What can I do with a minor in athletic coaching?

Search for opportunities

  • Athletic Director
  • Personal Trainer
  • Coach
  • Youth Sports Coordinator
  • Fitness Center Manager

Search for employers hiring graduates in your minor

Employers in NY: 7,616
Employers in the U.S.: 128,633

 

Explore the numerous career fields related to your major

Sports Management
Areas
  • Administration of amateur athletics
  • Olympics
  • Intercollegiates
  • Administration of professional teams and leagues
  • Player personnel
  • Business operations
  • Public relations
  • Sales
  • Marketing and promotions
  • Ticketing and seat management
  • Facilities management
  • Event coordination
  • Program coordination
  • Fund raising
  • Sponsorship sales
  • Sport information
  • Athlete representation
Employers
  • Professional teams and leagues (e.g., NFL, MLB)
  • Professional athletes
  • Professional player associations and unions
  • Sport associations (e.g., PGA Tour)
  • Conference offices (e.g., SEC, ACC)
  • Governing bodies
  • Colleges and universities
  • Arenas
  • Auditoriums
  • Stadiums
  • Golf courses
  • Tracks
  • High schools
  • Youth sport programs
  • Sport related franchises
  • Training centers
  • Sport camps
  • Health and fitness clubs
  • Recreational facilities
  • Local sport and tourism corporations
  • Sport marketing firms
  • Sport management firms
Sample occupations
  • Develop communication, written and oral skills.
  • Take courses in marketing, public relations, and advertising.
  • Further develop public speaking skills.
  • For player representation, pursue a degree in law to aid in negotiating contracts and financial planning.
  • Obtain accounting or business skills and experience.
  • Volunteer to coordinate athletic programs and events such as marathons, golf tournaments, or Special Olympics for campus organizations or local non-profit groups.
  • Get involved with campus sport teams, intramurals, or recreational programs (e.g., team manager).
  • Build a network of contacts with sport administrators, student athletes, and merchandise representatives.
  • Join sport-oriented associations and organizations.
  • Obtain an internship or part-time job with a team, an athletic organization, or a sport facility.
  • Be willing to work in any capacity with minor league or local teams as a way to enter the field and gain experience.
Sporting Goods/Sport Merchandising
Areas
  • Product development
  • Product distribution
  • Sales and marketing
  • Brand/Product representation
  • Store management
  • Internet sales
Employers
  • Sports equipment and supply industry (e.g., Wilson, Spalding, Adidas)
  • Exercise equipment manufacturers
  • Sport and recreation retailers
  • Online sport retailers
  • Sports & Fitness Industry Association
Sample occupations
  • Work in retail stores that sell sport or recreational merchandise or in campus recreation facilities that rent equipment to students.
  • Gain sales experience through part-time or summer jobs and internships.
  • Volunteer as a team equipment manager.
  • Make contact with college equipment or uniform representatives.
  • Develop excellent interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills.
Sport Media
Areas
  • Journalism
  • Broadcasting
  • Photojournalism
  • Sport information
Employers
  • Newspapers
  • Television stations
  • Radio stations
  • Magazines
  • Special interest sport publications
  • Sport-related internet sites
  • Colleges and universities
  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Professional associations
Sample occupations
  • Major in journalism, broadcasting, electronic media, photography, or English.
  • Supplement program with courses in sport management or physical education.
  • Obtain an internship or part-time job with local or university newspaper or radio/television station.
  • Publish, as much as possible, in college and local newspapers.
  • Create a portfolio of published work, both articles and photographs, or an online portfolio highlighting digital media skills.
  • Develop excellent public speaking and writing skills and a solid command of sports.
Exercise Science
Areas
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Assessment and evaluation
  • Program development
  • Athletic training
  • Personal training
  • Rehabilitation
  • Strength and conditioning
  • Health club management
  • Group fitness instruction
  • Sport medicine
  • Physical therapy
Employers
  • Colleges and universities
  • Public and private schools
  • Sport medicine centers
  • Hospitals and rehabilitation clinics
  • Health clubs and fitness centers
  • Professional teams
  • Corporate health centers
  • Professional fitness organizations
  • Olympic training centers
  • Competitive youth training centers
  • Nutritional supplement manufacturers
Sample occupations
  • Major in exercise science, exercise physiology, kinesiology, or sport medicine.
  • Supplement curriculum with nutrition and hard science courses.
  • Consider professional or graduate school in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, or sport medicine.
  • Obtain necessary certification such as Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Certified Personal Trainer, or National Athletic Trainer Certification.
  • Develop computer skills and familiarity with technology used in the field.
  • Work in a physical therapy clinic, health club, or gym to gain experience and make contacts.
  • Volunteer to work with college or high school sport teams or to run exercise programs for local, non-profit organizations.
  • Consider working with manufacturers of exercise equipment or nutritional supplements to learn more about the field and to make contacts.
  • Develop excellent interpersonal skills for working with clients, coaches, and team physicians.
  • Maintain personal fitness and athletic proficiency.
Physical Education
Areas
  • Teaching
  • Research
  • Adaptive physical education
  • Recreational sport administration
Employers
  • Public and private schools, K-12
  • Colleges and universities
  • Public and private preschool programs (e.g., Head Start)
  • Programs servicing children and adults with specials needs
Sample occupations
  • Obtain a degree in education, physical education, or other sport related field in addition to appropriate state teacher licensure.
  • Earn dual certification for increased job opportunities.
  • Become familiar with a variety of physical, cognitive, and affective disabilities if interested in an adaptive physical education career.
  • Supplement coursework with special education classes.
