Intercollegiate Athletic Advising and Support, CAS

Help college athletes succeed—on the field, in the classroom, and beyond.

College athletics has never demanded more from the people who support it. The academic, governance, and student wellness challenges facing today’s student-athletes are also challenges for their advisors, coaches, and student success professionals. The CAS in Intercollegiate Athletic Advising and Support prepares those professionals, as well as the student-athletes who want to become them or are interested in finding success in intercollegiate coaching.

Suggested Application Deadline: June 1/October 1 depending on semester start | More admissions information

Why Intercollegiate Athletic Advising at Syracuse?

• Study at an R1/D1 University. Syracuse is both an R1 research institution and a D1 athletics program. Here, the academic research on student-athlete identity, development, and success is grounded in the same high-stakes competitive environment you are preparing to work in. No peer program offers that context equally.
• A program that reflects the evolution of college athletics. The academic, sociocultural, economic, and political forces reshaping intercollegiate athletics are central to this program’s curriculum. From NCAA governance and reform to the policies that shape student-athletes’ educational journeys, you will develop the analytical tools to navigate a field in motion and to advocate for the student-athletes at its center.
• Grounded in a nationally-recognized program. The program is taught by scholars in the School of Education’s Higher Education program, with a curriculum grounded in student development theory, higher education scholarship, and equity-centered practice. Many students complement the certificate with the Higher Education master’s degree.
• Flexible delivery to fit your commitments. The program is available fully online or in a residential format combining online and on-campus coursework. Both options are completable part-time, making the credential genuinely accessible to working professionals, current or aspiring intercollegiate coaches, and student-athletes.

“This program was a game changer for me in terms of my ability to relate to, advise, understand, and support my students. Understanding the systems, such as NCAA rules, that play such a large role in our students lives allowed me to be the best advisor and coach I can be to my student athletes.”
—Rachel Zoanetti Huttar G’20

Who Should Apply?

This program was built for athletes, current and aspiring intercollegiate coaches, and higher education professionals—in academic advising, judicial affairs, residence life, etc.—and is designed to meet you where you are: on campus, in the field, or making the pivot.

• Student-athletes and coaches: Whether you are completing your final year of eligibility at Syracuse, looking for the next chapter beyond your playing career, or a coach seeking to deepen your advising practice, this program turns what you already know into professional expertise. Many of our student-athlete graduates moved into intercollegiate coaching positions.
• Higher education and athletics professionals: Academic advisors, student affairs officers, athletics administrators, and those in related fields who want to specialize in college athletics student success. This credential signals to employers that you understand the unique world college athletes navigate.

Program at a Glance

The Certificate of Advanced Study in Intercollegiate Athletic Advising and Support is a 12-credit certificate that can be completed on a schedule that fits your life.

• Accessible, flexible options: The certificate program can be taken either as a residential program combining online and on-campus coursework at Syracuse University, or as a fully online program. Both options are available part-time.
• From the structural to the personal: Coursework spans four interconnected areas: how colleges and intercollegiate athletics programs are organized and governed; theoretical perspectives on college student development and learning; the impact of identity on student-athlete access, identity, and success; and the practical foundations of advising and supporting student-athletes.
• An equity and advocacy lens throughout: In addition to addressing compliance and eligibility, courses engage questions of access and fairness as they shape the experiences of college athletes. Graduates leave with the analytical tools to advocate for more equitable policies and practices centered on student-athletes.

More information on academic requirements available in the Syracuse University Course Catalog. Note: This School of Education certificate programs is standalone, requiring a bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA to apply. It can complement or can be taken alongside SOE master’s degree programs.

What Our Graduates Do

The college athletics student success profession has expanded well beyond academic advising. Our graduates work across the full range of roles—including coaching—found in athletics departments at universities and colleges:

• Athletic academic advisors and learning specialists
• Athletics compliance and student success coordinators
• Coaches or athletic directors
• NIL coordinator and compliance advisor
• Student affairs administrator
• Directors and coordinators of student-athlete development, support, and wellness