Georgia·Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations·SOC 27-2022

Best Coach programs in Georgia, ranked by enrollment

Instruct or coach groups or individuals in the fundamentals of sports for the primary purpose of competition. Demonstrate techniques and methods of participation.

25 schools in Georgia run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,044 people a year. The job pays a median of $48,210 in Georgia across about 4,510 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledCoachFootball CoachBasketball CoachTrack and Field CoachSki CoachGolf CoachSwim CoachTrack Coach
Graduates / yr
1,044
in Georgia
Median pay · Georgia
$48,210
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
4,510
people employed
Schools
25
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
50%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,586
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Georgia that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in Georgia that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Georgia (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Georgia page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 31.0504In Georgia
604
57.9%
16$30,426$25,643
2
CIP 13.1314In Georgia
304
29.1%
12$43,033$26,044
3
CIP 31.0501In Georgia
136
13.0%
4$30,426$25,643

Top 25 schools in Georgia

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 25 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Georgia
Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
197Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$33,10890%38%
2Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
159Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$30,46952%69%
3Valdosta State University
Valdosta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
113Physical Education Teaching and Coaching$40,64242%72%
4Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
91Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$29,32055%88%
5University of West Georgia
Carrollton, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
83Physical Education Teaching and Coaching$43,30843%52%
6Emory University
Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
66Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General$37,97491%$20,58611%
7Reinhardt University
Waleska, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
66Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$31,90044%$28,04062%
8Augusta University
Augusta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
49Physical Education Teaching and Coaching$54,15649%86%
9Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
44Sport and Fitness Administration/Management53%55%
10Morehouse College
Atlanta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
26Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General$26,15859%$36,43144%
11Life University
Marietta, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
25Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General38%$30,66793%
12Shorter University
Rome, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
22Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$24,29138%$16,76796%
13Middle Georgia State University
Macon, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
19Sport and Fitness Administration/Management25%100%
14Georgia College & State University
Milledgeville, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
17Physical Education Teaching and Coaching64%78%
15Berry College
Mount Berry, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
12Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$25,09169%$20,10864%
16Covenant College
Lookout Mountain, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
10Sport and Fitness Administration/Management71%$22,53587%
17Emmanuel University
Franklin Springs, GA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
10Sport and Fitness Administration/Management42%$19,20474%
18Clayton State University
Morrow, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
7Sport and Fitness Administration/Management40%68%
19Toccoa Falls College
Toccoa Falls, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Sport and Fitness Administration/Management44%$20,41066%
20Columbus State University
Columbus, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
6Physical Education Teaching and Coaching$40,61642%99%
21Fort Valley State University
Fort Valley, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
6Physical Education Teaching and Coaching41%66%
22Georgia Southwestern State University
Americus, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
5Physical Education Teaching and Coaching41%75%
23University of North Georgia
Dahlonega, GA Public · 1 feeder programs
2Physical Education Teaching and Coaching$42,10237%68%
24Andrew College
Cuthbert, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Sport and Fitness Administration/Management33%$23,07146%
25Piedmont University
Demorest, GA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Sport and Fitness Administration/Management47%$20,04993%

All 25 schools in Georgia

Every school in Georgia with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Georgia that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of GeorgiaAthensPublic1972
Kennesaw State UniversityKennesawPublic1592
Valdosta State UniversityValdostaPublic1131
Georgia Southern UniversityStatesboroPublic912
University of West GeorgiaCarrolltonPublic832
Emory UniversityAtlantaPrivate not-for-profit661
Reinhardt UniversityWaleskaPrivate not-for-profit661
Augusta UniversityAugustaPublic492
Georgia State UniversityAtlantaPublic442
Morehouse CollegeAtlantaPrivate not-for-profit261
Life UniversityMariettaPrivate not-for-profit251
Shorter UniversityRomePrivate not-for-profit221
Middle Georgia State UniversityMaconPublic191
Georgia College & State UniversityMilledgevillePublic171
Berry CollegeMount BerryPrivate not-for-profit121

What coaches and scouts earn in Georgia

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Georgia
$48,210
Mean annual
$54,060
Jobs in state
4,510
What the range looks like
10th pct$27,190Median$48,21090th pct$80,900
Versus the national median
+1.9%

U.S. median $47,320. Georgia pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.58×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Georgia

Macon-Bibb County, GA
$51,560median
120 jobs
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$49,750median
2,810 jobs
Valdosta, GA
$51,440median
40 jobs
Savannah, GA
$49,760median
190 jobs
Gainesville, GA
$44,300median
100 jobs
Athens-Clarke County, GA
$51,600median
150 jobs
Rome, GA
$44,320median
100 jobs
Columbus, GA-AL
$36,110median
90 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+6.4%
Faster than average
Openings per year
41,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
19,500
306,500 → 326,000
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Coaches and Scouts page.

How to become a Coach

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

SpeakingLearning StrategiesMonitoringReading ComprehensionActive ListeningCritical Thinking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Georgia

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Coaches and Scouts4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.1314Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
  • 31.0501Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General
  • 31.0504Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
  • 42.2815Performance and Sport Psychology

Common questions

Answers for people weighing coaches and scouts programs in Georgia.

What degree do you need to become a Coach?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Sport and Fitness Administration/Management, which awarded 604 degrees in Georgia in 2024-25, 57.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Coach?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Sports, Teacher Education and Professional Development. Together they graduate about 1,044 people a year in Georgia.

How much do coaches and scouts earn in Georgia?+

The median is $48,210 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 1.9% above the U.S. median of $47,320. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for coaches and scouts growing?+

BLS projects a +6.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 41,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Georgia?+

25 institutions in Georgia reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do coaches and scouts work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Coach, Football Coach, Basketball Coach, Track and Field Coach among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-2022.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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