Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® Degree
Requirements and Accreditation
National Strength and Conditioning Association Announces Changes thatwill Advance the Strength and Conditioning Profession
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has announced that it is working toelevate and advance the strength and conditioning profession by developing a quality assurance
process that ensures all future professionals are capable and well-prepared. This process establishes
a qualified workforce that has the professional knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to meetindustry standards and be successful in the strength and conditioning industry. To achieve this, theNSCA is taking forward-thinking steps by modifying the requirements to attain the Certified Strengthand Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) certification. These requirements are targeted to take effectin the year 2030.

There will be two principal changes to the certification process:1. Effective target date 2030, all CSCS exam candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree in a strengthand conditioning related field, or be enrolled as a senior in such a program.
2. Effective target date 2030, candidates will need to obtain those degrees from a college oruniversity that has a program accredited by an NSCA-approved accrediting agency.

Anyone currently holding the CSCS credential or earning a CSCS credential before December 31, 2029
will NOT be affected by the new degree requirement.

Questions and Answers
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Why is the degree requirement changing?
In May 2017, the NSCA conducted a survey of strength and conditioning coaches and discovered that87% of respondents were in favor of requiring that candidates hold a degree from an accredited strengthand conditioning program prior to employment. This is a concerted effort to elevate and advance thestrength and conditioning profession.
What are the new CSCS degree requirements?
Targeted to take effect beginning in 2030 – to be eligible to take the CSCS examination, candidates
must hold a Bachelor’s degree from a program accredited by an NSCA-approved accrediting agency.

This degree will have specific requirements that focus on strength and conditioning. The current degree
requirement for the CSCS exam will remain in place until December 31, 2029.
What is the difference between the current and new degree requirement? |The current degree requirement is: “Candidates must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree or currently beenrolled as a college senior at an accredited institution.” This means that currently, as long as thecollege or university is accredited, a Bachelor’s degree in any field of study is acceptable. The NSCA
Education and Certification Committees and the Board of Directors (in consideration of the membershipand their constituencies), feel that this requirement needs to change and evolve to include degree
requirements that are specific to the profession, to create a higher standard and ensure that future
CSCS professionals have a strong foundation of strength and conditioning knowledge.
What degree will I need to have to be eligible to sit for the CSCS exam starting in 2030?
A Bachelor’s degree from a program accredited by an NSCA-approved accrediting agency, in a strengthand conditioning related field. This means that the degree must be related to the academic andexperiential needs of the strength and conditioning profession. This change will align the CSCS withother allied healthcare professions, such as medical doctors, nurses, physical therapists and athletictrainers.
When will the new CSCS degree requirement begin?

The change to the degree requirement is targeted to go into effect in 2030. There will be a structured
roll-out of the accreditation process so that all colleges and universities that wish to participate will
have ample time to engage in the accreditation process. This is why the extended timeline has been
established.

ACCREDITATION
Why is Accreditation important?
Accreditation has many benefits for the strength and conditioning profession, the accredited programand its students. It will facilitate admissions recruitment efforts and promote program enrollmentgrowth. Accreditation also adds value for prospective students and the profession by providing quality
assurance of higher education programs to ensure a well-prepared and qualified workforce that meets
industry standards, as well as the professional knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to be successful
in the strength and conditioning industry.
What is Accreditation?
Accreditation is a process of validation in which colleges, universities and other institutions of higher
learning are evaluated. In the United States, accreditation is a voluntary quality assurance process thatsymbolizes to the public that an institution and/or individual programs provide a quality education. The
standards for accreditation are set by a peer review board whose members include faculty from various
accredited colleges and universities.
What are the types of Accreditation?
In post-secondary education, there are two kinds of accreditation: Institutional and Programmatic.
Institutional accreditation helps assure potential students that a college or university has met certain

minimum standards in terms of administration, resources, faculty and facilities. Programmatic
accreditation examines specific program(s) within an educational institution.
Will the NSCA-approved accrediting agency be an Institutional or Programmatic agency?
The NSCA-approved accrediting agency will be a Programmatic accrediting agency. This reflects achange to the current standard – prior to 2030, the NSCA only required Institutional accreditation.
What is the process for an educational program to become accredited through this accrediting agency?
All accredited programs must go through a rigorous process, including:Application

Self-Study

On-Site EvaluationCommittee Review and Recommendation

Commission Decision Rendered

When will the first academic programs be eligible to apply for accreditation?
Academic programs will be able to apply for accreditation in 2022

IMPACT
How will this affect me?
Current CSCS Credential Holders:
The change in the degree requirement will NOT have any impact on current credential holders.
Individuals holding a CSCS on December 31, 2029 will be able to recertify and keep the CSCS. The
current requirement for the exam will remain in place until December 31, 2029.
Potential/Future CSCS Credential Holders:Targeted to take effect beginning in 2030, all candidates seeking the CSCS credential will be required tohave a degree from an NSCA-approved strength and conditioning program.
NSCA International Affiliates:
The change in degree requirement will NOT have any impact on current credential holders. The current
requirement for the exam will remain in place until December 31, 2029. The NSCA-approved
accrediting agency will be establishing global standards and guidelines for programmatic accreditation.
Education Recognition Program (ERP) Schools Recognized by the NSCA:
Portions of the NSCA ERP program will be phased out by 2030, in the hopes that these schools transition
to become accredited programs. It is anticipated that many of the current requirements for an ERP
program will be consistent with the expectation of an accredited program.

Questions?
We understand this announcement will generate a lot of questions. At this stage in the process not all
details have been solidified. As the new accreditation agency is created and begins to make decisions
and establish guidelines we will continue to update and add information to this webpage to keep you
apprised of the new developments.

Please submit your accreditation and degree requirement questions to usat Accreditation@NSCA.com. We anticipate a high volume of questions so please be patient, we will
respond as soon as possible.

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