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College of Applied Human Sciences: School of Sport Sciences

Coaching and Performance Science, BS

Our Coaching and Performance Science (CPS) bachelor's degree is one of the only kinesiology undergraduate programs in the country specifically focused on coaching and performance science.

The CPS degree is ideal for people who aspire to:

Work in diverse settings with participants varying in skill and ages
Be an agent of change through their interactions, communication and motivation of people to reach their potential

Students graduating with a degree in CPS could work with high-performance athletes in athletic or tactical contexts, or with recreational participants in community or club leagues.

CollegeRank identified WVU’s BS in Coaching and Performance Science as the 8th-best coaching bachelor’s degree program based on potential salary after graduating, individual program accreditation, and overall affordability in 2021.

Your Degree Plan The WVU Difference Learn by Doing Careers and Outcomes Meet Your Community Places and Spaces Admission Requirements Tuition and Aid Take the Next Steps

Your Degree Plan

Intro

This program will prepare you for the dynamic sport coaching industry. Students graduate with the necessary skills to work with a diverse population ranging from high-performance athletes, to military personnel, or recreational sport participants.

The Coaching and Performance Science program blends cutting-edge sport/movement science and professional development to best prepare our graduates for the exciting, ever growing field of athletics and sport sciences.

CPS students develop three knowledge components through a variety of types of learning experiences, including hands-on coaching experiences.

Interpersonal knowledge: Behaviors and tactics a person uses to interact with others effectively, including vital communication skills.
Professional knowledge: Combining tactical sport expertise, designing developmentally appropriate training programs and pedagogical knowledge all for the purpose of increasing a person’s performance.
Intrapersonal knowledge: Self awareness through reflective practice and critical reflection to improve one’s ability to coach.

With the growth of athletic coaching, the profession of coaching continues to become more specialized. To ensure our graduates leave with the essential professional knowledge, students will complete one of the following areas of emphasis:

Coaching and Leadership

Emphasis on adolescent development and developmental issues
Develop leadership skills and administrative knowledge to lead a sport team and/or sport program

Strength and Conditioning

Science of training, designing training prescriptions, and ability to coach athletes both in and out of a weight room
Learn the knowledge and practical skills necessary to pass the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam

Tailor this major to your interests by taking one of these courses as you pursue your degree:

ACE 256:
Principles and Problems of Coaching
Designed to teach students the principles and problems of interscholastic athletic coaching.
ACE 330:
Coaching Education Administration
An administrative focus of leadership, finance, fundraising, planning, facility development, personnel supervision, public relations, rules and regulations, purchase and care of equipment and the conducting of athletic events.
ACE 369:
Basic Strength/Condtng-Coaches
Present basic exercise performance methodologies to assist in coaching athletics. Types of training include speed drills, agility drills, conditioning workouts, flexibility exercises, balance-improvement drills and proper training environment safety techniques.
ACE 372:
Sport Specific Strength and Conditioning
Present optimal training for athletics of different sports in trained and untrained states. Specific protocols in resistance training and conditioning, correcting specific running and speed mechanics and agility movements.
ACE 410:
Training Theories for Coaches
Application of sport training theories to building, designing and assessing athlete training plans, seasonal team development and long term athlete development from physical literacy to peak performance at all participation levels.
ACE 457:
Introduction to Sport Technology and Sport Science
Develop and implement appropriate monitoring and training evaluation plans in sport training. Learn how to evaluate technology-based tools to allow coaches to optimizing the training process and training adjustment decisions.

Tailor this major to your interests by focusing your coursework in one of these areas:

Coaching and Leadership

Is your professional goal to lead a sport program? This area of emphasis is for you. Courses focus on the development of sport-specific expertise, underlying scientific content knowledge as well as the essential interpersonal and intrapersonal skills necessary for quality teaching and leadership within the sport context. The program will challenge you to focus on your personal professional foundation and ongoing development through the integration of applied sport science and hands-on application in coaching.

Sample courses: Athletic Coaching Administration, Principles of Leadership
Strength and Conditioning

If your professional goal is to be a strength coach, this is your path. This concentration of courses focuses on the science of training, designing training prescriptions and the ability to coach, both in and out of a weight room. You will develop strength and conditioning skills and learn how to teach these skills to peers, as well as how to administer different strength and power tests in our instructional performance lab. You'll gain the knowledge and practical skills necessary to sit for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam.

