The NSCA Education Recognition Program (ERP) Undergraduate Strength and Conditioning Program recognizes and distinguishes baccalaureate degree granting academic institutions with standardized, approved strength and conditioning curricula that is designed to prepare students for the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) certifications. The program does not have to be classified as a major, minor, sequence, or concentration. However, it does have to be a formalized area of study. A full list of required content areas can be found in the Undergraduate Strength and Conditioning Program application.

The NSCA Education Recognition Program (ERP) Graduate Strength and Conditioning Program recognizes and distinguishes academic institutions that offer at least a Master’s degree with standardized, approved graduate strength and conditioning curricula that is designed to prepare students for the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) certifications. Recognition can be achieved for applied curriculum, research curriculum, or both. A full list of required content areas can be found in the Graduate Strength and Conditioning Program application.

Early sport specialization involves physically immature children participating in intensive year-round training and/or competition for a single sport. The lack of sport exposure and diversification during the developmental years may underlie the increased risk of overuse injuries, blunting of motor skill development, psychosocial issues, overtraining syndrome, burnout, and potential dropout from sport. With increasing number of youth choosing, or being encouraged, to specialize at an early age, we aim to provide evidence based recommendations for the integration of strength and conditioning into the development programs of young athletes who participate in sports with a culture of early specialization. In addition to the principles of programming, strategies are provided relative to monitoring of growth, maturation, and training load to illustrate the potential complexities of attempting to optimize long-term athletic development in early specializing athletes.

Strength and Conditioning Coaches who are NSCA-Certified are preparing youth for training, using proven strategies that improve their safety and competitiveness.

Learn about the basics of the high school strength and conditioning coach profession: description, responsibilities, qualifications, pay, advantages, and challenges.