What can you do with a sport coaching degree?
Author(s)
Clayton Kuklick, PhD
Clinical Associate Professor, Master of Arts in Sport Coaching
Sport coaching education programsatthe undergraduate and graduate levelhave been on the risein recent years.Given the lack of regulations within the,we find that we are often without a general standard for competent coaching at various levels. Undergraduate programs typicallypreparenovicecoaches,who gainsome tolittle practicalexperienceby the time they graduate.These aspiring coaches may be readyforsome sort of entry intothe coaching profession, but are they prepared to work with athletes who truly rely on them?
Master’s degree programs, on the other hand,typicallycontaincoaches of varying backgrounds and experiences, who arecurrentlycoachingathletesat an assortment of levels.Butoften,when coaching students graduate from these programs,they obtainpositionsoutsidethe scopeof what we mightassume.
Consider a typical conversation I have with online students in thehere at the Ĵý:
Dr. K:HiMackenzie, great to hear from you. How is coaching going?
Mackenzie:Coaching’s going great. We’re just heading into theNCAADivisionIfinalchampionship weekend.
Dr. K: Good luck, keep me posted.Row hard, and row fast.I hope you all do great.
Mackenzie:Thanks!For now,I wanted to pick your brain ongoing into Physical Therapy School.
Dr. K:Interesting….are you thinking of transitioningout ofhigh-performancerowing coaching?
Mackenzie:Possibly. I’m thinkingabout my interests inbiomechanics research in relation to rowingperformanceandsport injuries[thatI learned about inyour course].I thought physical therapy school would be a goodfit with my experience,andstill allow me to specialize in working with athletes.Would this be applicable?
Dr. K: Yes, absolutely. We’ve hadacouple other students go this route,too. That is,beginninga Physical Therapy programaftergraduating from ourMaster’sprogram. Ihave totell you though,physicaltherapyschool admissions are tough, soit’s good that you’re thinking about thisnow.
Mackenzie:Okay. How do you think I should start the process?
Dr. K:First, check out some of the different types of programs and what they are lookingfor in the application requirements. Also, Dr. G,Dr.Mills, and I just recorded a to help coaching-students navigatebeyondourmaster’slevel program. I’ll shoot it over to you, as it willprovide an informativeview of navigating these programs, how to set yourself up forgetting into these programs, and some other things to consider.
Over the years,a fewof ourcoaching-studentshavetransitionedintobecoming aphysical therapist,acoach developer with a PhD in sport coaching,or other fields of study withupper-leveldoctoratedegrees.
But, what aboutstudents who hold anundergraduate ormaster’sdegreein coaching?
Thisleadsusbackto theoriginalquestion:
What can you do with a sport coaching degree?
Here are some positions you may consider:
- Youth sport coach
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- NCAA, NAIA, Junior college coach
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- Primary or high school teacher
- P.E. Teacher
- Strength and conditioning coach
Positions in sport development and management:
- Community development worker
- Director or organizational leader ofaprivate sport facility
- Physical activity development manager
- Outdoor education manager
- Sport & leisure facility manager
- Events manager
- Sport administrator
- Athletic director
Positions in sport media:
- Sport journalist
- Commercial sport manager
- Sport business start-up company manager
- Sport technologist
Positions in the fitness and health industry:
- Fitness education manager
- Stunt expert
- Fitness instructor and personal trainer
- Tactical strength and conditioning coach
- Health promotion specialist
- Sport and exercise nutritionist
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- Sport therapist
Positions related to research and sport science:
- Sport analyst
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- Exercise physiologist
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- Sport and exercise psychologist
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Otheravenues coaching-students mightexplore:
- Full or part-time athlete
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- First responder
Is it surprising that a sport coaching degree can lead to some of these areas?Here’s the bottom line:
Coaching is a dynamic and complex interpersonal and socialprocess that requires a vast range of knowledgeand skills.This is withoutevenconsidering the sport-specifictechnical and tacticalknowledge that is required as well.