Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law Certificate Program
Pitt Law’s Online Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law (SEAL) Certificate Program is built for business, legal, and creative professionals working or planning to work in sports, entertainment, or arts sectors who wish to expand their legal skills, knowledge and understanding of these multifaceted industries.
While most graduate certificates concentrate solely on sports, entertainment, or art law, the Pitt Law SEAL program was created to encompass all three to effectively expose students to the multidisciplinary legal issues and employment opportunities that they could encounter in their field. As the sports, entertainment, and arts industries intersect and grow to produce more content that travels between digital platforms, social media, streaming sites, and other technologies, non-lawyer professionals in these arenas have an evolving need to understand their legal assets and potential liabilities.
This complementary concentration would offer educational support for legal, business and/or creative professionals, including:
- University athletic employees facing issues of NCAA compliance, television broadcast rights, and protecting team logos
- Leaders of non-profit arts organizations collaborating with for-profit sports or entertainment organizations
- Independent filmmakers incorporating sports footage or artistic works in their audio-visual projects
- E-sports athletes monetizing streaming content from their in-game performances and advertisements
- DJs creating, remixing and sampling the work of other musicians
From labor and employment, to intellectual property, business organizations, and transactional law, Pitt Law’s SEAL Certificate has it covered.
Program Benefits
- Learn on your schedule with asynchronous classes
- Complete the program in as few as 10 months
- Learn from experienced, working legal experts who teach and work in the sports, entertainment, and art industries
- Gain access to a valued and diverse network of colleagues and mentors within the Pitt Law and broader Pitt communities
- For non-lawyers, build concentrated expertise to work more knowledgeably with lawyers
Meet the Program Director
Meet Program Director Stephanie Dangel. With a diverse background spanning Yale Law School, Oxford University, and a career that includes roles as a Supreme Court law clerk, lawyer, and documentary filmmaker, she understands the immense value of sports, entertainment, and art law. Today, Dangel leads Pitt Law School's innovative Online Certificate program, the only one of its kind. Pitt’s unique program isn't just about law—it's about the intersection of creativity, business, and legal strategy. Watch the video to learn more.
Video Transcript
Hi, my name is Professor Stephanie Dangel, and I’m excited to serve as the Program Director for Pitt Law School’s new Online Certificate in Sports, Entertainment, and Art Law. I’m a graduate of Yale Law School, the University of Pennsylvania, and Oxford University, where I was a Rhodes Scholar. I joined Pitt Law School 10 years ago, after successful careers as a Supreme Court law clerk, K&L Gates lawyer, documentary filmmaker, and Director of Business and Legal Affairs for a social impact entertainment enterprise. Together with my experienced team of sports, entertainment, and art law professors and practitioners, we’re thrilled to offer the only online certificate that covers all three of these dynamic disciplines.
Why did we combine these three fascinating fields into one certificate? Three reasons:
First, sports, entertainment and art are all converging onto digital platforms that accelerate the intersection of these ever-changing industries.
Second, sports, entertainment and art all involve similar legal issues: labor and employment; intellectual property; and organizational, finance and distribution law.
Finally, combining these three legal fields increases career opportunities for creative, business, and legal professionals, including:
- Athletic directors facing issues of NCAA compliance, television broadcast rights, and protecting team logos
- Filmmakers working to incorporate artistic and athletic content into their audio-visual projects
- DJs creating, remixing, sampling, and performing the work of other musicians
- Leaders of non-profit arts organizations exploring potential collaborations with for-profit entertainment and sports organizations
Are you looking to start or accelerate your creative, business, or legal career? Then join our SEAL Team by signing up for the only Online Certificate in Sports, Entertainment, and Art Law, now being offered by the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
This will only take a moment.
Are you considering a master’s degree in law or a graduate certificate to take your career to the next level? Pitt Law’s Master of Studies in Law online program is designed for professionals seeking to enhance their careers with a versatile alternative to the traditional three-year JD degree. The certificate programs are ideal for those who are not currently looking to pursue a master’s degree.
Complete the form to get a program brochure for Pitt Law’s Online MSL plus your chosen specialization, or your chosen certificate program, delivered to your inbox.
