The Department of Social Work and the School of Kinesiology have teamed up to offer a graduate certificate in Integrated Athlete Services. . The program has been approved by the Graduate Education Committee, but still needs approval from the Higher Education Commission. Ideally the program should be approved and ready to enroll students as soon as next year. Dr. Jerry Reynolds, Assistant Professor of Social Work, will serve as the program director. He says, “This program is among the first of its kind. We have created a certificate program that will motivate students and professionals to intentionally learn from each other and the pursue mutual goals of quality service that promotes the health and wellness of athletes.”

This certificate is aimed to provide full time professionals who work, or plan to work with athletes a credential to strengthen their practice skills and improve their abilities to work on athlete care teams. This certificate recognizes the importance of transdisciplinary collaboration in athletics.
This certificate dovetails with some of the College of Health graduate majors in sport administration, athletic coaching, social psychology, psychological sciences, education leadership, counseling psychology, athletic training, or social work. So, no matter what your major, the certificate is a great way to expand your skill set. Further if you’re interested in becoming a certified mental performance consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, this certificate prepares you to be confident in your abilities to work with athletes at any level.
Dr. Reynolds adds, “The industry is now demanding professionals understand how to work as a team, rather than competing in silos. We are fortunate to have a dynamic and interdisciplinary faculty that intentionally work together and toward mutual goals. We want students to be multidisciplinary team members from leaders within the field. Ball State is a great space to make this a reality.”

The certificate is a total of 15 credit hours, and combines courses in Social Work, Sport Psychology, Counseling, along with a practicum. This certificate will be offered fully online. For more information about this program, you can email Dr. Reynolds.