Florida State University’s online master’s 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.
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. You can learn more about the center at fsu-coach.fsu.edu.
- A bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA – An earned bachelor’s degree in any field from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor’s degree.
- Language proficiency test (international students only) – FSU accepts scores from TOEFL (minimum 80), IELTS (minimum 6.5), MELAB (minimum 77), Cambridge C1 Advanced Level (minimum 180), Michigan Language Assessment (minimum 55), and Duolingo (minimum 120)
- Transcripts – Official transcripts from each college/university attended should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions electronically at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or via mail in a sealed envelope:
- Florida State University
Office of Graduate Admissions
314 Westcott Building
P.O. Box 3061410
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410
USA
- Florida State University
- 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 portion. *NOTE: The GRE admission requirements for master's and specialist programs have been waived through Fall 2026.
- CV/resume: A professional review of your education, training, work experience, and skills that help to support why you should be accepted into the Master’s in Athletic Coaching program.
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Statement of Purpose: The statement of purpose should convince the FSU COACH faculty that you have the background and potential to be successful in the program. Include information about yourself, summarize your educational, athletic, and coaching experiences, and discuss how your future goals will be helped with the completion of this degree program. Statements should be limited between 500-1000 words and ideally, should be submitted in an APA-formatted Word document.
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Writing Sample: Submit a piece of writing that demonstrates your ability to analyze and accurately and professionally present a topic in Athletic Coaching. We recommend submitting a paper based on recent research or a current topic in sports, for example. However, you could use an undergraduate paper or something else you’ve written as long as it demonstrates the quality of your writing and it is professionally presented. The paper should be approximately 2,000-3,000 words and ideally be submitted in an APA-formatted Word document.
- Spring – November 1
- Summer – March 1
- Fall – July 1
Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA with a minimum of 30 credit hours earned within the approved program of study. All courses are offered online.
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Content Knowledge (18 hours) |
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Intrapersonal Knowledge |
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PET 5769 |
3 |
Theory & Practice of Athletic Coaching |
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PET 5175 |
3 |
Philosophy & Ethics of Sport & Coaching |
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Interpersonal Knowledge |
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PET 5250 |
3 |
Sociology of Sport & Cultural Foundations of Coaching |
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Professional Knowledge |
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PET 5235 |
3 |
Motor Learning for Coaches |
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APK 5121 |
3 |
Sport & Exercise Psychology for Coaches |
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PET 5392 |
3 |
Coaching for Human Performance |
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Research & Practice (6 hours) |
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PET 5530 |
3 |
Understanding & Conducting Research in Sports & Coaching |
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PET 5940 |
3 |
Athletic Coaching Internshipa |
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Electives (6 hours) – other electives may be approved by Program Director |
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PET 5855 |
3 |
International Perspectives of Coaching |
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PET 5856 |
3 |
Coaching the Athlete 360 |
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a Must complete PET 5735 and PET 5175 as prerequisites
A master's degree in Athletic Coaching from Florida State can open up a variety of career opportunities in the coaching and sports professions. Examples include, but are not limited to: sport coach, performance coach, personal trainer, sport scientist, scout, athletic director, coach educator, and sport development officer.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "employment of coaches and scouts is projected to grow 12 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Increasing participation in high school and college sports may boost demand for coaches and scouts."
