School for the Digital Future pioneers new Sport Impact Certificate

Sports and academics may seem like opposite ends of the university, but the School for the Digital Future will unify them starting in fall 2026 with its new sport impact certificate.

Mark Woychick, a clinical assistant professor in the School for the Digital Future, is spearheading the initiative. He is a member of the Sports Major Collective, a group of academic and sports leaders who are rethinking the role of sports in the modern university.

In spring 2026, Boise State hosted the Collective members and representatives from 16 universities at the Sports Major Symposium. Industry figures and academics heard from athletes, swapped notes about the relationship between sports and academics, and toured the iconic Blue Turf.

Launching a new certificate

Music students play in concerts. Theatre students perform on stage. Performance-based disciplines like these are areas of academic study. Why can't athletes pursue an academic program that builds on their athletic experience? That is the argument Woychick and his fellow Collective members make, and it is panning out well in practice.

The School for the Digital Future will launch its Sport Impact Certificate, open to all students, starting in fall 2026. The certificate creates a pathway for student-athletes to translate what they learn through sport into academic credit and career-ready skills.

"I've talked to some student athletes about this and the enthusiasm has been pretty high," Woychick said. "We ran a special topics version of one of the courses in the Sport Impact Certificate, and that got very good feedback."

If the new certificate gains traction at Boise State, it could become part of a stackable certificate major. Future courses and certificates would build on the idea of sport as a performance-based academic area of study and focus on the lessons learned from the athletic experience.

Breaking away from the pack

Woychick separates the Sport Impact Certificate and sport performance majors at other universities from academic programs like sports management. Here, the focus is on the personal and professional lessons contained in sports.

"You learn more from the things that don't go your way," Woychick said. That applies on the field, where athletes strive for peak performance, but also in professional development. The sports performance major gives student-athletes a platform to reflect on those lessons. "You learn more from a loss than a win, but only if you think about it."

With the new Sport Impact Certificate, Boise State joins an innovative movement that's quickly gaining stream. As of this fall, there will be three sport performance majors and a minor in place across the country, in addition to Boise State's new certificate. Six more universities are in the process of exploring majors and minors. Student demand is strong as well. A 2025 survey of NCAA student-athletes found over 90% of them were interested in an academic program that involved their athletic participation.

It's not just student-athletes who are excited. Employers are interested in the skills former athletes bring to the workplace. "[Student-athletes] are used to being coached," Woychick said. "Discipline, teamwork, coachability…those qualities are things employers are looking for."

The Sport Impact Certificate launches in fall 2026. Interested student-athletes should contact a student success advisor in the School for the Digital Future to learn more.

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