When I first heard about Ferris State University’s Professional Tennis Management program (PTM), I wasn’t exactly sure what to think. A degree in tennis? I was skeptical. I was given some more information and was told it was a bachelor’s degree in business from an accredited school. Then where does the tennis come in?

PTM’s curriculum includes Ferris State University’s bachelor's degree program with concentrations in either marketing or management. It also takes some of the basic electives and higher-level business choices and replaces them with tennis-based classes designed to train the next top-notch industry professionals. This series will cover the curriculum that develops The Next Generation of Tennis Industry Insiders and begins with a look at my first semester’s tennis-based PTM classes.

First on the list is PTMG 101, Orientation of PTM. Program director Derek Ameel teaches this class that gives freshmen and first-year transfer students an overview of what PTM is all about. It also gives some great tips and training to use throughout a student’s college career as well as in the professional environment after graduation. Several class periods were devoted toward long-term and backwards goal-planning, plus ways to organize and track progress. 

Starting in this class and continuing through the program, every student is required to maintain a daily planner for activities as well as goals and projects. Not exactly the standard expectation of a “tennis-based” class, but PTM builds tennis professionals. Professionalism is one of the things this program prides itself on, so it is important that students learn responsibility and punctuality through the daily use of these tools.

PTMG172, Racquet Repair, is the first workshop that PTM students get to attend.This is definitely a class you'd expect in a tennis program. David Bone, executive director of the United States Racquet Stringer’s Association and PTM alumnus, came to Ferris State University to teach the workshop. He went over details of racquet repair including stringing, grommet replacement, and grip replacement. Students got hands-on training and learned the theory and math behind different types and builds of racquets. All students are required to string 15 tennis racquets and five racquetball racquets by the end of the semester to earn credit for this class.

Check out more on Ferris State University's Professional Tennis Management program here.
Visit the United States Racquet Stringer's Association's website for more information on racquet repair.