KU Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences announces new Name, Image, and Likeness certificate for undergraduates

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Department of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences, part of the School of Education & Human Sciences, has created a new program – the first of its kind to be offered at a ‘Power Five’ university – to train students as leaders in the rapidly-growing area of athletics Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).

The Undergraduate Certificate in Name, Image, and Likeness is a 12-hour program designed for students interested in careers or gaining expertise in the emerging NIL field – the fastest growing area for new positions in college athletics. The certificate serves both students that are interested in working in the name, image, likeness space, and student-athletes at KU looking for training on how to manage their name, image, and likeness. The curriculum, which consists of four courses, will include courses focused on sport management, athlete and personal branding, content creation, and more.

“There is perhaps nothing more important in the modern college athletics space than Name, Image, and Likeness,” said Jordan Bass, chair of the Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences. “We are excited to leverage the unique expertise of our faculty in our department, and at KU as a whole, to be a leader in this space.”

The program was developed in response to rising, wide-spread interest in the NIL area, due in large part to 2021 legislation which allowed collegiate athletics to profit off their name, image and likeness, a monumental shift from the previous infrastructure that required collegiate student-athletes to be amateurs.

The program will begin during the fall 2023 semester.

To learn more about the Undergraduate Certificate in Name, Image, and Likeness, visit hses.ku.edu/academics/name-image-likeness/undergraduate-certificate.

About the KU School of Education & Human Sciences   
Located in Lawrence, the KU School of Education & Human Sciences is a nationally ranked school, preparing educators and human science professionals as leaders since 1909. With more than 40 academic programs offered among five departments, at two different campuses and fully online, the school serves Kansas, the nation and the world by preparing individuals to become leaders and practitioners in education and related human science fields. Stay up to date by following the school on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and on its blog.