ABSTRACT
In July 2008, the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) partnered to create the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA). The establishment of COSMA, an organization independent of NASSM and NASPE, represented the first attempt at accrediting sport management education programs. Accreditation in U. S. higher education happens at three levels. At the highest level, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) serves as the accreditor of all accrediting agencies. In 2008, the COSMA was launched to provide specialized accreditation for the sport management discipline. Based on the recommendation of the NASPE–NASSM Standards Task Force, the COSMA model and process was designed to be outcomes-based and mission-driven. The chapter discusses the purposes and benefits of accreditation include quality control, allocation of resources, indication of quality to stakeholders, and outcomes assessment. B. Brittingham points out the importance of accreditation to external stakeholders.
