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University of Bedfordshire

UCAS Code: H1FY | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

C-B

Successfully completed Access Diploma course

32 - 48 UCAS Tariff Points

UCAS Tariff

32-48

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2025

Subjects

Sport and exercise sciences

Sports coaching

This innovative course is designed for those who want to train athletes to maximise their physical potential and improve their performance. You learn from leading professionals who teach you the skills you need to be a confident and well-informed strength and conditioning coach, while covering a wide range of sports science disciplines including anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, sport psychology and nutrition.

**Foundation Year**
In the Foundation year you will study three days per week. The focus will be on academic writing skills and numeracy, plus subject-specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree. This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will be required to pass the foundation year in order to progress to the first year of your degree. This course is ideal for those who do not meet our standard entry requirements or those with a non-standard educational background. It will allow you to graduate with a full undergraduate degree in your chosen subject in four years.

**Course Accreditation/Industry Endorsement**
- The course is endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), allowing you to gain additional qualifications in gym instructor; personal trainer; working with people with long-term conditions; S&C trainer; and graduate S&C coach.

- Once you complete your degree, you can apply for professional accreditation with the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA).

**Facilities and Specialist Equipment**
- New purpose-built strength and conditioning facility with Olympic weight room.

- A fully supervised sports therapy and rehabilitation centre with sports injury clinic, open to staff, students and external athletes/clients.

- Six BASES-accredited laboratories including physiology and biomechanics laboratories with cutting-edge equipment such as an environmental chamber, Vald Performance light gates, force plates and a 3D motion-analysis system.

- Human Performance Centre, allowing students experience of working with athletes.

- State-of-the-art gym with membership for students.

- Sports arena; multi-use games areas; and 4G sports pitch.

**Partnerships and Collaborations**
- We are official education partners of Luton Town FC and Bedford Blues RFC as well as other sporting organisations in the region, giving you opportunities to improve your employability through work placements.

- We are also a Higher Education Partner of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).

**Your Student Experience**
- Learn from leading professionals in the field who have worked with elite sports people, including GB Olympians, national organisations (such as the RFU and the FA) and professional sports teams.

- Enhance your learning and build your experience through field trips to destinations such as St George’s Park, the home of England Football; Northampton Saints Rugby Club; and the dissection rooms at King’s College London.

- As well as placements with our official partners, you will have opportunities to gain experience with other sporting organisations such as Ampthill Rugby Club, Northampton Town Football Club, MK Dons Football Club and Girls Academy, and Oundle School.

- Collaborate with our partners to deliver school and community-based projects.

- Hear from guest speakers (who also teach on the course) and attend our ISPAR seminar series. Previous speakers have included Jack Wells (PGA); Tom Bromley (MK Dons); Akash Modhwadia (S&C coach at MK Dons); Mark Finney (former head of S&C at Northampton Saints); and Phil Pask (consultant physiotherapist for England Rugby).

- Benefit from the support of your own personal academic tutor who will guide and support you throughout your student journey.

- Our Bedford campus is a small, thriving academic community where academic staff get to know you well.

The Uni

Course location:

Bedford Campus

Department:

School of Sport Science and Physical Activity

Read full university profile

What students say

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

89%
Sport and exercise sciences
89%
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

81%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
66%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
83%
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

64%
Library resources
78%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
69%
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?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
66%
Male students
34%
Female students
55%
2:1 or above
22%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
D
E

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.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
90%
med
Employed or in further education
65%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

14%
Teaching and educational professionals
12%
Health associate professionals
11%
Sports and fitness occupations

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.

£19k

£19k

£24k

£24k

£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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
place
University of Bedfordshire | Luton
Sport and Physical Education
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 112
Same University
place
University of Bedfordshire | Luton
Strength and Conditioning
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 104
Lower entry requirements
place
University of Wolverhampton | Wolverhampton
Football Coaching and Performance with Foundation Year
BSc (Hons) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 1-48
Nearby University
place
Anglia Ruskin University | Cambridge
Sports Science with Exercise Referral
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2025
UCAS Points: 81-96

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 the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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