Sport Performance and Coaching

Course overview

Study an industry-focused, practical degree that puts real-world experience first. Explore a range of subjects and tailor your studies to suit your interests and career goals.

By choosing this degree, you won’t be limited to studying just one discipline. You’ll develop expertise in sports science, coaching, and analysis, before specialising in your second year with a range of optional modules.

You’ll complete 220 hours of industry experience, to ensure you’re ready for your next step. You could help out one of our performance sports teams, or alongside one of our many external sporting partners. This will give you insights into different career pathways as well as valuable experience for your CV.

The course will encourage you to think creatively, solve problems, and examine new concepts in the world of performance sport. You’ll learn with industry-standard facilities and have opportunities to work with athletes and teams from our Sports Academies.

On completion of the degree you should be ready to move into employment or top-up your qualification to a full BSc (Hons) degree, by progressing onto one of our one-year level 6 programmes.

What you'll study

This course places an emphasis on students getting industry experience. Throughout the two years, you’ll be required to complete 140 hours of industry experience. Alongside this you’ll study a series of core modules, covering everything from sports science to coaching, and optional modules, which you'll be able to choose from to suit your interests and career goals.

Optional modules change each year in line with student, industry and research demands. You can attend introductory sessions for optional modules before deciding which ones to study.

Level four (year one)

In your first year, you’ll cover a series of specialist modules focused on sport psychology, sports coaching and exercise physiology. These will give you the fundamental skills and knowledge to study at a higher level. Alongside this, you’ll experience what it‘s like to work in a sporting environment through 50 hours of placement. This will start introducing you to key industry skills and knowledge ready for when you graduate.

Level five (year two)

Alongside 90 hours of practical experience, you’ll specialise in the areas that interest you most through a series of optional modules. You could choose to study youth physical development, nutritional strategies for athletes, or applied performance analysis, amongst others. Your core modules will also see you exploring more advanced theory.

Please visit our document library for more module information.

How you'll study

We're committed to supporting you to fulfil your unique potential, which is why you'll receive a minimum of 15 hours of scheduled teaching time per week in your first year - this is 25% above the UK average.

Your support network

You'll benefit from a strong support network from day one to be the best you can be. This will range from your personal tutor and specialist academic support team (our Achievement and Success Centre) to dedicated wellbeing and employability (Innovation, Careers and Enterprise) centres.

Your learning experiences

You'll experience a range of teaching methods to strengthen your digestion of topics, including lectures, workshops and practical sessions, as well as supported work placement learning as part of many courses.

Your career

Each year of your course will be made up of two semesters, within which you’ll study compulsory and optional modules on different industry-focused topics, enabling you to develop your own unique portfolio of knowledge, skills and experience, ready for your career.

Further details

Graduate destinations

As a sports graduate you’ll have opportunities to progress into varied career paths. With the optional nature of the degree, it’s likely you’ll choose to find employment in the field that interests you most. The programme covers a range of different topics, including sport science, exercise physiology, performance analysis, and coaching modules. You may choose to focus your path in that direction. You’ll also have the transferable skills you need for other graduate jobs. Our careers team can support you to find and prepare to secure your perfect role. Recent graduate destinations have included:

• Performance analyst
• Roles within professional and amateur sport
• National Governing Bodies
• Coaching youth athletes
• Teacher training
• Postgraduate study

Tuition fees and financial support

Please visit our student finance page for information on tuition fees and student loans, as well as non-repayable grants, bursaries and scholarships, eligible to different groups, to support with study costs.

Below, you'll find extra costs associated with studying this course.

Clothing and footwear (circa £100)

You’ll need to purchase appropriate clothing and footwear before you enrol, or during enrolment week. Whilst students may wish to wear their own clothing, some will want to purchase Hartpury branded sports kit. Everything you may need is available from our supplier’s online shop for approximately £100.

Performance Sports Academy membership

Find out costs and details for joining one of our performance Sports Academy teams.

Explore Sports Academies

Hartpury gym

Find out about costs and details for joining the Hartpury gym.

Discover more

Accommodation and living costs

Please visit our student accommodation page for details.