Best Online Master’s Degrees in Coaching

Coaches guide athletes and sports teams to improve their competitive performance. A master’s degree in coaching can prepare you to excel in this career. This degree can help you transition to a career in coaching, move from a K-12 coaching position to a university or professional league role, or qualify you for sports performance research jobs.

Use the guide below to discover more about earning your master’s in coaching online, what you can do with your degree, and how to maximize your return on investment.

An online master’s degree in coaching can prepare you for careers in athletic administration, physical education, or fitness and exercise. Like most graduate degrees, this program requires about two years of full-time study to complete, though some schools offer accelerated options that you can finish in about 15 months.

Tuition costs vary widely between schools. Scholarships, employer reimbursements, and other financial aid options may help you meet these costs.

Classes in these programs explore an interdisciplinary array of topics, including exercise science, sports management, and business. Some degrees include concentrations in subfields like sports management, sports psychology, and exercise science. Most programs include an internship, thesis, capstone, or other culminating experience.

Each university establishes its own coaching curriculum, usually based on its research, faculty expertise, and the demands of the local market. Courses typically include a mix of nutrition, exercise science, sport-specific coaching, marketing, business, law, and psychology. The classes below highlight common options across coaching master’s degrees.

Students explore topics such as leadership, sports communication, sports management, athletic skill acquisition, and risk management in competitive sports environments. Upon completing the course, learners should have a more robust understanding of the behaviors that define a successful coach.

Enrollees learn the basics of sports law, legal terminology, and legal structure. They also study how these factors impact the sports industry. This course may additionally cover the relationship between risk management and legal liability in sports.

Students examine the ethical and psychosocial foundations of athlete development. Topics include ethical decision-making, group development, and interpersonal communication. Learners discuss how to adopt coaching behaviors that reflect these psychological principles.

This course covers the fundamentals of human nutrition, including how it impacts optimal performance in exercise and sports. Topics include weight management, eating disorders, and sport nutrition resources.

Students in this class learn about the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and how it affects coaches and athletes. Topics include NCAA bylaws, policies, procedures, and compliance issues. The course may include case studies to help enrollees understand the NCAA’s role in competitive sports.

Universities sometimes offer coaching as a master of science (MS) or a master of education (M.Ed.). The MS usually provides a general coaching curriculum, while the M.Ed. focuses on coaching in educational settings. Depending on your career goals, you may also consider master of business administration degrees in sports management.

Some universities offer a general coaching degree, while others provide specializations in specific areas of coaching, including options like the following:

A sports administration degree can prepare you for management careers in interscholastic or intercollegiate sports. This concentration may include classes in sports marketing, finance, and personnel management. You may also study the principles of event management.

Sports psychology studies athletes’ mental performance. This specialization emphasizes psychological theories, evidence-based practice in sports psychology, and ethical standards in the field. You may take courses such as counseling or multicultural issues in sports.

The fast-growing world of e-sports needs industry leaders, marketers, and business developers, along with content writers and programmers. This concentration may include coursework in e-sports performance management, sports communication and media relations, and facilities and event management in e-sports.

A master’s in coaching online usually requires 30-33 credits. Many schools also require an internship and a final project, such as a capstone, portfolio, or thesis. Enrollees often need to maintain a minimum GPA, usually above a 3.0.

A typical internship requires supervised work experience in a coaching-related environment. Final projects can take the form of a thesis — which can prepare you for research-related careers and doctoral programs — or a practice-oriented capstone, which may position you for sports leadership roles.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects the U.S. labor market will add 25,300 coaching and scouting jobs between 2022 and 2032 — a growth rate of 9%.

An online master’s in coaching can prepare you to pursue careers with a professional sports team, K-12 school, college, university, or sports academy. You can coach young athletes, top-performing professionals, or local high school teams.

We explore common careers for workers with this degree below.

Joining a professional coaching association can give you access to career networks, formal learning opportunities, and resume-building opportunities. You may need specific educational or experiential requirements to join the organizations below.

In addition to affordability and accessibility, consider the following factors as you research online graduate degrees for coaching:

The National Center for Education Statistics reports the average annual tuition for graduate programs in the 2021-22 school year was $20,513. Research financial aid options to help defray the cost of your degree. We explore cost-cutting measures below:

Scholarships offer need- and merit-based tuition assistance you do not need to repay. Some organizations also offer demographic-based scholarships. Depending on your background, you can apply for funding opportunities from organizations like the Association on American Indian Affairs.

The U.S. government offers subsidized and unsubsidized loans to help cover the cost of graduate school. Since loans require repayment with interest, they should be your last choice when considering financial aid options. Complete the FAFSA to learn what federal loans you may qualify to receive.

Your employer may help you pay for graduate education as an investment in your professional development. Often, employers require you to maintain a certain grade point average and complete your education within a predetermined time frame. Ask your human resources department if your employer can help fund your master’s degree.

Public universities almost always offer lower tuition rates to state residents. By attending school in your state, you may also be able to take advantage of state-sponsored grants, scholarships, or other assistance. Some schools offer in-state or lower online-only tuition rates to distance learners, so you do not have to stay within your state to access affordable education.

When comparing degree price, examine more than just per-credit tuition prices. Colleges and universities often charge fees for library access, technology use, and online education. Calculate these costs to determine the overall expense of each prospective program.