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Head football coach education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a head football coach. Head football coaches usually study health education, education, or business. 68% of head football coaches hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,945 real head football coach resumes to see exactly what head football coach education sections show.
The most common colleges for head football coaches are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online head football coach courses to help get the education required to be a head football coach.
There are certain head football coach certifications that you should consider. These head football coach certifications include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Master Certified Coach (MCC).
What education do you need to become a head football coach?
What degree do you need to be a head football coach?
- Bachelor's, 68%
- Master's, 18%
- Associate, 6%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a head football coach?
- Health Education, 18%
- Education, 13%
- Business, 11%
- Kinesiology, 11%
- Other Majors, 47%
Most common colleges for head football coaches
| Head football coach common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 10.29% |
| The University of Alabama | 6.37% |
| Western Michigan University | 6.37% |
| Northeastern State University | 5.39% |
| Troy University | 5.39% |
Best majors for head football coaches
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Education | 17.5% |
| 2 | Education | 13.1% |
| 3 | Business | 11.5% |
| 4 | Kinesiology | 10.6% |
| 5 | Elementary Education | 5.8% |
Best colleges for head football coaches
The best colleges for head football coaches are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A head 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 head 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 head football coaches.
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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
20 best online courses for head football coaches
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Top 10 most affordable universities for head football coaches
The most affordable schools for head football coaches 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 head 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 head football coaches.
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 head football coaches
The hardest universities for head football coaches to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for head 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 head 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. 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 head football coaches
The easiest schools for head football coaches 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 head 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 head football coaches.
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 de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
10. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
Average head football coach salary by education level
| Head football coach education level | Head football coach salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $50,087 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $42,759 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,362 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $44,790 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025