Master of Education – Athletic Coaching Leadership Concentration

The primary goal of the Athletic Coaching Leadership (ACL) concentration is to provide well-qualified coaches for all levels of sports programs. The ACL strives to address the diverse needs of the coaching profession and respond to the changing needs of prospective and practicing coaches. The ACL will not be sport-specific. It will continue to develop appropriate sport and situation-specific program content to ensure the enjoyment, safety, and positive skills development of America’s coaches.

The interest in sports activities is at an all-time high in the United States and growing. Some factors that spark this interest involve the nature of the U.S. population. Children of the Baby Boomers are reaching high school and college-age, which is also the highest level of participation in organized sports and recreation activities. Interest in women’s sports at every level is growing. This growth has created a need for competent people to fill coaching positions at all levels. The Athlete Coaching Leadership concentration is designed to help meet the challenges generated by this growth.

Today in education many challenges are faced. Coaching leadership faces many of the same challenges as education. This concentration is used as a means to develop self-reliant, self-disciplined, responsible, and capable coaches to lead young men and women. The ACL will continually improve coaches' ability to instruct techniques, meet athlete needs, and advance sports performance. This coaching education program prepares both beginning coaches and experienced coaches, therefore we are not limited to teachers and coaches employed by school districts. We will prepare coaches who usually are responsible for a short duration, recreational competition. On the other hand, the ACL will prepare experienced coaches who more likely work with elite athletes on a year-round basis and includes a high level of competition, emphasizing advanced training, conditioning, techniques, and tactics.