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Football coach education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a football coach. Football coaches usually study kinesiology, business, or health education. 70% of football coaches hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 4,552 real football coach resumes to see exactly what football coach education sections show.
The most common colleges for football coaches are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online football coach courses to help get the education required to be a football coach.
There are certain football coach certifications that you should consider. These football coach certifications include Certified Personal Trainer and Master Certified Coach (MCC).
What education do you need to become a football coach?
What degree do you need to be a football coach?
- Bachelor's, 70%
- Associate, 10%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Master's, 9%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a football coach?
- Kinesiology, 16%
- Business, 14%
- Health Education, 10%
- Criminal Justice, 8%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for football coaches
| Football coach common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 7.19% |
| Florida State University | 6.83% |
| Ohio State University | 6.47% |
| Ball State University | 5.76% |
| Eastern Michigan University | 5.40% |
Best majors for football coaches
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kinesiology | 15.5% |
| 2 | Business | 14.2% |
| 3 | Health Education | 10.0% |
| 4 | Criminal Justice | 8.3% |
| 5 | Education | 6.7% |
Best colleges for football coaches
The best colleges for football coaches are Northwestern University, Boston University, and George Washington University, The.
A football 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 football 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 football coaches.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
2. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
6. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$3,926
Enrollment
9,835
7. SUNY College at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,369
Enrollment
5,229
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
20 best online courses for football coaches
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Top 10 most affordable universities for football coaches
The most affordable schools for football coaches are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for football 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 football coaches.
1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
5. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
10. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for football coaches
The hardest universities for football coaches to get into are Northwestern University, Boston University, and George Washington University, The.
Some great schools for football 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 football 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. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
3. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,321
6. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
8. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Admissions rate
50%
SAT average
1,284
9. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for football coaches
The easiest schools for football coaches to get into are Wayland Baptist University, felician university, and ottawa university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a football 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 football 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. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,017
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average football coach salary by education level
| Football coach education level | Football coach salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $48,427 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $41,691 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $48,679 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $43,564 |
Football coach education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025