With more than 90 percent of young people today identifying as “gamers,” the multi-billion dollar industry of esports is expected to overshadow traditional sports, and it is becoming a powerful tool for engaging students in educational environments. The Mastery Certificate in Esports Coaching, developed in collaboration with the National Esports Association, is a program designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to properly coach and train esports students in K-12 and community environments. This comprehensive certificate program delves into the intricacies of coaching esports athletes by providing a deep understanding of the industry, the games, strategies, player development, and team dynamics.
Is This Mastery Certificate For You?
This certificate program offers an accessible curriculum for educators, coaches, community leaders, and esports enthusiasts. If you’re interested in pursuing this mastery certificate, you should be at a high-school reading and writing level and have an interest in esports, but you don’t need to be a gamer upon entry. All you need is an open mind to understand the benefits of esports for engaging youth, fostering competitive gameplay, and applying learned skills to the workforce. Whether you work in the education industry, for a community organization, or are just an esports enthusiast interested in learning how to become an esports coach, this program will help you learn the skills and techniques you need to become an effective esports coach.
What You’ll Learn
Each course in this mastery certificate focuses on a different element of esports coaching, and in each course you’ll work on gaining and developing the skills and knowledge you need to be an effective esports coach. Once you obtain your mastery certificate, you’ll be able to use your newfound expertise to create effective esports programs for children and teenagers. This includes building a toolbox of advocacy techniques to sustain and advance esports programs in your community and organization as well as develop your communication and leadership skills within the context of esports coaching.
How You’ll Learn
All of the courses in the Mastery Certificate in Esports Coaching are fully online, but they are synchronous with specific class times and commitments depending on the class’s focus. While each course covers different topics and material, all of them include lectures alongside hands-on learning activities such as labs, workshops, discussions, and practice coaching sessions. This program consists of five required core courses as well as a required capstone project, and there are also two optional elective courses that can supplement this certificate. The first two core courses in this mastery certificate, Fundamentals of Esports and Coaching Fundamentals, must be taken first and second in sequence since they are prerequisite courses for the latter courses in the program. It’s recommended that you take the rest of the core courses in order as well, but it is not required.
About the National Esports Association
This course has been developed in partnership with the National Esports Association (NEA). For two decades, the NEA has led the charge for esports in education, earning the organization and its leadership national honors from Yahoo Sports and Microsoft. Many of the courses in this mastery certificate program have been developed in collaboration with the association’s leadership, applying their experience and expertise to learning outcomes and course activities.
Skills You Walk Away With
After completing the courses in this mastery certificate, you will be able to:
- Plan and run esports events and competitions aligned with industry trends.
- Advance the educational and recreational goals of youth organizations by planning and running custom esports events.
- Enhance individual esports player and team performance through specialized coaching techniques, including player development and providing feedback.
- Design and execute a sustainability plan and budget for a technology infrastructure needed to run esports programs.
- Comply with laws and best practices regarding NIL, cybersecurity, and youth internet safety.
- Extend the impact of esports events with effective marketing and business practices.