Sports sit at the heart of UW–Madison culture, and communication plays a central role in the business of sports. The Sports Communication Certificate prepares students with real-world skills, hands-on training, and knowledge for success in the growing and fast-paced professions of sports journalism and sports marketing communication.

• Inform and persuade audiences with compelling sports-related messages across a variety of contemporary media.
• Think strategically, creatively and critically to solve problems and meet the demands and challenges of informing the public about sports while understanding the norms of amateur and professional sports organizations.
• Understand the responsible and ethical use of mass media to convey information to sports-interested audiences.
• Appreciate and articulate the role of sports in culture and society and the media’s relationship with that role.

How to Get in

The Certificate in Sports Communication will be open to any University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate. Students may declare or cancel the certificate at any time in consultation with the certificate advisor.

Requirements

The certificate requires 12 credits as follows:¹

Residence and Quality of Work

• Minimum 2.000 GPA on all certificate-approved courses
• At least 6 credits in the certificate must be taken in residence

¹

 Courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis do meet requirements of the certificate.

Certificate Completion Requirement

This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.

Learning Outcomes

1. Inform and persuade audiences with compelling sports-related messages, across a variety of contemporary media.
2. Think strategically, creatively and critically to solve problems and meet the demands and challenges of informing the public about sports while understanding the norms of amateur and professional sports organizations.
3. Understand the responsible and ethical use of mass media to convey information to sports-interested audiences.
4. Appreciate and articulate the role of sports in culture and society and the media’s relationship with that role.

Advising and Careers

L&S Career Resources

Every L&S major opens a world of possibilities.  SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students turn the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and other coursework into fulfilling lives after graduation, whether that means jobs, public service, graduate school or other career pursuits.

In addition to providing basic support like resume reviews and interview practice, SuccessWorks offers ways to explore interests and build career skills from their very first semester/term at UW all the way through graduation and beyond.

Students can explore careers in one-on-one advising, try out different career paths, complete internships, prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications, and connect with supportive alumni and even employers in the fields that inspire them.

• SuccessWorks
• Set up a career advising appointment
• Enroll in a Career Course - a great idea for first- and second-year students:
  • INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit)
  • INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Comm B General Education Requirement)
• Learn about internships and internship funding
  • INTER-LS 260 Internship in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Activate your Handshake account to apply for jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers recruiting UW-Madison students
• Learn about the impact SuccessWorks has on students' lives

People

Professors: McLeod
Faculty Associates: Hermann