Physical Education and Sports Coaching

Whether you aspire to become a PE teacher or a sports coach, we’ve got the connections and expertise to help you achieve your ambitions.

We collaborate with schools, colleges and sports organisations to give our students real-life experience of coaching and PE delivery. Our links with professional clubs, like Stoke City and Port Vale, along with county sports partnerships and other local sports clubs provide a range of opportunities for students to get real world experience.

Our Physical Education and Sports Coaching degree will give you lots of opportunities to develop skills for a range of careers. These include sports development, health and fitness, and coaching at elite sport or grassroots level.

And if you want to work in schools, you’ll be in a prime position to apply for a PGCE upon successful completion of your degree.

Through our Sports Academy you can also volunteer to help run physical activity sessions for international athletes, schoolchildren and the wider sporting community.

In the first year of the course, you’ll explore practical modules that cover coaching across youth, performance and disability sports. You’ll also be introduced to elements of sport science like sport psychology, biomechanics and physiology that support optimising performance.

There will be the chance to pick a sport you’re interested in for your coaching skills. It could be football, rugby, basketball, volleyball, tennis, dance, swimming or another sporting pursuit. You’ll also develop a wider skillset as the degree will prepare you to deliver the full range of the PE national curriculum.

We use digital technology to help improve coaching skills, including using GPS vests, heart rate monitors and performance analysis software. These replicate professional environments to best prepare you for becoming an effective coach and teacher.

You’ll also use our specialist sports laboratories and outdoor sports facilities, including the national football centre at St George’s Park.

And, you will benefit from our links with primary, secondary and special schools across the region. We host their pupils on campus for coaching sessions. You will also go into community settings, work with organisations like Youth Sport Trust and get to do extended placements.

Modules include an industry project, where you could be running a sports event such as women and girls’ sports festivals.

We have innovative assessments throughout the course too, including podcasts and vlogs.

Our staff bring extensive coaching and research expertise to the degree. You’ll have the opportunity to assist with this wider research, as well as produce your own independent research project in your final year. Some students go on to present their research at conferences and win prizes for their work. We also have Visiting Teaching Fellows to support your studies. These are professionals working in PE, elite swimming and footballs club who offer valuable insight of contemporary practices.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Sports Coaching

Course Modules

Year One Core: Human Performance; Inclusive Coaching; The Coaching Toolkit; The PE Blueprint

Year Two Core: Placement; Shaping Coaching Practice; Teaching National Curriculum PE; Teamwork and Leadership in Sport

Year Three Core: Future PE Leaders; Innovative Coaching Practice; Project Based Learning; Teaching and Coaching Culture

A variety of assessment methods are used throughout the course including coursework, practical coaching, examinations, podcasts and presentations. For further information on yearly breakdown of assessments please see our website