Changing Lives Through Sports

I’ve been motivated by some of my best mentors and coaches. They were all great guys who had a big impact on me. I’ve always wanted to do that for other kids one day. Eventually, I’d like to be an athletic director or maybe even a coach at the college level.

I graduated from Bob Jones University with a BS in Sport Management in 2020, and I played on the Bruins basketball team here at BJU. My assistant coach, Dr. Tony Miller, is the program coordinator for the Sport Administration & Coaching master’s degree program at SCOPE, so I first heard about it from him. A few years into my undergrad, I was in a class with Dr. Miller, and he suggested I go into the master’s program.

My dad is my biggest inspiration. He has his master’s degree in Sports Administration from Western Carolina University, and he’s worked in coaching and administration his whole career. He’s currently an athletic director at Bob Jones Academy. I really enjoyed watching him work in his field and seeing the impact he has on people every day. That definitely propelled me into wanting to coach and work in sports administration. He would always tell me, “If you want to be excellent at something, you’ve got to just go for it,” and he really encouraged me to pursue that second degree.

Working While Getting my Master's Degree Online

I am currently working as a full-time Graduate Assistant at Bob Jones Academy in the athletic department, and I get to work with the guys on the BJU basketball team as an assistant coach. After finishing my undergrad and starting a new job, I didn’t look forward to going back to a classroom setting for my master’s. Then I realized SCOPE offers all 30 credits of my master’s degree online! At this point, I have yet to go into a classroom, and I can’t say that I miss it. I would much rather be able to work from eight to five and then come home and maybe do an hour or two of schoolwork. SCOPE’s class structure fits my schedule perfectly.

SCOPE is also very affordable and within reach for the average student. I’ve compared SCOPE to other schools, like Western Carolina University, where my dad went. SCOPE is one of the cheapest—if not the cheapest—options, and you get the same high-quality degree without breaking the bank.

My dad is my biggest inspiration. I really enjoyed watching him work in his field and seeing the impact he has on people every day.

Chapman Harwood

Learning from a Biblical Foundation

SCOPE does a good job of giving you a wide variety of classes in your field. The faculty are excellent, and they’ve had a big impact on me, especially when it comes to the Christian worldview. Every class came back to those Christian values. Hopefully, I can have the same impact on others when I have a chance to pour into them.

Personal Guidance to Prepare for the Future

Now I have confidence that I can get a position in the sports administration and coaching field because SCOPE equipped me with everything I need. It was an impossible goal, but now that I have this degree, I know that I have a bright future.

Chapman Harwood

The people at SCOPE are very kind and willing to help. I never felt like I was alone. I always felt like they were looking out for my best interests, and they were really invested in helping me succeed. My advisors would reach out proactively to check in and guide me along the way.

This degree will help me land either a coaching job or an administration job in the future. It shows future employers that I am committed to higher education and excellence. My degree proves that I’m willing to put in the work. It makes me more marketable to employers, especially being able to add two degrees to my resume from an excellent school like Bob Jones University.