Internship Spotlights
Nicholas Kadela ’25
Field Marketing Intern, Atlanta Motor Speedway
“During my Atlanta Motor Speedway Field Marketing Internship, I had the opportunity to gain real experience in promoting motorsports events, most notably the Quaker State 400 NASCAR Playoff race, on a grassroots level. In addition to setting up and executing in-person promotions, raffles, and giveaways, I also had the opportunity to earn experience at live grassroots racing events, assisting with weekly write-ups and running victory lane during the seven week Thursday Thunder series. Both in and outside the office, I’ve learned so much, and it’s been a great honor to put my passion for motorsports to good use and showcase our events to the community.”
Megan Laidler ’26
Marketing & Communications Intern, Outlyr
“This past summer, I had the privilege of working with Outlyr. This company travels around the country hosting and creating some of the top LPGA tournaments in the world. I worked tirelessly alongside fantastic leaders in the world of sporting events. I grew my knowledge about organizational management, independent work, and all the key aspects that are required to put on an incredible event! This internship was an extraordinary opportunity, or in other words a hole in one!”
- ACC Headquarters
- Big South Conference
- Carolina Core
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Carolina Panthers
- Carolina Thunderbirds
- Charlotte FC
- Charlotte Hornets
- Duke University Athletics
- Durham Bulls
- Greensboro Aquatic Complex
- Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Greensboro Sports Foundation
- Greensboro Swarm
- High Point Rockers
- High Point University Athletics
- North Carolina Fusion
- Wake Forest Sports Properties
- Winston-Salem Dash
- Wyndham Championship
Here’s a quick glimpse at one of many impressive outcomes HPU graduates achieve. Name: Alex Connors; Class of 2027 Hometown: Asheboro, North Carolina Major: Sport Management; minor in Spanish…
Here’s a quick glimpse at one of many impressive outcomes HPU graduates achieve. Name: Brian Hanway; Class of 2026 Hometown: Newtown Square, Pennsylvania Major: Sport Management; minor in Sports…
Here’s a quick glimpse at one of many impressive outcomes HPU graduates achieve. Name: Ethan Parker, Class of 2025 Hometown: Concord, North Carolina Major: Media Communications, minor in…
Here’s a quick glimpse at one of many impressive outcomes HPU graduates achieve. Name: Maxwell Rattet, Class of 2025 Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland Major: Sports Management; minor in Sales…
- ACC Headquarters
- Big South Conference
- Carolina Core
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Carolina Panthers
- Carolina Thunderbirds
- Charlotte FC
- Charlotte Hornets
- Duke University Athletics
- Durham Bulls
- Greensboro Aquatic Complex
- Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Greensboro Sports Foundation
- Greensboro Swarm
- High Point Rockers
- High Point University Athletics
- North Carolina Fusion
- Wake Forest Sports Properties
- Winston-Salem Dash
- Wyndham Championship
Students majoring in Sport Management are required to complete 4-credit hours of SMG 4811: Internship prior to graduation. This course provides students with a 160-hour experiential opportunity with an approved sport-related organization. Students show evidence of knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies by working directly with a sport management faculty mentor and an on-site supervisor. This 4-credit hour course satisfies HPU’s Experiential Learning Requirement.
Students are responsible for the identification and arrangement of their internship. Faculty will ultimately approve the appropriateness of the internship. Internship credit is earned for experiences related to the major and not for just working at any organization.
The Office of Career and Professional Development is a helpful resource for locating and applying for internships, including their Internship Guarantee Program. Dr. Arden Slavov, the Sport Management Department’s Internship Coordinator, is also available to answer student questions regarding internships. Students may use search engines to locate internships such as Handshake, LinkedIn, and Teamwork Online. The High Point University Athletic Department offers a variety of internship opportunities for HPU students looking to gain experience at the NCAA Division I level.
Students have previously interned with professional sports teams (e.g., Carolina Core, Greensboro Swarm, Winston-Salem Dash), college athletic departments (e.g., High Point University, Wake Forest Sports Properties), sport facilities (e.g., Atlanta Motor Speedway, Greensboro Aquatic Complex), and non-profit organizations (e.g., Greensboro Sports Foundation, North Carolina Special Olympics).
Step #1
Before enrolling in an internship for credit, students must have completed the Introduction to Sport Management course, completed a minimum of 60 credit hours, and have a minimum 2.5 Overall GPA (permission of the Department Chair might be granted to students who are very close to the required GPA).
Once an internship is secured, students should review the Internship Policies and Procedures 2024-2025 and complete the Internship Registration Form. Be sure to read the following information to make sure that you fill out the form properly:
- Faculty Supervisor: During the Fall and Spring semester, Dr. Arden Slavov will serve as the faculty supervisor for all internship students. During the Summer semester, the student’s academic advisor will serve as the faculty supervisor.
- Credit Hours: Here you will designate how many credit hours you want to complete during that semester. Each credit hour is the equivalent to 40 internship site hours. You are required to complete 4 credit hours before graduation, but you are welcome to split those hours up into more than one semester. You are also welcome to complete more than 4 credit hours and can earn up to 12 credit hours of internship credit. Be sure you have room in your schedule for however many credit hours you decide to add with this internship course.
- Graded or P/F: The SMG 4811 course is graded.
Step #2
Once you have completed the Internship Registration Form, you will email it as a PDF to your Faculty Supervisor. The Faculty Supervisor will then submit it to the Registrar’s Office so that you can be registered for the course. (Faculty will submit the registration forms as a batch, so students might not see the course listed in their schedule for a week or two.)
Step #3
Once you are registered for the course, you will have access to the Blackboard page for the course. Upon access to Blackboard, students will need to complete the following Course Enrollment Materials and submit them appropriately on Blackboard by the due date:
- Job Description
- Signed Copy of the For-Credit Internship Policy (Signed by Student)
- Signed Copy of the Internship Agreement (Signed by Student and Site Supervisor)
- Internship Learning Outcomes
- Resume
- Copy of Unofficial or Official Transcript (Provided Online through Student Planning)
- Signed Copy of On-Campus Internship Agreement (Only for Students Completing Internship on HPU’s Campus)
Students are required to submit all required documents by the add/drop date at 5:00 pm. If the paperwork is incomplete as of 5:00 pm, then the student will automatically be dropped from the course.
Internship Application Deadline
Fall 2024 – August 23, 2024
Spring 2025 – January 10, 2025
Summer 2025 Online – June 6, 2025
Fall 2025 – August 22, 2025
Spring 2026 – January 9, 2026
Summer 2026 Online – June 5, 2026
Fall 2026 – August 21, 2026
Spring 2027 – January 8, 2027
Summer 2027 Online – June 4, 2027