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

Best Coach programs in Missouri, 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.

27 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 598 people a year. The job pays a median of $42,790 in Missouri across about 4,730 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledCoachFootball CoachBasketball CoachTrack and Field CoachSki CoachGolf CoachSwim CoachTrack Coach
Graduates / yr
598
in Missouri
Median pay · Missouri
$42,790
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
4,730
people employed
Schools
27
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
53%
across those schools
Median net price
$21,269
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job

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

3 programs in Missouri that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (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 Missouri 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 Missouri
280
46.8%
17$30,426$25,643
2
CIP 13.1314In Missouri
168
28.1%
15$43,033$26,044
3
CIP 31.0501In Missouri
150
25.1%
10$30,426$25,643

Top 25 schools in Missouri

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 27 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
87Physical Education Teaching and Coaching$37,05754%86%
2University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
71Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General75%78%
3University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
60Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$34,84454%64%
4Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 3 feeder programs
42Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$34,63858%74%
5Evangel University
Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
33Sport and Fitness Administration/Management65%$17,88172%
6Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
33Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$29,76158%91%
7Maryville University of Saint Louis
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
32Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$32,48066%$24,92195%
8Missouri Baptist University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
31Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$37,16548%$25,40769%
9Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
27Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$35,31449%$17,43657%
10Missouri Western State University
Saint Joseph, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
27Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General$36,55739%
11University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
26Sport and Fitness Administration/Management57%63%
12Missouri Southern State University
Joplin, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
18Physical Education Teaching and Coaching42%97%
13Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
17Sport and Fitness Administration/Management80%$24,88675%
14Columbia College
Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Sport and Fitness Administration/Management42%$23,247
15Culver - Stockton College
Canton, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Sport and Fitness Administration/Management39%$21,26999%
16Westminster College
Fulton, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
13Sport and Fitness Administration/Management55%$25,18579%
17College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
11Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General64%$8,36012%
18Southwest Baptist University
Bolivar, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
11Sport and Fitness Administration/Management$30,83755%$20,93968%
19Truman State University
Kirksville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
7Physical Education Teaching and Coaching69%84%
20Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Physical Education Teaching and Coaching51%$25,58257%
21Park University
Parkville, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General$28,94538%$16,013
22Rockhurst University
Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General75%$21,89070%
23Missouri Valley College
Marshall, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Physical Education Teaching and Coaching22%$18,42869%
24Avila University
Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Physical Education Teaching and Coaching52%$16,72188%
25Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies
Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General43%$14,825

All 27 schools in Missouri

Every school in Missouri 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 Missouri that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Northwest Missouri State UniversityMaryvillePublic871
University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbiaPublic712
University of Central MissouriWarrensburgPublic602
Southeast Missouri State UniversityCape GirardeauPublic423
Evangel UniversitySpringfieldPrivate not-for-profit333
Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfieldPublic332
Maryville University of Saint LouisSaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit321
Missouri Baptist UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit311
Lindenwood UniversitySaint CharlesPrivate not-for-profit273
Missouri Western State UniversitySaint JosephPublic272
University of Missouri - St LouisSaint LouisPublic262
Missouri Southern State UniversityJoplinPublic182
Saint Louis UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit171
Columbia CollegeColumbiaPrivate not-for-profit151
Culver - Stockton CollegeCantonPrivate not-for-profit151

What coaches and scouts earn in Missouri

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

Median annual in Missouri
$42,790
Mean annual
$52,580
Jobs in state
4,730
What the range looks like
10th pct$28,910Median$42,79090th pct$79,480
Versus the national median
-9.6%

U.S. median $47,320. Missouri pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.01×

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

Metro areas in Missouri

Columbia, MO
$48,290median
290 jobs
Joplin, MO-KS
$48,460median
110 jobs
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
$51,960median
80 jobs
Springfield, MO
$44,550median
330 jobs
Kansas City, MO-KS
$45,100median
2,140 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$37,970median
2,360 jobs
St. Joseph, MO-KS
$39,960median
120 jobs
Jefferson City, MO
$37,840median
180 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 Missouri

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 Missouri.

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 280 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 46.8% 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 598 people a year in Missouri.

How much do coaches and scouts earn in Missouri?+

The median is $42,790 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 9.6% below 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 Missouri?+

27 institutions in Missouri 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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