Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Coach/instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a coach/instructor. Coach/instructors usually study elementary education, education, or educational leadership. 58% of coach/instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 29% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,217 real coach/instructor resumes to see exactly what coach/instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for coach/instructors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online coach/instructor courses to help get the education required to be a coach/instructor.
There are certain coach/instructor certifications that you should consider. These coach/instructor certifications include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
What education do you need to become a coach/instructor?
What degree do you need to be a coach/instructor?
- Bachelor's, 58%
- Master's, 29%
- Associate, 6%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a coach/instructor?
- Elementary Education, 15%
- Education, 12%
- Business, 9%
- Other Majors, 53%
Most common colleges for coach/instructors
| Coach/instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 12.37% |
| Walden University | 6.70% |
| Texas A&M University | 6.19% |
| Georgia State University | 5.67% |
| Grand Canyon University | 5.41% |
Best majors for coach/instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elementary Education | 14.7% |
| 2 | Education | 11.5% |
| 3 | Educational Leadership | 10.7% |
| 4 | Business | 9.0% |
| 5 | Psychology | 6.1% |
Best colleges for coach/instructors
The best colleges for coach/instructors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A coach/instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for coach/instructors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become coach/instructors.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
8. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
9. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
20 best online courses for coach/instructors
Advertising disclosure
1. Career Coaching Certification in Career Development Coaching
Career Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Ready-To-Work Professionals in Holistic Career Development Career Coaching...
2. Positive Psychology Accredited Coach Diploma: [Level 2]
Prerequisite for Business Coach Level 3 AND One of the Nine Prerequisites Required for Positive Psychology Master Coach...
3. Financial Planning Coaching Certification Holistic Coaching
Financial Planning Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Prepared Professionals in Holistic Financial Planning Coaching...
4. Group Life Coaching Certification (Accredited)
Training for life coaches who want to grow their business through offering life coaching groups...
5. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate
Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...
6. Personal Development Life Coach Certification1 Training
Personal Development Life Coach Training Course Graduates Prepared Professionals in Personal Development Life Coaching...
7. Certified Relationship Workshop Facilitator for Life Coaches
Empower others to create enlightened relationships by conducting group life coaching through relationship workshops...
8. Management Coaching Employee Performance Coach Certification
Set expectations, assess performance, provide feedback, increase productivity, develop employee potential...
9. Instructional Design for Classroom Training
Design effective and engaging in-person classroom training sessions and learning experiences from scratch...
10. Stress Management Coaching Certification CGRSC Stress Coach
Stress Management Coaching Practitioner Course Graduates Prepared Professionals in CGRSC Stress Management Coaching...
11. Instructional Design for ELearning
Designing Successful ELearning Courses. Learn from a multi-award-winning instructional designer...
12. Instructional Design Pro (Part 1): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
13. Instructional Design Pro (Part 3): No Beginners Allowed!
Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...
14. Professional Life Coach Certification PCELC Coach Training
Life Coach Training Practitioner Course Graduating Prepared and Ready-To-Work PCELC Professionals in Life Coaching...
15. Management Coaching: Coaching Employees for High Performance
Management Coaching and Communication Course, that Enables Any Manager to Achieve Better Employee & Team Performance...
16. Professional Life Coach Certification & Guide (Accredited)
Become a certified life coach & grow your life coaching business! Done-for-you forms, tools, processes & best practices...
17. Coaching Business Plan How to Start a Life Coaching Business
Coaching Business Plan for Life Coaches with Coaching Vision Coaching Niche Coaching Clients Marketing Plan for Coaching...
18. The complete Instructional Designer course
Learn the skills to become an e Learning Instructional Designer for Corporate Learning and Development...
19. Life Coach Certification Associate ACELC Life Coach Training
Life Coach Training Practitioner Course Graduating Prepared and Ready-To-Work ACELC Professionals in Life Coaching...
20. Career Coaching: Life Coach Certification (Accredited)
Life coach your clients to a successful job search, resume, interviewing skills, Linked In networking & career they love...
Top 10 most affordable universities for coach/instructors
The most affordable schools for coach/instructors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for coach/instructors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for coach/instructors.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
9. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for coach/instructors
The hardest universities for coach/instructors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for coach/instructors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for coach/instructors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for coach/instructors
The easiest schools for coach/instructors to get into are Barry University, felician university, and holy names university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a coach/instructor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for coach/instructors.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
3. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
9. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
10. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
Average coach/instructor salary by education level
| Coach/instructor education level | Coach/instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $55,177 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $49,239 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $55,395 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $50,912 |
Coach/instructor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for coach/instructor jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025