This course requires 104–120 UCAS tariff points including a minimum of 2 A-levels or equivalent. We are happy to consider a combination of qualifications and grades to meet the overall tariff, for example A-levels A*CC, ABC, BBB or BCC, BTECs DDM or DMM. You can use the UCAS calculator to see how your qualifications equate to UCAS tariff points.
If you do not meet these requirements, you may want to consider our Foundation Year, a one-year course that will prepare you for degree-level study.
If English is not your first language, you will need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component or equivalent.
Placement opportunities can give you practical hands-on experience as well as a fantastic chance to make professional connections
Opportunities to study abroad at one of our international partner institutions
Optional alternative to final year dissertation project – a research expedition conducting in-depth research on the needs and responses of people completing a UK-based endurance event
Get involved in various extra-curricular opportunities: our sport and events volunteering programme (RELAYS), workshops, conferences, industry visits, field trips, volunteering, guest speakers and more
We have strong links with some of the biggest names in the sports industry to inform our teaching and provide placement opportunities
92% of graduates felt academic staff on this course were good at explaining things.
Foundation year: We have a Foundation Year option for UK students who do not meet the entry requirements for the degree course. This additional year of study will give you a grounding in the business and management skills required for this course, building your confidence, knowledge and skills for further study. After successful completion of the Foundation Year, you will progress to the full degree.
UCAS Code: C602
With foundation year: C603
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Foundation year
Core units
Fundamentals of Business & Management: This unit aims to develop your understanding of the business context across industry and sectors globally. You will cover the key issues and challenges facing businesses going forward and the essential role of people in dynamic, resilient and complex organisations. You will explore key functional business areas including marketing, finance, accounting, economics, people management, and organisational behaviour.
Academic & Professional Practice: You will build your confidence in both academic and professional skills. This unit will cover the academic skills which will be required at degree level study and you’ll practice them throughout the unit with support from key university services including the library and study skills team. There will also be opportunity for you to reflect on and develop your own professional skills through interactions with employers, careers services and online resources.
Fusion Business Project: You will undertake a business project based on a real issue or problem. The Fundamentals of Business & Management unit will support you in understanding key issues and challenges which could form the basis for your project. Projects will be undertaken in workplaces, community settings or part of research processes related to your chosen field of study. You will be allocated an academic mentor who will support you in developing and undertaking the project.
Year 1
In year one you’ll study the underlying concepts and principles of sport coaching practice and the complexity of the sport coaching context.
Core units:
Beginning Research in Sport & Exercise: This unit will introduce you to the role of research in a variety of sport and exercise contexts. It will cover both quantitative and qualitative research approaches, their associated characteristics, assumptions and basic skills, so that you can evaluate and interpret the value of different research approaches.
Coaching Principles & Practice: This unit will cover core sport coaching theories, principles, and practice. You will plan and deliver a practical coaching session informed by key coaching principles, within a structured and managed environment and evaluate the core roles and responsibilities of sport coaches and the appropriateness of different approaches to sport coaching problems.
Sport, Culture & Society: This unit will enable you to use social theory to evaluate and interpret social and cultural issues within the context of sport. Furthermore, it will develop your critical thinking skills that allow you to locate yourself and your own sporting experiences within the broader socio-cultural milieu.
Principles of Sport & Exercise Psychology: This unit will provide you with an understanding of the major theories, principles and concepts of sport and exercise psychology. It will provide you with knowledge concerning the role of the sport and exercise psychologist and introduce you to the variables that influence behaviour in the sport and exercise context.
Fitness Assessments for Sport Exercise & Health: You will develop your practical competencies and interpersonal skills for working with clients in sport, exercise and health settings. Additionally you will acquire an understanding of the scientific rationale and theory behind a variety of fitness and health assessments as well as be aware of the needs of healthy individuals and people with various musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurological disorders.
Principles of Sport Management: You will gain a contextual understanding of how core management principles operate in practice within the contemporary sports industry. You will explore how you might apply key concepts within various sport organisations and settings.
Year 2
In year two you’ll apply concepts and principles derived from specific approaches and methods to solve problems related to performance, welfare and sustainability in coaching practice.
Core units:
Principles of Training: You will be introduced to the key principles applied to fitness training with the aim of developing training programmes to enhance the various components of fitness necessary for peak performance for sport, exercise and health. All learning where relevant will be in-line with the Level 2 Gym Instructor, Level 3 Personal Trainer and UKSCA standards. It is intended so that you will be best prepared theoretically and practically to be successful should you progress onto professional practice qualifications in these areas.
Conducting Research in Sport & Exercise: This unit will help prepare you for independent research. It aims to develop a sound understanding of the philosophy and skills that underpin quantitative and qualitative approaches to research enquiry so that you are able to critically evaluate research problems, and apply coherent ethical research designs in a range of sport and exercise-related contexts.
Developing Coaching Practice: You will engage in theoretically-driven practical experiences and discussion of sports coaching practice as well as develop new insights about the complexity of coaching by working with and applying theory to coaching practice for a variety of coaching contexts and populations.