Sample courses: Sport Specific Strength and Conditioning, Strength and Conditioning Coaching Techniques

Take advantage of special options related to this major:

Honors

Expand your curiosity — and enhance your curriculum — through the WVU Honors College. Two programs are offered: Honors Foundations for first- and second-year students and Honors EXCEL for third- and fourth-year students.
Explore Honors

The WVU Difference

What sets this program apart from its competitors?

Rankings

Ranked
8th
CollegeRank's Best Bachelor's in Coaching (2021)

Opportunities to work with faculty who are internationally recognized in their field.
Independent study available with the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Sciences.
Hands-on learning experiences available with faculty, WVU Athletics, and athletes of all developmental levels including youth, interscholastic, collegiate, professional and master levels.
Opportunities to earn professional certifications built into the curriculum, making graduates more marketable within the industry.
Flexible curriculum prepares students for graduate school or employment in the dynamic field of athletics and recreation.
Curriculum aligned with the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE).
Curriculum based on the long-term athlete development model.
The Army is hiring strength coaches to improve the individual readiness of soldiers as part of their Holistic Health and Fitness or H2F.
The WVU School of Sport Sciences was recently recognized as one of the best in the country by Newsweek.
The College of Applied Human Sciences awards nearly $500,000 in scholarships to students each year.

Scholarships

Over 92% of WVU freshmen receive grants or scholarships (2022-2023).

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Learn by Doing

Learning happens outside the classroom. Get involved.

Coaches of tomorrow will be applied and evidence-based professionals. You will participate in an active research and learning process throughout your time in our undergraduate program. As you explore the art and science of coaching, you are engaged within the community practicing and applying their developing knowledge and skills. Experiential learning opportunities include:

coaching a sports team,
interviewing a coach,
observing a scholastic or collegiate sports practice or
actively reflecting on a community.

Network with professionals in your field as a student member of:

Recent graduates and current students have completed coaching internships in the following settings:

Youth sport organizations
Collegiate sport programs
Middle and high school athletics
Special Olympics or other programs for persons with disabilities
Health, wellness and fitness facilities
Campus recreation
Intramural and club sports
Strength and conditioning programs
U.S. Military bases as part of their Performance Teams

Attending college will prepare you for many things. The Coaching and Performance Science major will give you the following skills:

Interpersonal and intrapersonal skills necessary for quality teaching and leadership
Strength and conditioning skills
Teaching skills

Live, study and pursue outside-the-classroom learning in a residence hall community that shares your interests:

Outside of the Evansdale Crossing building.

What you learn outside of the classroom is just as important as what you learn during class. We’ll help you follow your curiosity.

Careers and Outcomes

How does this degree prepare students for a career?

Fitness and Wellness Coordinators

Manage or coordinate fitness and wellness programs and services. Manage and train staff of wellness specialists, health educators or fitness instructors.

Median Salary: $57,570

Possible job titles include: Fitness and Wellness Director, Fitness Coordinator, Fitness/Wellness Director, Wellness Director.

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Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses in health specialties, in fields such as dentistry, laboratory technology, medicine, pharmacy, public health, therapy and veterinary medicine.

Has a Bright Outlook , May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $105,650

Possible job titles include: Assistant Professor, Clinical Professor, Physical Therapy Professor, Professor.

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Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Teach courses pertaining to recreation, leisure and fitness studies, including exercise physiology and facilities management. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

May require a Graduate Degree

Median Salary: $75,770

Possible job titles include: Coach, Professor, Health and Physical Education Professor (HPE Professor), Physical Education Professor (PE Professor).

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Coaches and Scouts

Instruct or coach groups or individuals in the fundamentals of sports. Demonstrate techniques and methods of participation. May evaluate athletes' strengths and weaknesses as possible recruits or to improve the athletes' technique to prepare them for competition. Those required to hold teaching degrees should be reported in the appropriate teaching category.

Has a Bright Outlook

Median Salary: $45,910

Possible job titles include: Baseball Coach, Basketball Coach, Coach, Football Coach.

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Umpires, Referees and Other Sports Officials

Officiate at competitive athletic or sporting events. Detect infractions of rules and decide penalties according to established regulations. Includes all sporting officials, referees and competition judges.

Has a Bright Outlook

Median Salary: $35,820

Possible job titles include: Referee, Horse Show Judge, Major League Baseball Umpire, Sports Official.

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