Graduate Program in Athletic Coaching
Administered by the College of Education and the Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Coaching (FSU COACH)
College of Education
Website: https://education.fsu.edu/athletic-coaching
Program Director: Timothy Baghurst; Professor: Timothy Baghurst; Teaching Faculty I: Megan Buning
Program Overview
Athletic coaching is an old profession, but a relatively new academic discipline. Coaching requires expertise across many kinesiology and pedagogy-based disciplines, such as exercise science, physical education, and sport psychology. Knowledge and skills in this discipline are important to be successful in what is an increasingly demanding and complex role and within a competitive job market. This program is housed in FSU's Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Coaching (FSU COACH), which is dedicated to using research and scientific knowledge to help coaches become better at what they do so that their athletes are more successful within and external to their sport.
The Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Coaching (FSU COACH) offers an online Master of Science (MS) in Athletic Coaching.
Additionally, FSU COACH offers an online graduate certificate in Athletic Coaching.
Facilities
The Athletic Coaching program is housed within the College of Education and is 100% online. Resources for virtual learning, such as innovative streaming equipment and software such as Zoom are used to provide students with interactive learning opportunities.
Master's Program
Florida State University's online Master of Science (MS) degree in Athletic Coaching has been designed by coaches for coaches. Our goal is to provide current and future coaches and sports professionals with current knowledge and best practices that are based on experience and research. We want our students to be the most knowledgeable and successful in the profession.
Admission Requirements
Note: Please review all University and college-wide degree requirements summarized in the "College of Education" chapter of this Graduate Bulletin.
Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree with at least a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor's degree. This bachelor's degree can be in any field from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution.
International applicants must complete a language proficiency test. FSU accepts scores from IBTOEFL (minimum 80), TOEFL (550), PTE (55), Duolingo (120), and IELTS (minimum 6.5).
Applicants must submit valid Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores*. Successful applicants to the master's program should score at or above the 50th percentile on Verbal and Quantitative portions of the exam, and at least a 3.5 or higher on the Analytical Writing portions.
Official transcripts from each college/university attended must be sent to Florida State University electronically at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or via mail in a sealed envelope to:
Office of Graduate Admissions
222 South Copeland St
Westcott Building Room 314
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410
USA
The Graduate School is waiving the GRE requirement for this master's degree program through Fall 2026 admissions.
Coursework
The master's degree is awarded in recognition of the student's broad knowledge of athletic coaching. To complete the requirements for the master's degree, the student must complete all the requisite course work. An accurate approved program of study must be on file by the end of the semester of admission. Students must maintain a 3.0 graduate GPA and complete a minimum of thirty (30) graduate credit hours within the approved program of study. All courses are offered online. Major requirements include classes focused on intrapersonal knowledge (PET 5769, PET 5175), interpersonal knowledge (PET 5250), professional knowledge (PET 5235, APK 5121, PET 5392), research and practice (PET 5530, PET 5940), plus six (6) graduate credit hours from elective courses.
Athletic Coaching Core Courses:
- Intrapersonal Knowledge
- PET 5769 Theory and Practice of Athletic Coaching
- PET 5175 Philosophy & Ethics of Sport & Coaching
- Interpersonal Knowledge
- PET 5250 Sociology of Sport & Cultural Foundations of Coaching
- Professional Knowledge
- PET 5235 Motor Learning for Coaches
- APK 5121 Sport & Exercise Psychology for Coaches
- PET 5392 Coaching for Human Performance
- Research & Practice
- PET 5530 Understanding & Conducting Research in Sports & Coaching
- PET 5940 Athletic Coaching Internship
- Elective Courses (other courses may be approved by the program director)
- PET 5855 International Perspectives of Coaching
- PET 5856 Coaching Athletes 360
Graduate Certificate in Athletic Coaching
The online graduate certificate in Athletic Coaching is offered to graduate students and post-bachelor's non-degree seeking students who wish to gain knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to be an effective coach regardless of sport and level. The graduate certificate program requires completion of twelve graduate credit hours of coursework across a variety of coaching related areas. The certificate is completed entirely online, along with a graduate degree, or as a stand-alone certificate. Information is available at https://education.fsu.edu/coaching-certificate.