The sports coach has a diverse role, working with elite athletes, guiding teams of young people, or working with community groups to assist the health of the local population.
Someone interested in this role will enjoy working with people of all ages, shapes and sizes to develop their physical and mental health, assisting them in reaching their physical peak – physical education and coaching is what you dream of.
We are one of the UK’s leading universities in sports education. Ranked as the top university in London for Sports Science according to The Complete University Guide (2020), you’ll be taught by expert professionals in top facilities.
Our philosophy means the scientific approach lies at the heart of this sports course. You’ll learn how to support athletes to reach their peak and perform at the right time while reducing the risk of injury.
We believe in building a portfolio of practical skills, which means a large part of your studies will be spent practising in StoneX Stadium, home of Saracens Rugby Club. (Access will be dependent on social distancing requirements due to Covid-19.) By the end of the course you’ll take part in more than 150 hours of clinical practice, working with a range of athletes across a number of sports.
Upon completion of the course, you’ll be armed with a range of knowledge including coaching, physical education, sports psychology and more. You’ll learn how to assess fitness, well-being and nutrition, as well as the basic effects of pharmacological agents on performance and health.
Our personalised approach gives you the support you need to succeed as a student. While you're an undergraduate or foundation year student, you’ll have a Personal Tutor directly related to your course. If you need support with academic writing, numeracy and library skills, we’ll provide it. Our Student Learning and Graduate Academic Assistants have studied your subject and can support you based on their own experience.
Previous graduates have gone on to work in careers such as physical education teacher, sports coach, games organiser and fitness instructor. You could also choose to go on to further education and postgraduate courses.
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At the heart of this course lies the scientific approach to supporting athletes to perform at their peak, while reducing the risk of injury. Alongside this, you will learn how to plan and prepare physical education and coaching sessions in line with national minimum expected standards and strengthen your confidence in implementing a range of teaching, learning and coaching styles. You will explore coaching roles and responsibilities which are essential in successfully leading and supporting people to improve sports performance. You will also develop an in-depth understanding of physiological, psychological and biomechanical theories, and how they can be used to assist performance enhancement.
A large part of your studies will be practice-based at our StoneX Stadium site and you will take part in 150 hours of clinical practice throughout your degree (50 hours per year). (Access will be dependent on social distancing requirements due to Covid-19.)
You will graduate, armed with the knowledge and understanding of sports psychology and how to work effectively with sports people. You will have the techniques and procedures required to assess physical fitness and well-being and be able to assess the nutritional needs of the physically active and professional athletes. You will know the basic effects of pharmacological agents on exercise performance, disease and health, and understand the research methods and processes which have particular relevance to exercise and health.
This module will provide you with a broad understanding of anatomy to develop your knowledge in the principals of movement. You will explore the function of the skeletal system and identify the joints range of movement and type structuring the human skeleton. You will understand how bones interact with muscle in order to produce primary movement at joints and you will then begin to utilise this knowledge to advance your coaching skills across a wide range of sports.
This module provides a broad understanding of learning theories and coaching styles in a variety of sporting situations. You will know the underlying theoretical concepts of how to plan, deliver, evaluate and modify coaching sessions, whilst understanding the National Curriculum and the differences between the pedagogy at various key stages. You will work effectively on complex coaching sessions both individually and as a group to enhance your interpersonal and communications skills.
To introduce and apply key scientific concepts and principles across the three main sports science disciplines of physiology, psychology and biomechanics. You will gain a broad understanding of human movement, physiological mechanisms that underpin these movements and core psychological concepts that affect health and sporting performance. You will learn how to work effectively in a team by carrying out practical investigations in all three sport and exercise disciplines.
The aim of this module is to introduce the underlying theoretical frameworks of health and fitness, to provide you with the confidence and practical skills to deliver effective training sessions. You will develop their coaching knowledge through a variety of topics, ranging from the benefits and risks of physical activity, the development and maintenance of health, fitness, and understand how to optimise and monitor sports performance. The theoretical sessions will support students to undertake complex and routine practical performance tasks, orientated around developing effective coaching skills, both on an individual and group basis.
This module will provide a broad understanding and knowledge of the key academic skills required for you to successfully complete their undergraduate degree. You will know the underlying theoretical frameworks for research methods and academic writing by demonstrating their understanding of literature, sourcing literature, the components of research and identifying strengths and weaknesses.
This module will also provide you with the fundamental skills to gain professional industry experience. You will know how to identify appropriate work placements and understand the professional requirements to work effectively with others recognising the factors for team performance.