  • Secure a part-time position with a youth recreation center, college athletic facility, or intramural athletic administration department.
  • Develop competitive and instructive proficiency in a wide array of sports.
  • Serve as a tutor, peer mentor, resident assistant, or student advisor.
  • Obtain a graduate degree to teach at the college level or to advance into administrative positions.
  • Secure a graduate assistantship teaching physical education courses.
Coaching
Areas
  • Professional player personnel
  • College and universities
  • High school, public and private
  • Youth sport
Employers
  • Professional sport teams
  • Colleges and universities
  • High schools and middle schools
  • Recreational organizations or leagues (e.g., YMCA)
  • Country clubs
  • Racket clubs
  • Gyms
  • Tracks
  • Ice rinks
  • Golf and tennis resorts
  • City parks and recreation departments
  • Youth sport organizations (e.g., Little League Baseball)
  • Sport related franchises
  • Sport camps
Sample occupations
  • Obtain teacher licensure in an academic subject for high school or middle school coaching positions.
  • Gain extensive, advanced playing experience.
  • Research coaching certifications in various sports.
  • Develop additional knowledge in areas of strength training, fitness, nutrition, and conditioning.
  • Learn about and practice motivational techniques.
  • Become familiar with legal and regulatory issues related to coaching (e.g., NCAA regulations).
  • Volunteer to coach neighborhood, church, and community teams.
  • Attend practices of teams at various levels to observe coaches’ techniques.
  • Serve as a referee or umpire.
  • Seek a graduate assistant position in athletic administration, instruction, or coaching.
  • Obtain an assistant and then head coaching position at the university level to increase possibility of progressing to the professional level.
Officiating
Areas
  • Refereeing
  • Umpiring
  • Line judging
Employers
  • Professional sport leagues
  • College and university athletic associations
  • Amateur athletic associations
  • High school athletic associations
  • Recreational leagues
Sample occupations
  • Volunteer to umpire youth or Little League games.
  • Work as a referee for campus intramurals.
  • Be prepared to maintain full-time employment in addition to refereeing while you get started.
  • Join sport associations to stay current on developments in the field and to make contacts.
  • Attend classes, seminars, camps, and workshops sponsored by these organizations.
  • Obtain certification to officiate in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) games.
  • Attend an umpire training school or camp for professional opportunities.
  • Obtain the required ten years of collegiate football refereeing experience before applying to The National Football League (NFL).
  • Earn the Professional Football Referees Association licensure or other applicable credentials
Sport Psychology
Areas
  • Teaching
  • Research
  • Consultation
  • Performance enhancement
Employers
  • Colleges and universities
  • Olympic training centers
  • Competitive youth sport centers
  • Recreation organizations and leagues
  • Professional sport teams
  • Professional and competitive athletes
  • Hospitals
Sample occupations
  • Obtain a doctoral degree in sport psychology, sport sociology, or clinical/counseling psychology and complete postdoctoral training if you desire to work with professional sport teams or athletes.
  • Develop good relationships with coaches and other athletic department personnel.
  • Express a willingness to learn from coaches and athletes.
  • Gain experience in a variety of different sports.
  • Assist faculty with research.
  • Develop strong written and oral communication skills.
  • Consider coaching youth teams.
  • Develop social perceptiveness and active listening skills to use when working with athletes.
  • Learn necessary skills to teach athletes about consistent performance in training and competition.
  • Join professional associations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 47 (Exercise and Sport Psychology) or the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP).
Exercise and Health Psychology
Areas
  • Teaching
  • Research
  • Health promotion
  • Primary care
  • Inpatient medical
  • Specialized health care
Employers
  • Colleges and universities
  • Hospitals
  • Health clubs and fitness centers
  • Olympic training centers
  • Rehabilitation clinics
  • Public health agencies
Sample occupations
  • Major in one of the social sciences and supplement coursework with hard science classes.
  • Acquire training in the areas of research, grant-writing, and statistics.
  • Volunteer in a hospital or fitness center.
  • Develop strong written and oral communication skills.
  • Learn to work well in a team environment.
  • Maintain excellent personal fitness.
  • Earn a graduate degree in clinical, counseling, social, or experimental psychology for health psychology opportunities.
  • Earn a graduate degree in sport psychology, with an exercise emphasis, for a career in exercise psychology.
  • Pursue a postdoctoral internship or fellowship for advanced career opportunities.

General information and strategies

  • Identify a particular area of interest and then gain the best combination of educational preparation, experience, and skills because requirements will vary by field.
  • Be willing to work with sport teams and organizations in any capacity.
  • Careers in sport and athletics are extremely competitive.
  • Get as much experience as possible while in school, even if unpaid.
  • Read publications and attend meetings, seminars, and conventions to learn more about the field, as well as to make important contacts.
  • Get involved with campus sport teams, intramurals, or recreational programs and facilities.
  • Seek leadership roles, manage equipment and facilities, or plan events.
  • Look for jobs in the minor leagues as a way to enter the sport industry.
  • Earn a graduate or professional degree for increased opportunities.
  • Maintain excellent personal fitness and athletic proficiency.
  • Learn to relate well to a variety of people from different backgrounds and personalities.
  • Consider entering the field of athletics through skills and experience in another area such as accounting, sales, or information systems.
  • For player representation, pursue a degree in law to aid in negotiating contracts and financial planning.
  • Supplement program with courses in sport management or physical education.
  • Obtain necessary certification such as Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Certified Personal Trainer, or National Athletic Trainer Certification.