KU school announces new undergraduate certificate in name, image and likeness

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 who are interested in working in the name, image, likeness space as well as 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 curriculum 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 that 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.

Learn more about the Undergraduate Certificate in Name, Image, and Likeness.