Khalid Ballouli, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Program Director and Associate Professor
Department of Sport and Entertainment Management
ballouli@sc.edu
803-777-2560
Close-Hipp 764
Ph.D. Program Highlights
- One of the largest faculties in sport and entertainment management in the world: Our faculty includes 20 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, and an abundance of lecturers and adjuncts with close ties to the industry.
- Award-winning and widely-published research: We have been recognized by the Research Fellows of the North American Society of Sport Management, as well as the Sport Marketing Association, and Sport and Recreation Law Association. Explore our faculty and staff directory bios to review our body of work.
- Hosts of the Sport Entertainment & Venues Tomorrow (SEVT) Conference: Sport Entertainment & Venues Tomorrow is a dynamic industry conference that brings together sport and entertainment industry leaders, students and educators from across the country to discuss and analyze the sport, entertainment and venues industry of tomorrow.
- Home of the College Sport Research Institute: The institute hosts the annual CSRI Conference each spring, and publishes the annual report on Adjusted Graduation Gaps among NCAA Division-1 football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball and softball programs.
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Among the Best
USC is one of the top five sport science schools and departments in the country and has been rated No. 1 multiple times by Shanghai Rankings. Our Department of Sport and Entertainment Management is a big reason why.
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Career Success
As one of our Ph.D. students, you'll work closely with faculty on research, grants, and consulting projects. Projects often involve leading organizations within the sport, entertainment, and venue industries.
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USC Graduate School
Apply to the USC Graduate School and join a support network of academics and practitioners while your research positions you at the epicenter of new developments in the sport and entertainment management field.
Faculty Areas of Expertise
- Analytics
- Diversity
- Consumer behavior
- Esports
- Gender equity
- Entertainment management
- Facility management
- Facility sustainability
- HR management
- Intercollegiate athletics
- Mega-events
- Social media
- Sponsorship
- Sport economics
- Sport finance
- Sport law
- Sport marketing
- Sport media
- Sport sociology
- Ticket pricing
Conferences
Ph.D. students regularly collaborate with our faculty and present their research findings at major conferences throughout the United States. The USC Department of Sport and Entertainment Management also hosts two major conferences each year with Sport Entertainment & Venues Tomorrow in the fall and the College Sport Research Institute in the spring.
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Sport Entertainment & Venues Tomorrow
Sport Entertainment & Venues Tomorrow is a dynamic industry conference that brings together sport and entertainment industry leaders, students and educators from across the country to discuss and analyze the sport, entertainment and venues industry of tomorrow.
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College Sport Research Institute
The College Sport Research Institute's mission is to encourage and support interdisciplinary and inter-university college sport research, serve as the research consortium for college sport researchers from across the United States, and disseminate college sport research results to academics, college practitioners, and the general public.
Admissions Process
Based on a three-year period of residential study beyond completion of a master's degree in sport and entertainment management or a related field, the Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree. All applications for the program must be submitted online through the Graduate School. Applications will be reviewed and voted on individually by the department's graduate faculty based on:
- The applicant's academic record
- GMAT or GRE scores* (and TOEFL/IELTS scores for international students)
- Sufficient preparation to enter graduate study
- Professional experience
- Willingness of departmental faculty to work with the student
- Letters of recommendation
- The applicant's statement of career objectives
- Personal and/or phone interview
- Students must have a departmental faculty member who is willing to serve as their dissertation committee chair prior to admission.
Additional information and details on degree requirements can be found at the academic bulletin.
* We consider GRE/GMAT waivers. An applicant can submit their application without GRE/GMAT scores, and admission will be considered based on the strength of the application file. Applicants with undergraduate and graduate GPA scores of 3.0 or above and/or sport, entertainment, or related business experience can qualify for a waiver. Under the Academic Tests section of the application, an applicant can submit a brief document stating how they qualify for a test score waiver. Applicants who have taken the GRE/GMAT may still include those exam scores for consideration.
Assistantships and Fellowships
Assistantships and fellowships are awarded to graduate students on a competitive basis. A fellowship makes you a vital part of the college through teaching, research and other meaningful educational experiences. Stipend rates are competitive, tuition reductions are included and assistance is provided for research conferences. Visit the Graduate School to learn more about assistantships.
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