Best Majors for Aspiring Football Coaches: Your Career Path

A career in coaching begins with a college degree.

Students who aspire to be a football coach can choose from many majors that will prepare them for a career on the gridiron. Although schools do not offer "coaching" degrees, aspiring coaches can enroll in a number of programs that will expose them to the principles they need to succeed as a football coach. Since there is no required major for football coaches, students have the freedom to choose a major that interests them.

Sports Management

Aspiring coaches who have an interest in the business side of sports can choose to major in sports management. Coaches are administrators of the football program and have to deal with the everyday tasks of running the program beyond coaching during the game. Thus, a degree in sports management can expose aspiring coaches to topics that include facility management, sports ethics, sports marketing and intercollegiate and professional sports. This broad-based sports knowledge can benefit a coach as he begins his career.

Exercise Science

Aspiring coaches with an interest in the sciences can choose to major in exercise science. This field analyzes how environmental conditions affect the human body and its performance. This concept can apply directly to the football field since overheating or excessive physical challenges on the field can affect the way football players perform. Students will complete courses in strength and conditioning, sports nutrition and first aid, all of which are useful concepts to know as a football coach.

Athletic Training

A degree in athletic training can be relevant background for an aspiring coach. Students majoring in athletic training learn the standards established by the Commission on Accrediting Athletic Training Education, which will prove useful to a football coach. Students learn how to prevent and treat athletic injuries, which commonly occur in the hard-hitting sport of football. Understanding how to treat these injuries will help football coaches ensure player safety.

Physical Education

Football coaches are similar to teachers in that they lead young people and teach them principles to succeed on the football field. Thus, majoring in physical education can be useful for an aspiring football coach. These programs touch on education principles, such as educational psychology and instructional planning. In addition, they familiarize students with science concepts concerning anatomy and physiology. Thus, physical education majors have a well-rounded background that prepares them for a career as a football coach.