Sports Law Certificate Program

Students in good standing who wish to develop special expertise in sports law may enroll in FCSL’s Sports Law Certificate Program. The program consists of a group of coordinated courses designed to provide students with the opportunity to study a wide variety of legal issues in the sports industry. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a substantial legal knowledge base as to how the sports industry functions under state and federal laws, and to provide students with the practical legal skills necessary to work in the sports industry. The sports law faculty members are committed to teaching, have written extensively on a variety of sports law issues, and have years of professional experience within the sports industry..

In line with the practice-oriented and student-centered philosophy of the law school, it is vital for students to have guidance in terms of career planning and job placement. The program director pursues opportunities for students enrolled in the certificate program to gain valuable legal and business experience by participating in a one semester-long paid or volunteer internship with a sports organization or university athletic department located in Jacksonville or elsewhere. The program director places students in all internships as and when they become available.

In order to receive the sports law certificate upon graduation, students must graduate with a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 2.5. While any FCSL student may enroll in any course in the sports law curriculum, students who have maintained a minimum GPA of 2.5 and have enrolled in the sports law certificate program will be given preference for internships and seminars. Upon graduation and satisfaction of the curriculum requirements, the student will receive a Certificate of Completion. Successful completion of the certificate program also will be identified on the student’s transcript, thereby enhancing his or her marketability to employers in the sports industry.

Full-time students must enroll at the beginning of the third semester, and part-time students must enroll at the beginning of the fourth semester (not including summer semesters). To fulfill the certificate requirements, each student must take a minimum of 15 credits from courses as described below. Each student must satisfy the law school’s Advanced Legal Writing Requirement in the Sports Law Seminar or an Independent Study approved by the program director, and may satisfy the law school’s Skills requirement by taking one of the courses from the Sports Law Elective Courses list below. The course plan of each student in the certificate program must be approved by the program director.

The following required courses must be counted toward the 15 credit hours required for the certificate: