The United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama, offers a Bachelor of Sports Science degree in Sports Coaching. Students cannot apply to the program until they have at least 36 hours in electives and general education, including English, humanities, sciences, math and computer science. 60 credit hours of sports-related classes are required, and courses include sports psychology, which studies motivation, stress and leadership. In a coaching methods class, students develop a well-reasoned personal philosophy. Students learn to recognize and deal with injuries in a sports medicine course. In addition, students can study coaching principles and skills for several sports, such as basketball, track, gymnastics, soccer and football.
The University of Southern Mississippi offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Coaching Education at two campuses: Hattiesburg and Gulf Coast. The program is geared toward students interested in coaching high school, college or professional sports. Because some states require teaching certification for coaches, all students must minor in education. In addition to general education and minor class requirements, students take 57 to 60 hours of sports courses. Classes include sport technology, sports law and coaching people with disabilities. Students must also get at least 240 hours of supervised coaching experience.
At Morgantown's West Virginia University, students learn to coach athletes of all ages and ability levels. In order to be admitted to the program, students must complete general education courses, electives and prerequisite sports classes, including introduction to coaching, structure and function of the body and sport officiating. Once accepted into the program, students study sports physiology, liability, strength training and conditioning, and attend a practicum in youth coaching. Each student takes at least three coaching methods electives in sports such as cheerleading, football, volleyball and golf.
Since few colleges offer bachelor’s degrees in coaching, prospective coaches have other educational options. Most high school coaches are also classroom teachers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most states require additional certification for secondary school coaches. At the college level, coaches usually have bachelor’s degrees in areas related to sports, such as physiology, sports medicine, physical education or nutrition. However, assistant coaches may only need experience playing their particular sport. For professional sports teams, coaches are often hired away from college and university teams and may also be former professional athletes.