This module will provide you with a detailed theoretical knowledge of performance analysis concepts and practical skills to prepare them for work in an applied performance analysis environment. Learning to collect, analyse and present relevant performance-related data to understand how performance analysis can be utilised in sport. You will learn the roles and responsibilities of the performance analyst developing and adapting interpersonal and communication skills to a range of sporting scenarios and audiences.
This module will provide detailed knowledge of key concepts and theories of sport & exercise nutrition that can influence sporting performance. You will be exploring the physiological and biochemical basis of sport & exercise nutrition and develop your understanding of applied strategies to enable an adaptation in sporting performance. You will discuss such strategies in a sporting context by interpreting and analysing scientific literature through an oral presentation and written case study.
This module will provide you with the skills to analyse a range of academic information, comparing alternative methods and techniques. This will involve them collecting and synthesising this information to inform a subject specific research question. You will have knowledge of well-established research methods and concepts evidenced by the awareness of inconsistencies, gaps and limitations within literature.
This module aims to provide detailed knowledge of key biomechanical, physiological and psychological theories and concepts that can affect sport and exercise. You will explore the mechanical basis of human movement, develop their understanding of the chronic physiological adaptations to sport and exercise and learn how to optimise performance through psychological techniques. You will be interacting effectively within a team and be required to interpret and analyse their findings in the form of a scientific report.
This module will develop and extend your knowledge and understanding when delivering a range of physical activities and sports at Key Stages 1-4. You will create an extensive provision of physical activities including teaching and coaching materials that examines as well as encouraging progression and development. You will also analyse and develop physical skills from the fundamentals through to more complex and advanced forms whilst understanding National Physical Education and coaching standards, systems and guidelines required.
This module aims to synthesise learning from the your undergraduate programme providing an opportunity for you to study independently and investigate a topic in depth. It fosters academic curiosity; an inquiry-based approach, the employment and application of research skills thus facilitating the development of higher level of theorising. You will select a topic relevant to your degree on which you wish to undertake a substantial in-depth study. You will judge the reliability, validity and significance of the evidence to support conclusions and/or recommendations.
This module aims to introduce additional advanced sport science concepts, from a variety of disciplines. You will examine and analyse your role in optimising sports performance and/or health in a field setting. You must demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of how the theoretical principles of coaching, biomechanics, physiology, psychology, strength and conditioning, and rehab can be integrated and applied to working with a client in the field. This module will enable you to experience and apply appropriate interdisciplinary knowledge, tools and procedures in working with both elite athletes and general populations.
This module takes a systematic approach to the key concepts of effective PE Teaching and Sports Coaching by exposing you to the notions of Coaching Philosophy and Effectiveness, whilst also addressing the complex issues around the development of the young athlete. This module also furthers the level of understanding for several key curriculum-based sports that will give you the opportunity to analyse and apply new techniques and tactics.
This module develops your ability to apply the in-depth knowledge and skills gained from prior learning in relation to a professional practice environment. You will be required to reflect and evaluate your working practice and be able to adopt a problem-solving approach to practice and a working environment.
More information about this course
See the course specification for more information:
Optional modules are usually available at levels 5 and 6, although optional modules are not offered on every course. Where optional modules are available, you will be asked to make your choice during the previous academic year. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.
While this is the ideal degree for those wanting to work as sports coaches or teachers, the full spectrum of sports science careers will be open to you, including health and fitness club management, fitness consultancy, weight management, health promotion, personal fitness training, corporate health advice, sports or physical activity development, medical sales, and the armed forces. There are career opportunities in teaching and research.
Previous graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of roles such as Graduate Teaching Assistant, Tutor, PE Teacher, Supply Teacher, School Games Organiser, Manager, Sports Coach and Fitness Instructor in organisations including:
Upon graduation, you can continue with your professional studies by taking the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) training programmes to qualify as an accredited sport and exercise scientist. You could also study to become a physiotherapist or sports rehabilitator. Successful graduates also have an enhanced opportunity to gain a place on our highly competitive PGCE programmes.
Our Employability Service can help you to develop your employability skills and get some valuable work experience. We provide workshops, events and one to one support with job hunting, CVs, covering letters, interviews, networking and so on. We also support you in securing part-time work, placements, internships, and volunteering opportunities, and offer an enterprise support service for those looking to start their own business.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: October 2021
Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
Code: C615
Start: October 2021
Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
Code: CQ00
