assignments, and papers/exams. Initial discussion posts are due every Thursday and peer responses are due every Sunday. Weekly assignments are due at the end of each week. Students are able to interact in weekly discussions and learn from each other.

Students will also have increased interaction with their peers and instructors because of the cohort model. While many of the course activities are asynchronous, instructors can schedule voluntary online lectures and chat sessions. In addition, courses typically contain online tutorials and multimedia presentations to facilitate better learning. All textbooks are included in the price of tuition and delivered to students prior to the start of each course.