Grad student athletes

[WestCoastWildcat]

I’d like to hear what other members might think it would be like to be a grad student athlete in the current NIL environment and how it compares to undergraduate experience both athletically and academically. Many of these grad athletes have bounced around to other programs with extended athletic and academic careers, esp. those that have gone beyond the “normal” 4 year career span.

One aspect I’m curious about that I’ve not seen discussed is the academic experience for grad athletes. Assuming they are more mature and can handle the intensity of higher levels of academia. It would be interesting to know what the academic side is like for them and how they deal with conflicts between classes and game prep. Is it a tough situation for the grad athletes to balance academics and their “jobs”? Some other benefits for grad athletes besides extending their careers and probably getting some NIL money would be the additional benefit of earning an advanced degree which can only buttress the future careers of these athletes.

It seems like the grad level athletes are having a large impact on major programs with the new inflow of experienced players to their rosters. Having these players must assist with a boosting short-term stabilization. I believe allowing grad athletes to continue their careers after earning their undergrad degrees to be a big plus to athletics.

 

[FanatiCat]

I wonder what % of grad transfer athletes finish their master’s degree. I don’t know that the NCAA keeps track or if schools really care as much since it likely doesn’t factor into the APR.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

Grad student athletes in an NIL era are frequently described as basically professional athletes. They have lighter, often very light, course loads if they choose to (I'd guess many of ours take fuller loads to actually drive toward a degree rapidly, but it's not required) and are obviously getting paid. Even before NIL football players would describe those grad years as living the dream since they had minimal class obligations and just played football and enjoyed life.

There was a ton of discussion on national broadcasts about the likes of Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel openly describing themselves as professional athletes, enjoying it, and utilizing all the extra time to focus on football and improve their level of study and knowledge of the game.

 

[Eurocat]

My guess is that many are in one year grad programs so they can actually leave after a year of playing for their grad school and have a degree. I wonder how many NU Grad athletes take the One Year "Sports Management" degree. My guess is quite a lot.

Sports Administration | Northwestern University Academic Catalog

catalogs.northwestern.edu