Trustees Meeting Agenda | October, 2024

March 25, 2024

RE: MS in Sport Coaching proposal

Thank you for reviewing our proposal for a Master of Science in Sport Coaching (MSSC) program. Please consider my comments here as they relate to the proposal document prepared by Finance and Administration. Competition Reference is made here to “ some competition from regional programs. ” While one might successfully argue that colleges located in California and Colorado may be categorized as regional, I don’t understand how West Virginia could be. With respect to what are listed as competitive programs, the program offered by PLU is a summer- only program intended to allow coaches to acquire needed “clock hours” needed to maintain coaching eligibility only; it is not a degree program, and earned hours do not result in salary advancement . Additionally, UW’s program is designed to prepare students interested in collegiate athletic administration; it is not a coaching program. Further, WSU’s program is specific to Sport Management, which also differs in content from Sport Coaching. As a final note for this paragraph, accreditation through NCACE is not required, nor is accreditation required at all. However, should we decide to seek accreditation, it would be through the United States Center for Coaching Excellence (USCCE), an organization with which our faculty are currently involved, and its sub- organization of NCACE. Conclusion The language in this section suggests that “ many high school sports coaches use coaching as a supplemental income and not their primary job. ” This is true, in that most high school coaches are teachers at the schools in which they teach. However, it is not true that these teachers would realize a bett er return on investment (master’s degree) by completing an “advanced degree in an academic discipline.” The reality is that teachers realize an increase in pay regardless of the degree earned, provided the degree is of a higher level than what they already possess. Lastly, there may in fact be some competition within our department between the proposed degree, and the existing master’s degree in Sport and Athletic Administration (SAA). However, because roughly 50% of the students in the SAA program are a lso graduate assistants in CWU’s Athletic Department, and that these students must commit to a two-year graduate assistantship (Sport Coaching is one year), we expect the SAA enrollment numbers to remain strong.

Respectfully submitted,

Brian McGladrey, Ph.D., CSCS Chair, Sport and Movement Studies 509.963.1972 brianm@cwu.edu

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