Delve into the world of sports medicine with Tulane School of Medicine’s graduate certificate in sports medicine. With this 100% online series of courses guided by experienced instructors, students can pursue academic goals while tapping into what it takes to succeed in the fast-paced sports industry. 

The curriculum is designed for professionals who aspire to more fully understand the sports industry from a medical perspective. This certificate is particularly suited for coaches and administrators seeking to better serve athletes in their care. For any sports industry professionals, gaining new knowledge and skills in sports medicine can optimize their current role or open doors to new career opportunities.

Whether you want to enhance your current professional role or explore new career opportunities, our sports medicine certificate can help advance skills in a wide range of careers, including: 

• Athletics / Assistant Athletics Director
• Head / Assistant Coach
• Director of Sports Management
• Director of Event / Stadium Security
• Sports Facilities Manager
• Team Programs & Operations Manager
• Club Sport Director

Objectives

The proposed program is designed to be a graduate-level certificate that provides learners with an introduction to the foundational knowledge and skills important to the recognition, care, prevention and rehabilitation of athletic injury; the assessment and response to emergency situations involving athletes; and research within sports performance methods. Learners will develop a diverse base of knowledge and practices necessary to guide success in working with current and former athletes. 

Student Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of knowledge and skills in medicine, psychology, conditioning, and nutrition necessary to guide success in working with athletes of all levels
• Understand sport-related injury at various phases; prevention, treatment, and recovery                                                
• Determine the needs of an individual athlete while addressing multiple forms of care; preventative, management, or enhancement
• Explain the components of a comprehensive sports medicine program

Disclaimer

By completing the certificate in sports medicine, students will learn a variety of information relevant to careers in sports medicine, ethical concepts, sports performance, basic types of injuries, environmental illness, emergency response, and physiology of injury.

The curriculum is intended to expose students to the duties and responsibilities of healthcare providers in sports medicine, and many other healthcare-related fields. Please note: the certificate coursework is not designed to instruct students in the skills required to be a physician, certified athletic trainer, or any other individual involved in the continuum of care for athletes, nor is it meant to serve as a replacement for an actual physician or licensed athletic trainer within a sports medicine program.

Course Objectives

In addition to these program objectives, each course has specific objectives which are outlined at the start of the course.

Academic Requirements 

Students wishing to apply must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, as well as official transcripts from each school attended. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA average while enrolled. 

To be considered for admission to the Graduate Certificate program, a prospective graduate student must have:

• Earned an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution prior to the first semester of proposed graduate study.
• At least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in undergraduate coursework; students with grade point averages below 3.0 may be considered for provisional admission, provided they demonstrate significant professional experience in a relevant field.

Applications to the program must include the following:

• A statement of 250-500 words discussing interest in sport studies, and how the program will assist them to achieve personal or professional objectives.
• Official college transcripts from each college attended.

Applicants may be conditionally admitted and allowed to take one class in their first semester, in which a B or better must be earned to be fully admitted to the program. Students who do not have a 3.0 grade point average in their undergraduate coursework but possess sufficient professional experience in the sport studies field may be admitted conditionally into the program.

Eligibility

Students wishing to apply must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, as well as official transcripts from each school attended. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA average while enrolled. 

To be considered for admission to the Graduate Certificate program, a prospective graduate student must have:

• Earned an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution prior to the first semester of proposed graduate study.
• At least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in undergraduate coursework; students with grade point averages below 3.0 may be considered for provisional admission, provided they demonstrate significant professional experience in a relevant field.

To receive a sports medicine certificate, students must complete four sports medicine courses detailing athletic injuries, recovery and performance; emergency situations in sporting events; and how to develop quality sports medicine programs. 

Course List

Course ID	Title	Credits
SPMD 6100	Foundations of Sports Medicine	3
SPMD 6110	Non-traumatic Injuries	3
SPMD 6120	Sports Performance Enhancement	3
SPMD 6130	Continuum of Care: Developing a Sports Medicine Program	3
Total Credit Hours		12

Certificate Degree Requirements

To receive a sports medicine graduate certificate, students must complete a total of 12 course work credits in the certificate program. Graduate students seeking to enroll in more than 9 credit hours per semester require approval from the Program Director. Students must also apply for a certificate at the beginning of the semester in which the student plans to complete all required coursework. Applications for degree conferral are now online and will appear in a student's Gibson account when available.

Apply Certificate Coursework to the MS in Sport Studies 

As a 100% online program, Tulane’s School of Medicine graduate certificate focuses on the fundamentals of this discipline and can advance students in their pursuit of a Masters in Sport Studies through Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement. This certificate can be "stacked" with the Sport Security, Sport Coaching, or Sport Administration certificates, alongside two core classes, to be applied toward a master's degree. If you’d like to apply your certificate toward an MS in Sports Studies, contact the program director for more information. Read more about the MS in Sport Studies from the Tulane School of Professional Advancement (in partnership with the Tulane Center for Sport). 

For more information, contact the School of Medicine.