photo by: Journal-World photo

Fans file through the doors past the statue of Phog Allen for the 60th Anniversary celebration of Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, Oct. 27, 2014.

KU will become one of the first universities in the country to begin offering a formal set of classes for student-athletes and others who want to become experts in the new field of Name, Image and Likeness deals for college athletes.

The University ok Kansas’ Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences will begin offering a 12-hour program this fall that will allow students to earn a special certification in the NIL field.

KU will become the first school in a Power 5 athletic conference to offer such a program, according to a KU press release.

“There is perhaps nothing more important in the modern college athletics space than name, image and likeness,” said Jordan Bass, chair of the Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences. “We are excited to leverage the unique expertise of our faculty in our department, and at KU as a whole, to be a leader in this space.”

The program will be open to student-athletes — who currently are eligible to sign NIL deals following changes in NCAA regulations — and students who are not athletes but want to pursue a career in the growing NIL industry.