Sport Psychology, Coaching and Physical Education

Our Sport Psychology, Coaching and Physical Education BSc (Hons) degree will introduce you to the wide-ranging field of sports science and its relevance to competitive, community and participation levels of sport. You’ll explore how coaching and teaching involves varying skill sets across different sports and how they can be applied in varying environments. You'll also gain essential knowledge in areas including sport psychology, human movement, the social impact of sport and the value of applying sports development to an individual’s lifelong development.

This undergraduate course will teach you how to encourage, develop and progress other people’s sporting performance or participation. The coaching skills you’ll develop will be equally applicable at both an elite performance and community level. Increasingly, schools are out-sourcing sports delivery to coaches, and more sports practitioners are entering teaching through coaching. It is in these environments that you can help encourage young people who have never taken part in sport and exercise to improve their health and fitness.

We’ll help develop your coaching and teaching skills, providing access to a sports hall the size of six badminton courts and extensively-equipped sports science labs. Our teaching staff includes those with a wide range of coaching knowledge and qualifications up to international and world championship levels. All modules on the course are equally well-supported by up-to-date facilities.

You’ll study a variety of subjects in-depth. There’s sport psychology and its exploration of how the mind impacts on both sporting performance and participation. Exercise physiology will introduce you to changes the body experiences as a result of physical activity, environmental stress and exercise. Biomechanics analyses the mechanics of human movement, while the sociology of sport will develop your understanding of the socio-cultural issues that can define and legitimise a particular sport.

There will be plenty of equipment for you to use as an aid to your studies. Exercise physiology equipment includes a climate chamber and blood analysers, while biomechanics equipment includes Watt bikes and Kistler force platforms. For a more complete list of the equipment that will be available to you, see the equipment section below.

Assessment

Assessments will be through written and practical exams, practical reports, presentations, class tests and a final research dissertation.

Entry requirements

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• A minimum of grade C in three A levels or grades BC in at least two A levels in biology, physical education, human biology, biology, sports science or sports studies subjects (or a minimum of 96 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC National, OCR Diploma or Advanced Diploma)
• GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C/grade or above (or equivalent)

If you do not have traditional qualifications or cannot meet the entry requirements for this undergraduate degree, you may still be able to gain entry by completing the Sports Science Extended Degree or the Sports therapy Extended Degree. Entry from appropriate foundation and access courses will also be considered.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.

Accelerated study

If you have relevant qualifications or credit from a similar course it may be possible to enter this course at an advanced stage rather than beginning in the first year. Please note, advanced entry is only available for September start. See our information for students applying for advanced entry.

After the course

This degree course will prepare you for a career in any aspect of coaching. Likewise, it is possible to go on to study a postgraduate course in teaching or use coaching experience to enter teaching via a work-based learning scheme.