Pitt Law’s SEAL Certificate Program Students
The SEAL Certificate is ideal for:
- Sports agents
- Talent managers
- Producers
- Marketing professionals in sports and entertainment
- Entertainment union members
- Non-profit arts organizations
- Amateur sports league administrators
- Athletic directors
- Museum executive leadership
The SEAL Certificate could help:
- College sports departments navigating broadcast rights, sponsorship, promotion, and marketing of mascots and athletic agreements
- Marketing professionals creating digital content across platforms
- Agents working with athletes, artists, entertainers, and influencers, negotiating contracts and sponsorship agreements
- Union organizers and members in the entertainment and arts sectors working on fair labor practices and employment deals
Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law Certificate (15 credits)
Introduction to the Law and Business of Sports, Entertainment, and Arts (3 credits)
- Introduction to law and the legal process, with special attention to sports, entertainment, and arts law
- Introduction to the business of sports, entertainment, and arts
- Introduction to the “raw materials” and related areas of law required to produce sports, entertainment, and arts projects:
- “Talent” and Labor and Employment Law
- “Content” and Intellectual Property, Defamation and Right of Publicity Law
- “Money” and Finance and Distribution Law
Labor and Employment Law in Sports, Entertainment, and Arts (3 credits)
- The roles played by creative, business, and support personnel.
- The roles played by lawyers, agents, and managers
- Employee, independent contractor, and intern policies and agreements.
- Labor law, including collective bargaining agreements for unions representing athletes, actors, musicians, and support personnel
- Regulation of amateur sports, including college sports and NCAA compliance
Intellectual Property in Sports, Entertainment, and Arts (3 credits)
- Copyright Law, including protection for written, video, and audio works
- Trademark Law, including protections for logos and branding
- Patent Law, including protection of entertainment technology
- Contract Law, including assignment of intellectual property rights
- First Amendment, Defamation, Libel and Slander Law
- Right of Publicity Law
Organization, Finance, and Distribution Law in Sports, Entertainment, and Arts (3 credits)
- Legal entities in sports, entertainment, and arts, including for-profit, non-profit, hybrid, and governmental entities
- Legal issues and agreements related to financing sports, entertainment, and arts content, including investment, loan, tax, and grant legal issues and/or agreements
- Legal issues and agreements related to distributing sports, entertainment, and arts content, including licensing, broadcast, and online streaming legal issues and agreements
Special Topics in Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law (3 credits)
Students will select and complete an independent study in one of the following three special topic areas:
- Professional, Amateur, and/or esports
- Entertainment, Media, and/or Communications
- Arts and Design
Examples of instructor-led case studies and/or student class projects areas might include:
- Professional, Amateur and/or esports: Intellectual Property Protection in Professional in Sports; NCAA compliance policies; and/or esports Labor and Employment Issues
- Entertainment, Media, and/or Communications: Entertainment Unions’ Collective Bargaining Agreements; Actors’ Right of Publicity Protection; and Film Investment Agreements
- Arts and Design: Artist Independent Contractor Agreements; Trademark Protection for Logo Designs; and Grant Agreements for Non-Profit Arts Organizations
Online Law Certificate Programs Tuition
| Online Certificate Programs | 2024-2025 Academic Year |
| Certificate Per Credit | $833 x 15 credits |
| Total Estimated Tuition* | $12,495 |
*A $100-per-semester technology fee will be added to the overall cost of attendance. Tuition and costs effective as of May 28, 2024. Tuition rates are not inclusive of textbooks and fees. Tuition and costs are subject to change and should be confirmed on the University’s official tuition listing at www.tuition.pitt.edu/online/graduate.
Pitt Law’s Online tuition and technology fee are qualifying expenses for the federal Lifetime Learning Credit.
Interested in a More In-Depth Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Specialization Education?
Open the New Playbook for Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Professionals
Your online certificate in Sports, Entertainment and Arts Law will help you build key skills for the modern age of business. You will also have the option to pursue the Master of Studies in Law degree for 15 additional credits to build a strong foundation in U.S. law should you decide to continue your educational journey with Pitt Law.
Students who successfully complete the certificate program with a 3.0 GPA, will be able to apply to the MSL program without paying additional application fees.
Pitt Law opens doors for you. Start your journey today.