Florida State University’s College of Education will offer a master’s degree in athletic coaching starting in summer 2021.
Housed in FSU’s Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Coaching (FSU COACH), the primary goal of the program is to fill an educational gap in the athletic coaching profession. With more than 50 million youth in sports and a growing adult population engaged in competitive sports, there is an increasing demand for qualified and competent coaches.
“Only about 10 percent of coaches currently working in the United States receive any formal coaching education,” said Tim Baghurst, professor and director of FSU COACH. “Our goal is for graduates to have gained the knowledge and experiences necessary to be effective coaches within their chosen sport, and coach in a scientific and professional manner that puts the needs of the athlete first.”
This graduate degree, which is the only one of its kind in Florida, will provide an educational platform to provide best practices and the most current knowledge and research to its students — those who wish to become coaches and those who are currently coaching.
“A coach has an incredibly important role to play in the life of an athlete,” said Damon Andrew, dean of the FSU College of Education. “For some people, a coach can make as much of a difference in their life as a teacher or even a parent. By training the next generation of coaches, we will make a meaningful impact in the lives of sport participants at all levels of competition.”
The courses in the program, which are all offered online, include topics such as ethics in coaching, sport and exercise psychology for coaches, coaching for human performance and research in coaching.
The program requires 30 credit hours of graduate coursework and culminates in an athletic coaching internship/practicum. Applications are being accepted now for summer and fall 2021 admission; the deadlines to apply are March 1 for summer and July 1 for fall. Scholarships are available to qualified students.
To learn more about the online master’s program in athletic coaching, visit https://education.fsu.edu/athletic-coaching.