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College basketball coach education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a college basketball coach. College basketball coaches usually study kinesiology, communication, or psychology. 80% of college basketball coaches hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 83 real college basketball coach resumes to see exactly what college basketball coach education sections show.

The most common colleges for college basketball coaches are the Shawnee State University and the Shawnee State University.

There are also many online college basketball coach courses to help get the education required to be a college basketball coach.

What education do you need to become a college basketball coach?

What degree do you need to be a college basketball coach?

The most common degree for college basketball coaches is bachelor's degree, with 80% of college basketball coaches earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 8% and master's degree degree at 8%.
  • Bachelor's, 80%
  • Master's, 8%
  • Associate, 8%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a college basketball coach?

You should major in kinesiology to become a college basketball coach. 21% of college basketball coaches major in kinesiology. Other common majors for a college basketball coach include communication and psychology.

Most common colleges for college basketball coaches

College basketball coaches often get their degrees at Shawnee State University, Bluefield College, and North Central College. Here are the most common colleges for college basketball coaches in the US based on their resumes.
College basketball coach common collegePercentages
Shawnee State University9.52%
Bluefield College4.76%
North Central College4.76%
Charleston Southern University4.76%
Kansas State University4.76%

Best majors for college basketball coaches

RankMajorPercentages
1Kinesiology21.4%
2Communication10.7%
3Psychology7.1%
4Business7.1%
5Elementary Education7.1%

Best colleges for college basketball coaches

The best colleges for college basketball coaches are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Boston University.

A college basketball coach with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for college basketball coaches. 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 college basketball coaches.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

6. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

9. SUNY College at Oswego

Oswego, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,440

Enrollment

7,039

10. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

20 best online courses for college basketball coaches

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By the end of this project, you will create a fully functional Android Application using Java and Android Studio. you will be able to design an Android App from scratch and make it responsive to button touches by creating Basketball Score Counter Application. This project gives you a head start with one of the most widely used Mobile platforms, Android development. Learning Android Development will open the door for you to create rich Mobile applications customized to fit your needs. Note: This...

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Top 10 most affordable universities for college basketball coaches

The most affordable schools for college basketball coaches are California State University - Bakersfield, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for college basketball coaches 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 college basketball coaches.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for college basketball coaches

The hardest universities for college basketball coaches to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Boston University.

Some great schools for college basketball coaches 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 college basketball coaches 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. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,390

9. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

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 college basketball coaches

The easiest schools for college basketball coaches to get into are Wayland Baptist University, felician university, and bluefield college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a college basketball coach 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 college basketball coaches.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average college basketball coach salary by education level

According to our data, college basketball coaches with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $48,173 annually. College basketball coaches with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $47,909.
College basketball coach education levelCollege basketball coach salary
Master's Degree$47,909
High School Diploma or Less$40,876
Bachelor's Degree$48,173
Some College/ Associate Degree$42,825

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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