Coach & Athlete Welfare: You will develop a critical understanding of contemporary sociology, management and social psychological theories underpinning coaching practice and coach and athlete welfare. It will develop your understanding of the factors that influence and impact upon human interaction in coaching environments and enable you to take responsibility and make informed decisions to contribute to sustainable coaching environments.
Option units (choose two):
Performance Analysis: Introducing sports performance analysis with emphasis on team sports and match analysis, you will learn to provide systematic, objective observation of performance using both video and statistical analysis, identify key performance indicators linked to performance, generate appropriate results and communicate data effectively.
Issues & Controversies in Sport, Culture & Society: This unit engages you as a critical user and producer of sporting cultures, by critically evaluating key contemporary issues surrounding sport through a variety of academic perspectives. You will communicate your viewpoint with regard to current debates and policies in sport and physical culture.
Sport Management & Leadership: This unit will enable you to develop an understanding of the behaviour of people in organisations and how they can use management tools to adapt and respond to these demands.
Advances in Sport & Exercise Psychology: The unit will explore the variables that influence and impact upon human interaction and behaviour in sport and exercise contexts. It will consider both individual differences and group perspectives in sport and exercise environments.
Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.
Placement year
The length of the work placement is a minimum of 6-weeks taken as part of a 3 year degree or a minimum of 30-weeks taken as part of a 4 year degree. The placement can take place in the UK or overseas and gives you the opportunity to turn theory into practice in a business environment.
We have excellent links with sporting organisations, health and fitness clubs and national governing bodies in both the UK and Australia. This includes Sport England, UK Sport, David Lloyd, Fitness First, Holmes Place and the Australian Institute of Sport.
Final year
In your final year you’ll engage with contemporary and emerging issues, develop specialisms and advance coaching practice in a range of scenarios and coaching environments.
Core units (choose one):
Dissertation: The dissertation will enable you the opportunity to initiate and carry out an independent and self-managed research project. You will apply your knowledge and understanding of the research process learned so far through the application of techniques of analysis and enquiry within a relevant sport and exercise discipline.
Research Expedition: You will have the opportunity to perform in-depth research on the needs and responses of individuals completing a UK based endurance expedition. Projects may include laboratory experiments and/or fieldwork exercises. All projects will require you to work independently under the guidance of a supervisor, to perform a review of literature, conduct investigative work and data analysis, develop suitable conclusions and recommendations, and present this in the form of an independent research project.
Option units (choose four):
Advancing Coaching Practice: To participate fully in this unit, you will need to be working in a sports coaching context. You will explore key research, issues and problems at the forefront of the discipline of sports coaching. You will apply research-informed solutions and develop a systematic and critical understanding of sports coaching as a complex socio-cultural activity.
Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology: You will develop your ability to competently and effectively assess, evaluate and analyse factors affecting behaviour, cognitions and performance in order to implement effective evidence-based intervention strategies.
Advanced Fitness Testing & Exercise Prescription: This unit will provide you with an opportunity to independently apply learning from the first two years in a live environment working with different populations. Applied understanding will be gained via practical physiological assessment of live clients and professional practice opportunities.
Advanced Performance Analysis: You will develop your sports performance analysis skills with a critical understanding of notational analysis within both the applied and research settings. You will learn to provide systematic, objective observation of performance using both video and statistical analysis in order to write appropriate research to further the knowledge of performance analysis in the field of sport.
Sport & Physical Culture: In this unit you will develop a critical awareness of sport and physical culture in a variety of contexts by bringing together theory and practice in reflexive fieldwork. Advanced application of social theories and concepts will be developed in order to encourage diversity, inclusion and sustainability in sport and physical culture contexts.
Talent Development in Sport: Talent development is becoming an increasingly important focus for research and practice, as well as being a key part of coaching, coach education, and sport science more widely. You will gain a deep knowledge of the development of talent in sport, and will learn to look beyond headline findings and widely held myths/beliefs, in order to view current practice critically and develop a research-informed, evidence-based understanding.
Physical Education & Teaching Practice: This unit will develop your conceptual and skills-based knowledge and understanding of effective teaching (in physical education), sufficient that you may successfully undertake initial teacher training.
Strategy & Leadership for Sport: You will undertake strategic analysis, develop strategic plans and understand the key issues in terms of strategic implementation relevant to public, private and voluntary sector organisations using a broad range of strategic tools, models and theories, and understand the importance of leadership in strategy implementation.
Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.
The industries and employment opportunities open to you when you graduate from this course are varied and exciting. You should be able to forge a career that you are truly passionate about and utilise the skills and knowledge you have gained throughout your degree.
The career opportunities are diverse, ranging from working in sports, leisure, education, health and events. When you graduate from this course you will be well-placed to occupy roles in performance sport organisations, sporting national governing bodies, local authorities, schools and colleges, international sports events providers, and sports and leisure centres.
88% of our graduates on this course were employed or continuing their studies fifteen months after graduating.
OSHC: 624 ($) GBP per year
