INDUSTRY EDUCATION
Current and former UT students have opportunities to work at UT Athletics , broadening their experience base .
According to Horvath , graduates from the UTK turfgrass program do not have trouble landing jobs . “ I ’ m in my 15th year , and I can count on one hand the number of students that have had a tough time getting a job after graduation ,” he said .
In terms of graduates from the program , Horvath estimates that 60 % are pursuing careers in golf course management , 37 % in sports field management , and then 3 % sod / lawn / landscape / other . Despite the numbers skewing more toward golf , Horvath anticipates a shift toward more students pursuing sports field management careers in the coming years with UTK ’ s John Sorochan , Ph . D ., leading the turfgrass research efforts for the 2026 FIFA World Cup , and the resulting openings for students to work in the World Cup program and participate in internships at World Cup venues .
Many students work with the UTK athletics department during the school year on the football , baseball and softball fields , as well as other University of Tennessee fields and facilities . Those pursuing careers as golf course superintendents will intern at golf courses during the summer , but then work on sports fields while at school .
“ So they ’ re doing both and having conversations with sports field managers and golf course superintendents ,” he said . “ We don ’ t bias our students one direction or another — it ’ s largely about your career goals and what fits best with what you ’ re trying to do in life .”
With regard to internships , the UTK turfgrass program requires one internship , but students can get credit for two internships and are encouraged to do as many internships as possibly .
“ Typically in your junior year , your curriculum in the fall is kind of standard — whatever you ’ re taking to fulfill requirements ,” said Horvath . “ But then , that semester , we start having conversations , advisory meetings , lining up career goals , and setting up internship opportunities .”
During spring of students ’ junior year , they take a set of predetermined courses that are blocked in a schedule with no time conflicts , Monday to Thursday , all day with a break for lunch . Students take 13 semester hours of classes in eight weeks , so they ’ re done in half a semester ; they then leave for an internship that runs from March until early August .
“ They ’ re gone for almost five full months on an internship , and that helps with placement ,” said Horvath . “ They are usually the first intern there . When interns from other schools come in , our interns have already been there for a month , so that helps with leadership and extended opportunities .”
Horvath shared the story of a UTK student who interned at Fenway Park during a year in which the Red Sox won the World Series . Because the student had started their internship at Fenway in March , worked all the way through summer , and went back to volunteer in the fall during the playoffs , that student ultimately worked enough hours to qualify for a World Series ring .
“ The other thing that we do really well is that we leverage our relationships with folks in the industry to make sure students get a really great internship experience ,” he said . “ We ’ ve sent students to Wimbledon , the English Premier League , and all over the U . S . at Major League Soccer , NFL and Major League Baseball venues .”
This fall , UTK will also host an event called Beacon that is designed to bring in industry professionals from golf courses and athletic field complexes . Those professionals will not only get to interact with UTK students , but students from other regional schools that UTK has invited to the event .
“ The first day will be something akin to a career fair . Then the next day we ’ re going to do some plot tours at our research farm and talk a little bit about our research ,” said Horvath . “ It ’ s designed to be an engaging interactive session with folks who are interested in working in the industry and share some of the research we ’ ve got going on .”
For more information about The University of Tennessee , Knoxville , Bachelor of Science in Plant Sciences degree , and the Turfgrass Science and Management Concentration , visit https :// plantsciences . tennessee . edu / turfgrass /. SFM sportsfieldmanagementonline . com August 2024 | SportsField Management
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