Transformative Coaching and Leadership - UCLA School of Education & Information Studies

The degree program is informed by an ethic of social justice, where teaching and coaching in various contexts—collegiate sports, professional sports, K-12 schools, Boys and Girls Clubs and other community sports programs—are analyzed through the lens of equity, access, diversity, and human dignity.

We aim to contribute to the creation of a more just, equitable and humane society through enlightened and socially conscious sports education and leadership.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Patrick Cota

M.Ed. in Transformative Coaching and Leadership

Patrick Cota was named assistant coach for the Ohio State University, Buckeyes in March of 2022. Cota has a decorated playing career and 13 years of collegiate coaching experience. For 11 seasons, from 2010 through 2021, Cota and an assistant coach at Stanford. In his final season with the Cardinals in the spring of 2021, Cota was part of a staff that was named the West Region Staff of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA). Stanford finished that season with an overall record of 11-3, its fourth conference title in five years and a trip to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament. No stranger to the Big Ten Conference, Cota had a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Michigan from 2004-05, where he helped guide the Wolverines to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back Big Ten Tournament championships.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Antonio Mafi

M.Ed. in Transformative Coaching and Leadership

Atonio Mafi is an American football guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCLA and was selected in the 2023 NFL draft by the Patriots as a guard.

Academic Information

The program is undergirded by an understanding that “teaching” and “coaching” are sister disciplines born of a common parentage whose goals are nothing other than educational excellence and execution, in the classroom and on the court. Faculty of the program consists of experts and practitioners in the field of sports including legendary coaches and seasoned athletic directors as well as renowned faculty from the field of Education.

GOALS

Cultivation of one’s own philosophy of coaching based on deep beliefs and values

Understanding and application of coaching, teaching and leadership principles
Appreciation of ethical values and principles and their relevance to sports coaching and leadership
Field experiences and reflections on field practices

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

A holistic understanding of persons: human beings as physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual beings
Embracing a transformational model of coaching and leadership (rather than merely transactional)
Appreciation of the intersection of theory and practice: deep reflection on practice in light of theory and knowledge (“reflective practice”)
Commitment to a social justice ethic including commitment to equity, inclusion and diversity

CURRICULUM

Courses in the degree program include:

Philosophies of Coaching
History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Education
Ethics in Sports Principles of Effective Teaching and Coaching
Mental Health in Coaching
Diversity Leadership in Sports and Athletics
Education of Contemporary Athletes
Educational Innovation and Diversity in Sport and Entertainment
Directed Field Experience

Candidates will also be able to devise an individualized plan of study according to their area of interest and be able to take electives from numerous departments and schools across campus, including Psychology, Anderson School of Management, Sociology and others.

Transformative Coaching and Leadership Plan of Study