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Coach

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AVG. SALARY

$44,660

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EDUCATION

Bachelor's degree

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JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Education and Training cluster Teaching/Training pathway.

Beyond High School

Here's a list of programs that you should consider if you're interested in this career:

Education Level

Education training and experience are required at different levels for success in different occupations.

Bachelor's degree

Coaches typically need a bachelor’s degree. They must also have extensive knowledge of the sport. Coaches typically gain this knowledge through their own experiences playing the sport at some level.

Insider Info

Additional Information

If you think all it takes to become a football coach is a love of the game, you might as well hit the showers.

Lou Deslaurier is a head coach. He says a post-secondary education is a must.

"Minimum a BA," he says, "and if you have your master's, that's a definite bonus. And then any coaching certification you may have past the amateur playing or coaching experience, plus coaching courses."

"I think it would be helpful to have a kinesiology degree and a background in those kinds of things," says Brian Towriss, head coach of a university football team.

"And we've picked up a lot of those sport science things through the certification program and through other outside training over the years. But I guess if one wanted to embark on that career and say that's where they're going, certainly a background in exercise physiology is helpful."

Towriss himself has a commerce degree. "The other side of this job has so much to do from a head coaching level, at least with personnel relations. A lot of the management skills we got out of the commerce program were helpful too."

Extra Requirements

Most state high school athletic associations require coaches to be certified or at least complete mandatory education courses. Some schools may require coaches to have a teaching license and complete a background check. College and university coaches may need to meet certification or training requirements as outlined by college athletic associations.