Best Coach programs in Tennessee, 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 Tennessee run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,170 people a year. The job pays a median of $37,780 in Tennessee across about 6,250 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Tennessee that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Tennessee that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Tennessee (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 Tennessee page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 31.0504In Tennessee → | 597 | 51.0% | 19 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 2 | CIP 31.0501In Tennessee → | 514 | 43.9% | 15 | $30,426 | $25,643 |
| 3 | CIP 13.1314In Tennessee → | 59 | 5.0% | 9 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
Top 25 schools in Tennessee
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 15 of the 27 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 228 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $27,374 | 74% | — | 42% |
| 2 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 122 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $25,768 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 3 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 100 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $33,170 | 58% | — | 76% |
| 4 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 95 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $32,305 | 51% | — | 72% |
| 5 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 91 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $31,846 | 40% | — | 96% |
| 6 | The University of Tennessee - Martin Martin, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 91 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $30,587 | 53% | — | 88% |
| 7 | Belmont University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $32,464 | 71% | $29,246 | 95% |
| 8 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $24,722 | 34% | — | 70% |
| 9 | Tusculum University Greeneville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 43 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $22,825 | 25% | $22,577 | 72% |
| 10 | Freed - Hardeman University Henderson, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 30 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | — | 71% | $19,418 | 60% |
| 11 | Milligan University Milligan, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 30 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 63% | $19,143 | 72% |
| 12 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $32,966 | 54% | — | 69% |
| 13 | The University of Tennessee Southern Pulaski, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $28,069 | 37% | — | 87% |
| 14 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 53% | $14,286 | 69% |
| 15 | Bethel University McKenzie, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 23 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | — | 35% | $21,324 | 60% |
| 16 | Carson - Newman University Jefferson City, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 22 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $25,972 | 53% | $19,537 | 90% |
| 17 | Tennessee Wesleyan University Athens, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | — | 48% | $14,614 | 69% |
| 18 | Johnson University Knoxville, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 17 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | — | 57% | $19,333 | 65% |
| 19 | Bryan College - Dayton Dayton, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 16 | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General | $27,342 | 50% | $16,130 | — |
| 20 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 46% | $19,206 | 67% |
| 21 | Lane College Jackson, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | $24,128 | 18% | $14,494 | — |
| 22 | King University Bristol, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 48% | $23,546 | 100% |
| 23 | Lee University Cleveland, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | $22,135 | 63% | $18,918 | 71% |
| 24 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 72% | $24,309 | 68% |
| 25 | Union University Jackson, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Sport and Fitness Administration/Management | — | 66% | $25,882 | 60% |
All 27 schools in Tennessee
Every school in Tennessee 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville | Public | 228 | 1 |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Public | 122 | 2 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville | Public | 100 | 1 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis | Public | 95 | 2 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville | Public | 91 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee - Martin | Martin | Public | 91 | 2 |
| Belmont University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 55 | 1 |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville | Public | 51 | 1 |
| Tusculum University | Greeneville | Private not-for-profit | 43 | 1 |
| Freed - Hardeman University | Henderson | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 2 |
| Milligan University | Milligan | Private not-for-profit | 30 | 2 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro | Public | 28 | 2 |
| The University of Tennessee Southern | Pulaski | Public | 28 | 2 |
| Trevecca Nazarene University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 1 |
| Bethel University | McKenzie | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 3 |
What coaches and scouts earn in Tennessee
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $47,320. Tennessee pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Tennessee
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Tennessee
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 Tennessee.
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 597 degrees in Tennessee in 2024-25, 51.0% 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 1,170 people a year in Tennessee.
How much do coaches and scouts earn in Tennessee?+
The median is $37,780 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 20.2% 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 Tennessee?+
27 institutions in Tennessee 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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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