News Detail

08/26/2019 

SUNY Cortland’s tradition of excellence in athletics extends beyond those who don uniforms and compete.

Thousands of dedicated Cortland alumni coach athletes at every level, from youth sports to high schools and the professional ranks.

Many of them owe their success to the university’s graduate program with its focus in coaching pedagogy, which was ranked No. 5 in the nation by TheBestSchools.org.

SUNY Cortland offers a concentration in coaching pedagogy in its physical education master’s programs.

The website lauded Cortland’s coaching program for its ability to “advance the careers of both teachers and coaches at all levels.” It also noted the high quality of course work in the Physical Education Department, which follows standards set by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America), Adaptive Physical Education National Standards (APENS) and the New York State Learning Standards in Physical Education.

“The coaching pedagogy program Is unique in many ways,” said Matthew Madden, associate professor and chair of the Physical Education Department. “It Is one of the few remaining hybrid, online and on-campus delivery, graduate programs In the U.S. The students are typically physical education teachers and coaches in the field. They return to campus for one to two weeks during the summer months to complete courses with instructors after six to eight weeks of working online.”

The master’s concentration in coaching pedagogy is designed to enhance the teaching and coaching abilities of physical educators in the field. It expands on core concepts with advanced study in the areas of motor development, diversity, exercise science, sport psychology and coaching philosophy and principles. Many students explore state-of-the-art teaching and coaching tools, including Dartfish, a digital video analysis software package. Classes utilize resources of the recreational and sports facilities on campus and allow students to pursue their own research interests.

“It Is an interdisciplinary group of instructors teaching in the program,” said Madden, who has served as graduate coordinator and program advisor since 2016. “The professors specialize in coaching effectiveness, physical education teacher education, adapted physical education, exercise physiology, sport psychology, biomechanics and physical activity. Overall, the program provides contemporary professional development to educators working as coaches in the field. It is very common to hear students in the program talk about and explain how they are going to use this method, strategy, idea and concept with their athletes.”

A residency-based online program, the concentration in coaching pedagogy includes one online course, two hybrid courses and one completely on-campus course each summer.

TheBestSchools.org considered the quality of Cortland’s program, the types of courses offered, faculty, other rankings, awards and reputation in compiling its list.

Visit Cortland’s Physical Education Department online for more information on its graduate programs.