Smith College, the highly rated liberal arts educational institution for women in Northampton, Massachusetts, has had its master’s degree program in exercise and sports studies reaccredited at Level 5 by the National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE). Smith is only the second educational institution in the nation to receive a Level 5 rating from the NCACE, which is a division of the National Association of Sport and Physical Education. The only other college or university to receive a Level 5 rating in the field is Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.
According to NCACE’s guidelines for accreditation, a Level 5 ranking “represents standards for programs preparing coaches who more likely work with elite athletes on a year-round basis, including a high level of competition and content that emphasizes advanced training, conditioning, techniques and tactics.”
Since the mid-1980s, Smith’s program in exercise and sports studies has been developing a graduate program to prepare coaches for women’s intercollegiate teams. Its curriculum blends theory courses in exercise and sport studies with hands-on coaching experience. Students in the graduate program work as assistant coaches while they attend Smith. By design, the master’s program is small, with only 18 to 20 candidates in residence, so students can work closely with faculty and coaches.