Sport and Fitness Studies
UCAS Code: CN07
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
HNC (BTEC)
Year 2 entry - A relevant HNC or a foundation degree with 120 credits.
HND (BTEC)
Year 3 entry - A relevant HND or a foundation degree with 240 credits.
About this course
**Course snapshot - Year 2 and 3 advanced entry only**
Graduates with broad experience and excellent skills are highly sought after in the sport and fitness industries. Whether you are interested in coaching, fitness training, teaching or a combination of areas, UCB's Sport and Fitness Studies degree course will ensure you are well-placed to exploit opportunities in this dynamic employment market. You'll have access to brand new, state-of-the-art sports and fitness facilities, while our industry links will give you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience as well as a range of further accredited qualifications.
**Who’s the course for?**
Our course is suitable for anyone interested in a career working within sport and fitness, including areas such as sports coaching and development, fitness training, teaching or even working with the armed forces.
**Why should I study the course?**
- **ENRICHMENT** - Enhance your career prospects with a variety of additional qualifications recognised by the sport and fitness industry
- **SPECIALISE YOUR STUDIES** - Customise your studies to suit your interests with a range of optional modules as well as taking on a research project on the subject of your choice
- **WORK EXPERIENCE** - Engage with industry throughout your course, with our past students having worked for top professional sports clubs
- **PRACTICAL APPLICATION** - Apply your training and skills to real-life practice, supported by our outstanding sports facilities
**Great. Tell me some more**
Studying on our sports courses means you will have access to a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. Our new Human Performance Centre includes a 35m sprint track (with force plate) and sled track, eight lifting platforms, integrated bilateral force plates, 7m rig and large screens displaying live analysis data. It also contains our purpose-built Human Performance Lab, featuring an anti-gravity treadmill, isokinetic dynamometer, Monark LC7 cycle ergometer and SECA body composition analyser.
You will also have access to our cutting-edge gym and our sports injury and massage clinics on campus, as well as use of the state-of-the-art all-weather pitch at Avery Fields, which we share with leading Birmingham rugby club Bournville RFC. The purpose-built, 15-acre site has undergone a £3 million transformation, with the pitch situated alongside two new grass pitches and an impressive clubhouse including a function room, modern changing facilities and a physiotherapy suite.
Alongside your degree, we offer the option for you to gain a range of industry-accredited qualifications, including Level 2 Certificate Fitness Instructor (NCFE), Level 3 Personal Trainer (NCFE) and 1st4Sport Level 2 Award in Multi-Skills Sports Coaching.
You will need to buy a uniform for this course - UCB can help cover the costs for this through our Kick Start scheme.
**What skills will I gain?**
You will gain a strong knowledge of anatomy, physiology, exercise, fitness and sports coaching, and learn to apply these skills in practical and relevant ways.
Through our choice of optional modules, you can develop further knowledge and skills in specialist areas such as nutrition, performance analysis or marketing.
The research project will hone your independent learning, problem-solving, analysis and data presentation skills as well as giving you in-depth knowledge of an industry subject that interests you.
**What about the future?**
Completing this course will prepare you for a career in the exercise, health and wellness sector. Potential pathways open to you include:
- Coaching
- Sports development
- Fitness instructor/personal trainer
- Strength and conditioning
- Armed forces or uniformed services
- Teaching or lecturing (via a PGCE qualification)
You can also progress to postgraduate level study, including a PGCE course at UCB should you wish to pursue a teaching role.
Modules
**Year 1**
- Academic Skills (SSCS)
- Applied Anatomy and Physiology
- Coaching Principles
- Fitness Training
- Healthy Lifestyle
- Sport in Society
**Year 2**
- Fitness Training 2
- Industrial and Personal Development
- Research for Sport
- Sports Coaching
- Sports Psychology
**Plus one option from:**
- Voluntary Initiative
- Health, Fitness and Wellbeing
- Sports Nutrition
- Performance Analysis
**Year 3**
- Applied Fitness Training and Programming
- Sports Psychology 2
- Sports Project
**Plus two options from:**
- Sports Coaching and the Development of Expertise
- Nutrition for Performance
- Work-based Learning for Sport
- Sports Marketing
Assessment methods
**Teaching**
Teaching is carried out by appropriately qualified and experienced lecturers and a typical teaching week will have up to 12 contact hours made up as follows:
- Large group teaching - 6 hours of lectures in lecture rooms
- Smaller group teaching - 3 hours of teaching in smaller groups
- Tutorials - 3 hours per week including a mixture of personal, group and academic tutorials
**Individual study**
In addition, you are expected to commit to approximately 20 hours a week of your own study time in preparation for teaching sessions and preparing for and completing assessment. UCB Online provides 24-hour access to learning and support material.
**Assessment**
Assessment is designed to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your strengths in a number of ways, so a variety of assessment methods are used. An estimated breakdown of the assessment for this course is as follows:
- Coursework - 55%
- Practical assessment - 35%
- Written examinations - 10%
Please note that the information provided above is indicative only and actual timetables and assessment regimes will be issued to students at induction.
Our teaching and assessment is underpinned by our Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy 2015-2020.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
University College Birmingham
School of Sports and Creative Studies - BA/BSc
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£16k
£20k
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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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.
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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
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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?
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