Coaching Minor

Athletics hold a prominent position in society, with millions of children, adults, and older adults participating in sports every year. Participation in recreational or organized sports can influence a person’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development, especially for children and adolescents. The type of experiences people have while playing sports is strongly impacted by the competencies and qualifications of their coaches. Therefore, coaches must be trained to work with athletes in an effective, ethical, and safe manner. Informed by research and best practices, the Coaching Minor provides students with the latest knowledge and hands-on experiences for developing their coaching style.

Career Opportunities

Because so many people participate in organized athletics each year, demand for coaches remains high, particularly at the youth level. While there are typically no educational requirements for coaching, athletic departments and leagues are increasingly looking to hire people with training in how to be an effective coach. Students who complete this minor are prepared to coach athletes in multiple settings, including:

Youth Sport
High School Sport
College Sport
Community Leagues
Sport Clubs
Sport Camps

Additionally, students who want to work in the sports world, but not as a coach, will still benefit from taking sport- and fitness-based coursework. Examples of such careers include:

Athletic Administration
Sport Management
Strength & Conditioning
Sport Psychology
Sports Journalism
Sports Marketing

Coursework

The Coaching Minor is 19 credits across 6 courses and students must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses to complete the minor successfully.

The five required courses are:

EXER 220: Fundamentals of Coaching
EXER 244: Movement Science & Skill Analysis
EXER 325: Sport Psychology (Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or HONR 151)
EXER 340: Prevention & Care of Athletic Injuries (Prerequisites: EXER 220 and BIOL 150/238/350)
EXER 343: Foundations of Exercise Physiology (Prerequisites: EXER 220 and BIOL 150/238/350)

Students must also take one elective course from the following options:

COST 225: Communication and Sport (Prerequisite: COST 100 or HONR 100)
DISA 100: Introduction to Disability Studies
EXER 213: Organization & Administration for Fitness & Sport Facilities
EXER 260: Principles of Nutrition
EXER 387: Theory & Practice of Power & Agility Training (Pre/Corequisite: EXER 343)
EXER 445: Coaching Internship (Prerequisites: EXER 220, 244, 325, 340, and 343)
PSYC 361: Psychology of Group Interaction (Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or HONR 151)
SOCI 275: Sociology of Sport & Leisure

Exercise Science Majors with a Coaching Minor need to take the following courses:

EXER 220: Fundamentals of Coaching
EXER 325: Sport Psychology (Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or HONR 151)
One elective (see above)

Admission Requirements

The Coaching Minor is open to any Undergraduate student. Interested students must meet the following criteria to be admitted into the minor:

GPA of 2.00 or above

It is strongly recommended that students complete BIOL 150: Human Biology as one of their Natural World & Technology General Education courses because it is a prerequisite for EXER 340 and EXER 343, both of which are required for the minor.

Additionally, it is strongly recommended that students complete PSYC 101: General Psychology as one of their Interconnections General Education courses because it is a prerequisite for EXER 325, which is required for the minor.

While these are not requirements for declaring the minor, they are necessary to progress through it.

Related Majors

Any student interested in becoming a coach or working in the sports world will benefit from a Coaching Minor. However, students often come from one of the following majors:

*Please note that the Coaching Minor does not prepare students to teach physical education classes.

Double Minor in Coaching and Exercise Science

Students who also have an interest in Exercise Science may complete an additional 12 credits across 4 courses to earn a second minor. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses to complete the minor successfully. For more information about the Exercise Minor, please click here.

The one required course is:

EXER 150: Introduction to Exercise Science

Students must also take three elective courses from the following options:

EXER 260: Principles of Nutrition
EXER 278: Medical Terminology
EXER 336: Motor Behavior
EXER 348: Group Exercise Techniques & Leadership
EXER 350: Nutrition for Sport & Fitness
EXER 352: Psychology of Physical Activity
EXER 375: Exercise Testing & Programming
EXER 425: Exercise Metabolism & Weight Control

The following courses count towards both the Coaching and Exercise Science Minors:

EXER 244: Movement Science & Skill Analysis
EXER 343: Foundations of Exercise Physiology