The athletic coaching concentration is ideal for current or former athletes and anyone who is currently coaching or aspiring to coach. You will learn and apply scientifically driven coaching practices with athletes in youth sport, interscholastic sport, collegiate sport and/or the performing arts.

With this concentration, you will be able to develop physical, psychological, and social abilities of athletes and performing artists. Coaches are responsible for planning, organizing, and delivering an appropriate range of sports activities and programs focused on both individual and team development. Typical responsibilities include teaching relevant skills and tactics, preparing athletes for competition, scheduling games and practices, goal setting and fostering sportsmanship and character development in athletes. Through coursework you will earn the Coaching Principles certification by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) and have a solid foundation for sport-specific certifications offered through a variety of sport governing bodies.

 Athletic coaching concentration courses provide you with the knowledge, tools, and support needed to feel confident coaching athletes or performing artists of varying levels. Courses are aligned with SHAPE AMERICA’s National Standards for Sport Coaches.

This program will enable you to be competitive in a variety of coaching job markets. Most coaches have worked for some type of educational institution, including high schools and colleges. Qualified youth sport coaches are also needed in community and recreational settings. Professional teams also employ experienced coaches. The athletic coaching occupation has a good job outlook. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' predictions, employment will grow as fast as the average for all occupations through 2024.  

30 credit hours are required to complete the program. Courses are offered online in a convenient 8-week format.   

Coaching Core (18 hours)

• PEDU 650 – The Art and Science of Coaching: Coaching principles and application to sport programs across a variety of developmental levels.
• PEDU 710 – Measurement and Evaluation: The treatment of current theory and practice of testing, evaluation, and research in physical education, with emphasis on the methods and tools of research.
• PEDU 730 – Psychosocial Aspects of Athletic Performance and Injury Rehabilitation: The application of psychological principles from motivation, arousal regulation, individual differences and psychological skills for enhancing athletic performance and injury rehabilitation.
• PEDU 731 – Motor Skill Learning: Study of sensory, motor and physical processes that underlie learning and performance of motor skills commonly performed in physical education, sport and dance.
• PEDU 745 – Principles and Applications for Long-Term Athletic Development: An overview of concepts, principles of long-term athletic development for youth and their application.
• PEDU 747 Coaching Ethics, Law & Compliance: Ethical and legal issues surrounding the coaching profession.

Athletic Coaching (6 hours)

• PEDU 744 – Coaching Administration and Management: An overview of coach’s responsibilities in athletics internal operations.
• PEDU 746 – Growth and Development Principles for Athlete Selection and Coaching: Developmental constraint models and developmental trends from childhood through young adulthood highlighting their role in motor development, athlete selection and performance.

Practicum in Athletic Coaching (6 hours)

• PEDU 748 – Practicum I
• PEDU 749 – Practicum II

The mental performance coaching concentration is ideal for current or former athletes and anyone interested in helping performers develop and strengthen their mental, self-regulatory and life skills. Mental performance coaches help individual athletes and teams develop the critical mental skills that optimize performance.  You will learn and apply scientifically driven psychological principles to help athletes set and achieve goals and perform consistently well.   

The mental performance concentration courses provide you with scientifically driven knowledge, tools, and support needed for helping performers optimize learning and performance, personal development and enjoyment. Courses including practicum experiences align with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology’s Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) knowledge areas, preparing students for the CMPC exam. Practicum hours accrued during the program can typically count for up to 350 of the 400 total hours of mentored experience needed to sit for the CMPC exam. Through coursework you will earn the Coaching Principles accreditation by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP).

This program will enable you to be on the cutting edge of helping performers reach their potential by applying scientific principles in learning and performance contexts. Mental performance coaches work primarily with youth through elite sport settings, non-sport settings (i.e., with dancers or musicians), as well as in a variety of high-risk occupations including fire and police services and/or the military.  Mental performance coaches can also apply their knowledge and skills to support professionals in other performance settings such as business, law, and medical.

30 credit hours are required to complete the program. Courses are offered online in a convenient 8-week format.

Coaching Core (18 hours)

• PEDU 650 – The Art and Science of Coaching: Coaching principles and application to sport programs across a variety of developmental levels.
• PEDU 710 – Measurement and Evaluation: The treatment of current theory and practice of testing, evaluation, and research in physical education, with emphasis on the methods and tools of research.
• PEDU 730 – Psychosocial Aspects of Athletic Performance and Injury Rehabilitation: The application of psychological principles from motivation, arousal regulation, individual differences and psychological skills for enhancing athletic performance and injury rehabilitation.
• PEDU 731 – Motor Skill Learning: Study of sensory, motor and physical processes that underlie learning and performance of motor skills commonly performed in physical education, sport and dance.
• PEDU 745 – Principles and Applications for Long-Term Athletic Development: An overview of concepts, principles of long-term athletic development for youth and their application.
• PEDU 747 -- Coaching Ethics, Law & Compliance: Ethical and legal issues surrounding the coaching profession.

 Counseling and Psychopathology (6 hours)

• PEDU 660 -- Counseling Student Athletes: Issues facing student athletes regarding their personal and career development beyond athletics.
• PEDU 743 -- Psychopathology among Athletes and Performers: An introduction to common clinical domains of psychopathology encountered by athletes and athletic performers.

Practicum in Mental Performance Coaching (6 hours)

• PEDU 748 – Practicum I
• PEDU 749 – Practicum II