PhD Studentship: The organisation and management of university sport in China

Sport plays a significant role in students’ life, generating not only positive physical health impact and mental health impact, but also creating a number of social values, e.g. social recognition and the development of social skills. Engaging students in sport participation and exercise is of growing significance in many countries as which plays a significant role in maintaining and growing student interest in sport.

Recent developments in the context of higher education have led to an increased interest in the organisation and management of the sport provision. On the one hand, there are some assumptions made, for example, investing in sport capacity will contribute to core university strategic business priorities in relation to brand marketing, student recruitment and employability; on the other hand, we have the states (e.g. China and UK) who urge universities to offer more sporting opportunities to their students for the purpose of building a healthy nation. However, there has been little empirical studies to test these assumptions and to analyse what the purposes, priorities and strategies as well as the constraints are that local universities face for delivering sport and how they respond to national policy.

The aim of the research project is to establish some empirical understanding of the management of sport at Chinese universities, focusing on examining the purposes, priorities and strategies for developing of sport, and universities’ approach to the national sport and PE objectives in China.

Requirement

The candidate should have a master’s degree in Sport Management. Evidence of excellent spoken and written English is essential. The candidates should have an IELTS score of 6.5 or above, or an equivalent qualification, if the first language is not English.

Funding Notes

Self-funded studentship