Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Science
Nature of the Program
This major prepares you to work with high-performance athletes in the athletic or tactical contexts, or with recreational participants in community or club leagues. As a profession, coaching has evolved well beyond merely teaching skills and strategy to athletes. Today, coaches need to evaluate and monitor athlete performance from the perspective of both a sport scientist and a sport pedagogist. The Coaching and Performance Science major is designed to provide a pedagogical foundation whether coaching “on-field” or “off-field” coaching (e.g., strength and conditioning, athlete performance and recovery). Students will complete an area of emphasis in one of the following areas: Coaching and Leadership or Strength and Conditioning. The Strength and Conditioning AoE is a CASCE-accredited program which ensures students can take the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS) exam.
The Coaching and Leadership area focuses on the development of domain-specific and 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 challenges students to focus on their personal and professional foundation and ongoing development through the integration of applied sport science and hands-on application in coaching.
The Strength and Conditioning area of emphasis concentrates on the science of training, designing training prescriptions, athlete monitoring and performance assessment, and better overall steering of the training/recovery process. Students complete a 300-hour in-person internship with high school and collegiate athletic teams as part of the capstone experience.
Admissions for 2026-2027
First-Time Freshmen who meet the University requirements are directly admitted into the Coaching and Performance Science program.
Students admitted from other majors within WVU must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA).
Students transferring from another institution must be in good academic standing (2.0 GPA).
Major Code: 5510
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 65 | |
| Career and Professional Development Sequence | 0 | |
| Coaching and Performance Science Major Requirements | 55 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 | 30 | |
| CAHS 191 | First-Year Seminar | 2 |
| General Electives | 33 | |
| Total Hours | 65 | |
Professional and Career Development Sequence
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Sequence | ||
| First-Year Seminar | ||
| Career Exploration in Applied Human Sciences | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Capstone Strength and Conditioning | ||
| Capstone Experience in AHS | ||
| Total Hours | 0 | |
Coaching and Performance Science Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACE 149 | Introduction to Applied Anatomy | 3 |
| PET 175 | Motor Development | 2 |
| PET 215 | Adapted Sports and Physical Activity for All Learners (GEF 7) | 3 |
| PET 244 | Motor Learning and Performance | 2 |
| ACE 256 | Foundations of Coaching | 3 |
| SEP 272 | Introduction to Sport and Performance Psychology (GEF 4) | 3 |
| CAHS 300 | Career Exploration in Applied Human Sciences | 3 |
| ACE 307 | Applied Sport Physiology | 3 |
| ACE 310 | Coaching Pedagogy | 3 |
| ACE 327 | Applied Biomechanics | 3 |
| ACE 369 | Foundations of Strength and Conditioning | 3 |
| ACE 410 | Training Theories for Coaches | 3 |
| ACE 430 | Coaching Program Administration | 3 |
| PET 477 | Adapted Sports and Physical Activity Practicum | 3 |
| Complete one of the following Areas of Emphasis (AoE) | 15 | |
Coaching & Leadership | ||
Strength and Conditioning | ||
| Total Hours | 55 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | GEF 3 | 3 |
| SEP 272 (GEF 4) | 3 | ACE 149 | 3 |
| GEF 2 | 3 | PET 244 | 2 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | ACE 256 | 3 |
| PET 175 | 2 | ENGL 102 | 3 |
| CAHS 191 | 2 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| PET 215 (GEF 7) | 3 | GEF 2 | 3 |
| ACE 307 | 3 | ACE 327 | 3 |
| ACE 310 | 3 | ACE 369 | 3 |
| CAHS 300 | 3 | Complete one of the following AoE courses: | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| GEF 8 | 3 | ACE 410 | 3 |
| Complete one of the following AoE courses: | 3 | PET 477 | 3 |
| Complete one of the following AoE courses: | 3 | ||
| Complete one of the following AoE courses: | 3 | ||
| General Electives | 6 | ||
| General Electives | 6 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| GEF 6 | 3 | GEF 8 | 3 |
| GEF 8 | 3 | General Electives | 12 |
| ACE 430 | 3 | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | ||
| General Electives | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Areas of Emphasis Offered:
Coaching and Leadership Area of Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACE 265 | Sport is Life | 3 |
| SEP 350 | Leadership Theory and Application in Sport | 3 |
| SEP 385 | Performance Psychology of Teams and Groups | 3 |
| CDFS 412 | Adolescent Development | 3 |
| or CDFS 410 | The Science of Positive Youth Development | |
| CAHS 489 | Capstone Experience in AHS | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Strength and Conditioning Area of Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HN&F 200 | Nutrition/Activity/Health | 3 |
| ACE 257 | Assessment and Monitoring in Strength and Conditioning | 3 |
| ACE 371 | Coaching and Cueing in Strength and Conditioning | 3 |
| ACE 387 | Periodization and Programming in Strength and Conditioning | 3 |
| ACE 475 | Capstone Strength and Conditioning | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Major Learning Outcomes
Coaching and Performance Science
The goal of the program is for students to graduate with the essential skills and knowledge to work with athletes in a variety of contexts across their lifetime.
By the completion of the program, graduates:
- will integrate disciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions and apply them to professional issues in coaching and performance science.
- will reflect on their professional readiness and think critically about the continued refinement of the disciplinary knowledge, skills, and dispositions learned across the curriculum in coaching and performance science.
- will model professional and ethical behaviors that are consistent with industry standards and the related recommendations for best practice learned across coaching and performance science.
- will demonstrate the ability to evaluate and integrate best practices for assessing athlete needs and designing, implementing, and evaluating practice plans.