Perhaps you're looking to play a sport in college, and you want to make sure your athletic and academic commitments aren't in conflict. Or maybe you want to pursue a sports-related career and wonder what degrees will support you best. In either case, you have a lot of exciting options.

Student-athletes at Gustavus Adolphus College compete in two dozen Division III sports while earning humanities, arts, and sciences degrees. Majors as different as business, education, communications, exercise physiology, and biology can prepare you for a graduate degree or direct entry into jobs related to athletics. Over 25% of Gustavus students play a varsity sport while pursuing their chosen major, and we work with each student to design a personalized four-year plan that supports their academic and athletic success. Incoming students receive expert advising to explore career options and gain experience through our extensive professional networks.

With good planning and the right support, being a college athlete doesn't have to limit your degree options. Read on to learn about challenges to consider, questions to ask your college, and how different majors lead to careers connected to your favorite athletic activities.

What majors do I have time for as a college athlete?

College athletics are important to you, but you're concerned that practices and competitions will cut into your academic performance. Are there majors that are better or worse for balancing academics and athletics? Some you shouldn't consider at all? The answers to these questions might depend on where you go to school. Here are some things to look into as you choose your major or graduate school track:

Required classes and practice schedules

Every major requires certain classes in order to graduate, and colleges and universities each have their own class scheduling systems. In some cases, athletic commitments can conflict with your ideal course schedule, causing problems such as:

• missing out on a desired elective

• having to take a required course at a time of day that doesn't work well for you

• creating too heavy a course load in a given semester

• not getting prerequisites done on time, throwing off your four-year course sequence

Do a little research on your prospective colleges' scheduling practices. Inquire about how the school schedules classes and how this affects sports involvement. Do they offer preferential class selection options for student-athletes or other supports to avoid academic scheduling conflicts?

At Gustavus, we don't schedule classes in the afternoon time slot reserved for varsity sports practices. This way, our student-athletes don't have to compromise on classes in order to keep their athletic commitments. Choosing a college that has already coordinated its athletic and academic schedules removes one important barrier to planning your college path.

Performing arts and athletics

Student-athletes who major in theater, music, or dance generally face added scheduling challenges, with potential conflicts between afternoon practices and rehearsals, or weekend games and performances. If you're committed to both your sport and your major, though, don't give up your dreams. Choose a school that is willing to work with you to figure out how to fit everything in. At Gustavus, we want our students to do it all, so we remove as many barriers as possible to expand their options. This includes finding solutions to scheduling conflicts for individual students as needed. Our coaches, faculty, directors, and administrators have experience working together to help student-athletes pursue each of their passions without compromise.

Pre-professional tracks and athletics

Students on tracks such as pre-law or pre-health have additional academic and extracurricular requirements to fulfill. Can you play a college sport if you're headed to law school, medical school, or another graduate program? Yes, just make sure you strategize carefully early on. Students on pre-professional tracks need to sketch out a four-year plan to ensure they can fit everything in. Tell your faculty advisor or pre-health advisor your sports plans so you can coordinate those with internships, research, and other pre-professional essentials in ways that achieve balance and don't overwhelm you in a given semester. 

For more tips on integrating sports into college life, see our guide to balancing athletics and academics in college.

What majors lead to careers in athletics?

Maybe you're considering a career connected to sports or physical fitness. What types of degrees do college athletes earn if they want to work in a sports-related field? Here are just a few of the majors that put you on the track to a wide variety of professional positions in athletics:

Communication studies 

A communications degree is generally versatile and can take you in a lot of directions in the sports world. Deliver in-depth stories and analysis to your audience as a sports journalist or broadcaster. Work for a team or athletic organization as a communications director, event coordinator, social media manager, marketing manager, or content creator. Study statistics and conduct research as part of your communications major to pursue a career in sports analysis.

Don't wait until graduation to explore work in sports communication. Talk to your faculty advisor and coach about opportunities to channel your communications skills into a sports-related internship that sets you up for career success.

Business management

Another versatile degree for pursuing athletics-related jobs is a B.A. in business management. Student-athletes at Gustavus can pair a business management major with a sport management minor to study the business of sports from youth to professional levels and gain knowledge and skills for a career in the industry. Careers include facilities and event management, athletic administration, and sport marketing and sales.

As with a communications major, seek connections early and explore different aspects of the business of sports by working in professional settings.

Education 

An elementary education or secondary education major is a great choice for student-athletes who enjoy teaching and working with young people. Teaching jobs connect naturally to coaching position opportunities, and your experience as a college athlete adds value to your resume when applying to be a high school or elementary school teacher. Become a teacher, coach a team, and stay connected to your favorite sport while playing a crucial role as a mentor to young athletes.

Health and physical education

For a closer focus on sports and fitness, choose a degree that trains you to educate others about physical health and well-being. With a health and physical education degree, you're ready to work with students in K-12 or with people of all ages. HPE majors at Gustavus choose one of two tracks: becoming a licensed health and physical education teacher or preparing for jobs across different movement-related work. Physical education majors go on to careers in programming, consultancy, management, coaching, and education in a variety of corporate, community, and private settings.

Psychology

Mental and physical well-being are closely interrelated, with athletic performance reflecting psychological health and physical fitness. Psychological science degrees prepare students to work in wide-ranging capacities, from advocacy to social research to organizational development, many of which intersect with the world of sports. The field of sports psychology includes opportunities for laboratory and clinical research as well as one-on-one work with clients seeking help to improve their athletic performance. Psychology can also be a good second major alongside business or communications.

Exercise physiology 

If you love science and sports, an exercise physiology major might be a good choice for you. Exercise physiology examines how the body responds and adapts to physical activity over time. This discipline pulls together studies in anatomy, biology, psychology, and nutrition in a dynamic field of rapidly emerging research. Exercise physiology degrees lead to careers including fitness consultant, strength and conditioning coach, and corporate wellness coordinator. Exercise physiology majors at Gustavus can become certified athletic trainers in just five years through our accelerated athletic training master's degree program.

Pre-health tracks for athletes

Most of these majors and many others work well as part of a pre-health track that prepares you to earn a professional degree in a health field. Students interested in working at the intersection of sports and health care pursue advanced degrees in physical therapy, athletic training, sports medicine, and other patient care fields. Expert advising from the Office of Health Professions keeps Gustavus student-athletes on track to fulfill necessary academic and extracurricular prerequisites for graduate school, alongside their college sports career.

Choosing a major as a student-athlete

If you hope to find a career in athletics, what aspects of the sports world interest you most? Do you want to work directly with athletes through coaching and training, or behind the scenes in programming, communications, or management? As a college athlete, you're connected to a lot of people who can help you find answers, so do some early networking to explore the possibilities. Talk to your coach, athletic department, academic advisor, and teammates to discover volunteer work, internships, and student organizations where you can try on roles such as coaching or physical health education.

Whether you're looking for a sports-related career or not, being a student-athlete doesn't need to limit your choice of major. Choose a college with strong academic support services, athlete-friendly scheduling practices and a holistic approach to balancing academics and athletics. At Gustavus, our student-athletes earn every type of degree. With more than a quarter of our student population in varsity sports, we're experienced in facilitating students to excel in academics and athletics, whatever major(s) they select or sport they play. From flexible degree requirements to expert advising to established professional networks, we've got you covered as you follow your passions and work toward a career that's perfect for you.