Program Overview

Sports Coaching BSc (Hons)

Course Overview

This course aims to produce competent, confident, and reflective coaches with strong practical application of scientific knowledge. You will experience a range of opportunities to develop your coaching practice, emphasizing optimal youth development.

Course Details

• Study Level: Undergraduate
• Year of Entry: 2026
• Location: Coventry University (Coventry)
• Study Mode: Full-time, Sandwich
• Duration: 3 years full-time, 4 years sandwich
• UCAS Codes: C610
• Start Date: September 2026

Course Structure

Year One

• Professional Skills in Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Develop personal skills and professional skills in the field of sports coaching.
  • Focus on developing a range of written, verbal, and digital platform skills.
• Foundations of Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Introduce the coaching process, including planning, delivery, and evaluation.
  • Focus on the practical delivery of coaching sessions underpinned by theoretical concepts.
• Physical Development in Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Understand the exercise physiology that underpins pediatric participant development.
  • Focus on safe and effective training programs on participant development.
• Pedagogical Approaches to Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Develop an understanding of 'how' you are coaching.
  • Challenge current understanding of what effective coaching is and how to create an effective learning environment.
• Foundations of Psycho-Social Principles in Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Explore the psycho-social needs of the participants you work with.
  • Develop an evidence base of psychological skills/characteristics, social considerations.
• Motor Learning and Control (20 credits)
  • Introduce the principles of motor learning, skill acquisition, and sport and exercise psychology.

Year Two

• Sports Coaching Practice (20 credits)
  • Develop and demonstrate theoretical knowledge and applied practical skills in sports coaching.
  • Focus on an experiential approach to learning and explore academic literature.
• Understanding Psycho-Social Development (20 credits)
  • Evaluate psychological and social theories to inform the practice of sports coaching.
  • Develop informed and critical approaches to coaching practice.
• Curriculum in Physical Education and Sport (20 credits)
  • Develop a lifelong engagement in children with sport and physical activity.
  • Focus on delivering high-quality PE across a range of activities.
• Professional Practice in Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Develop employability and a range of graduate skills.
  • Apply for and undertake a work-based learning experience.
• Strength and Conditioning in Youth (20 credits)
  • Develop an understanding of physical development in youth within a sports coaching context.
  • Apply knowledge to design, implement, and monitor safe and effective physical development programs.
• Research in Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Enhance analytical skills and develop a deeper understanding of research skills related to sports coaching.

Year Three

• Project Development (20 credits)
  • Apply knowledge and understanding of the scientific research process.
  • Create a research question within a chosen topic area and design an independent research study.
• Contemporary Perspectives in Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Explore contemporary perspectives in sports coaching.
  • Critically evaluate their influence on coaching practice.
• Promoting Sports Participation (20 credits)
  • Appraise strategies for sports promotion leading to the creation and critical evaluation of effectiveness of events.
  • Focus on promoting sports participation and delivering long-term solutions.
• Managing Athlete Careers and Performances (20 credits)
  • Examine the requirements of developing professional athletes over the period of their athletic career.
  • Focus on providing a toolkit of core management competencies.
• Advanced Sports Coaching (20 credits)
  • Give a better understanding of the full coaching process.
  • Focus on nested planning, coaching delivery, and critical reflection.
• Independent Research Project (20 credits)
  • Conduct, analyze, interpret, and communicate a scientific investigation in a specialized area of sport and/or exercise.

Entry Requirements

• Typical Entry Requirements:
  • UK: 112 UCAS points, A-level BBC to include PE, Biology, Psychology, or Sociology.
  • International: 30 points to include 5 points in Biology at Higher Level.
  • GCSE: Maths, English, and two sciences at grade 4/C or Functional Skills Level 2.

Fees and Funding

• UK Students: £9,535 per year (2025/26 fees)
• EU Students: £9,535 per year with EU Support Bursary (2025/26 fees)
• International Students: £18,300 per year (2025/26 fees)

Facilities

• Westwood Heath: Modern teaching rooms alongside grass and AstroTurf pitches.
• Alison Gingell Building: Sports hall, sport and exercise science laboratories, strength and conditioning suite, gait analysis track, 3D motion capture system, and an environmental chamber.

Careers and Opportunities

• Professional Experience Opportunities: Practical experiences embedded into the course, facilitated by established links with local and national sporting organizations.
• Career Paths: Sport coaching, PE teaching, sports development, leisure management, and community programs.
• Further Study: PGCE courses, MSc programs in specialist areas of study.