Studies & Degrees in Coaching
Coaching Study Programs
Coaching covers two different fields of study that share one idea: helping other people perform better. In sport, a coach teaches athletes the skills they need and prepares them for competition. In business and personal development, a coach works with a client, usually through structured conversations, on professional goals, leadership or change. Schools teach both, but the qualifications, the entry requirements and the careers are not the same, so the first decision is which kind of coaching a programme is about.
What students learn
Sport coaching programmes combine sport science with teaching practice. SUNY Cortland, in the United States, describes strong teaching skills, motivation and communication as the key attributes of coaching. Its students learn to use physiology, nutrition and corrective techniques to help players improve, to plan and oversee practices, to instruct groups or individuals in the basics of a sport and to demonstrate techniques, with practical experience in the coaching field.
Executive and personal coaching programmes train conversation and observation skills: listening, asking questions, building the relationship with the client and reflecting on one's own practice. Instituto Hune in Madrid, for example, lists reflection on coaching competencies and on building an effective relationship with the client among the aims of its certification course, which includes observed sessions with a mentor coach.
Qualifications and levels
- University degrees in sport coaching. In the United States the subject is taught as a major or minor, usually within kinesiology or physical education departments. The coaching programme at SUNY Cortland leads to a Bachelor of Science of 124 credit hours.
- Official sports qualifications in Spain. Coaches of a specific sport are trained through the enseñanzas deportivas, which the Spanish Ministry of Education describes as preparing students for professional activity in a sport or sport speciality. They are organised in two levels, grado medio and grado superior, and lead to the titles of Técnico Deportivo and Técnico Deportivo Superior in sports such as football, basketball, handball and athletics.
- Executive and personal coaching programmes. These are mostly short programmes and school's own qualifications offered by business schools and training companies, not official degrees. Many are approved by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a professional association whose credentials are called ACC, PCC and MCC. The Ciclo Fundamental en Coaching Dialógico of IDDI, the executive education unit of the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, has 125 teaching hours, is taught on site in Madrid on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and is accredited by the ICF as a Level 2 programme; the listed price is €4,850 (checked in October 2026). The school notes that full certification is obtained after the practice hours required by the ICF.
- Continuing training for working coaches. The online certification course of Instituto Hune is aimed at coaches who already have ICF-approved training and want to renew their credential or apply for a higher one. It lasts a maximum of three months and includes four observed online sessions of two hours.
Where to study it
This directory lists 31 schools that teach coaching. Sixteen are in Spain and nine in the United States; the United Kingdom has two, and Australia, South Africa, Venezuela and Slovenia have one each.
The Spanish schools are mainly business schools, university executive education units and training companies in Madrid, Barcelona and the Basque Country, such as IDDI, Instituto Hune, ESDEN Business School, Growman Group, Criteria and Escuela de Negocios ESEUNE, together with universities such as the Universidad Camilo José Cela and the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM). They teach in Spanish, and several programmes are offered online. The schools in the United States are universities and colleges, among them SUNY Cortland, Mount St. Joseph University, Mars Hill University, Morehead State University and the University of Connecticut; teaching there is in English. London Metropolitan University is one of the two schools in the United Kingdom.
Careers
Sport coaches work in schools, colleges, clubs and professional teams. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, coaches and scouts typically need a bachelor's degree, although requirements range from no formal credential to a higher degree, and they need extensive knowledge of the sport. Certification often requires coaches to be at least 18 years old and trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid, and public high school coaches may need to be certified. The Bureau projects employment of coaches and scouts in the United States to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, and notes that part-time work is common.
Executive and personal coaches often work independently or inside companies, in human resources, leadership development or consultancy. IDDI addresses its programme to experienced professionals who want to become certified coaches, to managers who want to use coaching skills as leaders, to consultants working on people development, and to professionals in education and health. Coaching of this kind is not a regulated profession with an official degree; credentials come from professional associations such as the ICF.
Frequently asked questions
Is a coaching certificate an official degree?
Usually not. Executive and personal coaching programmes are school's own qualifications, and some are accredited by a professional association such as the ICF. Official qualifications exist for sport: university degrees, and in Spain the titles of Técnico Deportivo and Técnico Deportivo Superior.
How long does it take to train as an executive coach?
Programmes are measured in hours rather than years. The Ciclo Fundamental en Coaching Dialógico of IDDI has 125 teaching hours; the practice hours that the ICF requires for a credential come on top of that.
Do I need a degree to become a sport coach?
It depends on the country and the level. In the United States, coaches typically need a bachelor's degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but requirements vary. In Spain, the enseñanzas deportivas offer a route at grado medio and grado superior level.
In which language are coaching programmes taught?
In the language of the country: Spanish at the Spanish schools in this directory and English at the schools in the United States and the United Kingdom.