Law - Sports, Entertainment & Arts Law Graduate Certificate

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The Online Graduate Certificate in Sports, Entertainment & Arts Law (SEAL) fills a gap in the legal education market and leverages the strengths of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, the larger University and its alumni, and the region.  Our university and region have long produced leaders in sports, entertainment, and arts, from Panther to Steeler Nation, Fred Rogers to George Romero, Christina Aguilera to Wiz Khalifa, and August Wilson to Andy Warhol.  In today’s rapidly changing, increasingly intersecting, and highly competitive sports, entertainment, and art industries, leaders also need legal skills, knowledge, understanding and connections to succeed.  By offering the SEAL certificate program, Pitt Law is supporting our graduates, University and region in securing the social and economic return on their investments in these impactful industries.

The SEAL certificate is completed in 10 months of course work, spread over one year. The accelerated program targets the market of business, legal and creative professionals, who are currently working or planning to work in sports, entertainment, and/or art industries, and who wish to expand their legal skills, knowledge and understanding of these industries. These three synergistic sectors present similar legal issues, involving labor and employment, intellectual property, corporate, and commercial law.  Pitt Law Faculty with expertise in these fields oversee the development and implementation of the SEAL courses, taught by full-time and adjunct Pitt Law faculty with sports, entertainment and/or art industry experience.   

By combining the study of sports, entertainment, and art law into one program, the SEAL certificate fills a gap left in the fields of sports, entertainment, and art law education.  Currently, the SEAL Certificate is the only online program offered by a U.S. law schools that covers all three sectors.  Moreover, other law school programs are costly, in-person, full-time programs limited to lawyers or law students seeking degrees.   Although a number of part-time, online programs in these legal fields do now exist, these programs force students to choose one or two sectors, despite the increasing intersection of all three of these competitive industries.  By covering the law and providing connections in all three sectors, the SEAL certificate increases the size of our target market and expands employment opportunities for our graduates. 

Finally, this program positively impacts existing University students and programs.  SEAL students are able to apply their credits towards fulfilling the requirements in our Master of Studies in Law (MSL) degree.  The SEAL program also leverages opportunities for students participating in Pitt Athletic, Music, Studio, Theater Arts, and Film and Media Studies programs. By offering the SEAL certificate, Pitt Law is supporting our graduates, University and region in securing the economic and social return on their investments in these successful sectors.

Students may elect to combine their certificate studies with the Online MSL core courses to earn both a Master’s Degree and a professional certificate in as little as two years, studying part-time.