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Sport Coaching and Physical Education

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above, including English and Maths.

UCAS Tariff

104

UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent), including a pass in Psychology, Physical Education, Sports Studies or a Science subject.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Sports coaching

Develop a critical and practical understanding of sport coaching, physical education, sport management and development and work towards a career in sport in an immersive, inspiring environment in the heart of Cambridge.

Do you dream of being the great coach behind a great athlete? Or to inspire children through engagement with sport and physical activity? Or maybe you would like to have your say in the policing of sport and in the development of athletes? Work towards all these and even more careers at our Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences.

We're proud to be ranked third in the country for sports science courses in the Guardian League Table 2022.

As a Sport Coaching and Physical Education student at ARU, you'll have access to amazing opportunities: you can use specialist labs accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), gain safeguarding and coaching qualifications, and get first-hand experience working with schools and sports clubs.

We know that you want to learn from professionals, so our staff members include elite athletes and coaches who will be teaching you not just based on their academic knowledge, but also from their hands-on experience.

Our Sport Coaching and Physical Education degree course is endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) and has membership of the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE), so you'll graduate ready to work in the UK’s burgeoning sport and fitness industry or to continue your learning journey to postgraduate study. Find out more about our approved and accredited courses.

By choosing to study BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching and Physical Education at ARU, you’ll be choosing an applied course that is embedded in real-life experiences and focused on getting you career-ready.

Our degree course is packed with opportunities to complete work placements in local schools and sports clubs. Moreover, you'll have the chance to gain unique work experience with organisations such as Living Sport and Cambridge City Council, who run community sports projects for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. You can also apply to internship programmes with professional sports teams.

In the final year of your Sport Coaching and Physical Education degree, you'll be offered a unique opportunity to complete a real-life research and development project immersed in industry.

All this is supported by what you learn in the lecture theatre.

Together, we’ll explore sport development, applied coaching pedagogy (how people teach and learn), athlete development, sport physiology and the psychology of sport coaching. You’ll learn how to use your knowledge as a leader, teacher and a sports coach – and to work safely, ethically and confidently on your own, or as part of a team. To do this, you’ll use fantastic facilities including exercise testing and human movement labs, and a strength and conditioning suite.

And to top it all off, there’s financial support for talented athletes.

Modules

Year 1 Core Modules
Multidisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science 1
Introduction to Sport Coaching & Development
Multidisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science 2
Practical Delivery of Sport and Physical Education
Professional Development - Level 4

Year 2 Core Modules
Applied Research Skills
Analysing Performance in Sport
Applied Teaching and Coaching
Sport Development
Psychological Profiling for Sport
Ruskin Module
Professional Development - Level 5

Year 2 Optional Modules
Strength and Conditioning
Nutrition for Health and Exercise
Perceptual Motor Skills
Applied Performance Analysis

Year 3 Core Modules
Talent Identification and Development in Sport
Coaching Philosophy and Ethics
Mentoring and Learning in Coaching
Strategic Sport Development

Year 3 Optional Modules
Undergraduate Research Project
Advanced Work Placement
Exercise Medicine
Contemporary Issues in SEP Psychology
Performance and Exercise Nutrition
Advanced Strength and Conditioning
Applied Sports Psychology

Assessment methods

Throughout the course, we’ll use a range of assessment methods to help you and your tutors measure your progress. We’ll assess you throughout each year, meaning that we can help you stay on the right track.

You’ll complete exams, practical skills tests, presentations, scientific reports, data-handling exercises, case study critiques, computer assessments and a research project on a topic of interest.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Cambridge Campus

Department:

Life Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

81%
Sports coaching

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sport and exercise sciences

Teaching and learning

85%
Staff make the subject interesting
89%
Staff are good at explaining things
87%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
81%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

83%
Library resources
94%
IT resources
94%
Course specific equipment and facilities
74%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

86%
UK students
14%
International students
74%
Male students
26%
Female students
65%
2:1 or above
29%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sport and exercise sciences

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
93%
low
Employed or in further education
58%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

25%
Sports and fitness occupations
15%
Teaching and educational professionals
8%
Childcare and related personal services

One of the fastest growing subjects in the country, the number of sports science graduates went from under 3,000 in 2003 to over 10,000 in 2013. Numbers have fallen slightly since 2015, but we still have over 9,000 graduates in the subject. However, the good news is the country's appetite for good health and fitness - and the adaptability of graduates in the subject - means that sports science grads are less likely than average to be out of work. Sports science graduates, not surprisingly, tend to get jobs in sport, fitness and health - coaching and teaching especially - but they're found all over the economy. Management and business are also popular options for graduates from this subject — and sports science graduates are particularly found where drive, determination and physical fitness are an advantage.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Sport and exercise sciences

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£17k

£17k

£23k

£23k

£26k

£26k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here