Sport Coaching Minor

SPORT COACHING MINOR

The Sport Coaching Minor provides students the opportunity to get certified as a coach without any other trainings, in Massachusetts, New York and Vermont. This includes, but is not limited to coaching at the college, middle school and high school levels.

The mission of the program is to prepare students to become certified athletic coaches and to be ready for employment in their chosen setting. The curriculum will utilize theory, discussion, kinesthetic and practical application to prepare students in the coaching field.

"The coaching program at MCLA strengthened my ambition to be a coach. The opportunity to be immersed in field experience was a necessary milestone to becoming the coach I am today. I am grateful for the depth of skills I learned through this program."
— Anna Despart '17, Head Varsity Tennis and Basketball Coach at Emma Willard.

Sport Coaching Minor Learning Objectives

Students will demonstrate effective communication skills in the sport coaching setting.
Students will demonstrate professional and ethical behaviors in the sport coaching setting.
Students will demonstrate the ability to synthesize, critically appraise and apply knowledge attained in the sport coaching setting, in order to prevent injury and increase athletic skill and performance.

Curriculum

Required courses (12 credits):

HLTH 201 Exercise Science - 3 credits
PHED 200 Exercise Injury Prevention and Care - 3 credits
PHED 300 Fundamentals of Coaching - 3 credits
PHED 540 Internship in Sport Coaching – 3 credits

Electives (choose 3; 9-10 credits):

BADM 240 – Issues in Event & Sports Management – 3 credits
BADM 346 – Athletics Administration – 3 credits
BADM 366 – Team Facilitation – 3 credits
BADM 440/440H – Advanced Leadership – 3 credits
BIOL 250 – Nutrition – 3 credits
BIOL 403 – Applied Nutrition – 3 credits
BIOL 440 – Exercise Physiology – 4 credits
BIOL 484 – Biomechanics – 3 credits
HLTH 210 – Human Growth & Development - 3 credits
PSYC 208/208H – Applied Developmental Psychology or PSYC 210 – Developmental Psychology – 3 credits
PSYC 376 – Sport Psychology – 3 credits
SOCI 316 – Sociology of Sport – 3 credits

Note: With the approval of the sport coaching advisor and department chair, other courses related to sports coaching may be taken as electives for the minor

"The coaching minor at MCLA prepared me to handle the challenges of coaching right away. The lessons I learned in the classroom helped me create, and develop my philosophy. My coaching practicum allowed me to have a hands-on experience and put those classroom lessons to the test, it was an experience I will not forget."
— Robert Jutras ’16, Physical Education Teacher at Mt. Greylock Regional School, Assistant Football and Baseball Coach at Drury High School

Internship Sites

“The Sport Coaching Minor is a holistic program that allows students to learn more about the X’s and O’s of coaching. Students will have the opportunity to learn about athletic administration, exercise physiology, bio mechanics, nutrition, sport psychology and much more. I was able to use my knowledge from the class room and directly apply it to real life scenarios while completing my coaching internship. The combination of class experience and on field experience made me feel prepared and confident to jump right into a coaching role and make an immediate impact as I do today in my current role. I encourage anyone who is interested in becoming a coach or administrator to take the coaching minor!”
— Natalie Caney ’17, Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)