Sports Coaching

Course overview

Master your trade as a sports coach. Put practical learning first, developing your own coaching style through regular opportunities with school children, and young athletes, as well as performance sports men and women on campus.

We’re a partner of CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity). That means, everything you’ll learn is taught in line with nationally recognised coaching standards. Graduate industry-ready with the skills you need to be a successful coach.

Throughout your degree, you’ll be encouraged to gain real-world experience. Build a diverse portfolio that you can use to evidence your coaching expertise, experience and philosophy to employers when you graduate.

We’ve got strong links across the sports industry, including with the Football Association and the Rugby Football Union, giving you access to a wide range of coaching opportunities.

With 10 sports academies on site, you won’t be short of opportunities to put what you’re learning into practice. You could also find yourself gaining experience with local sports clubs and physical activity organisations.

We’ll support you to discover and progress your own coaching philosophy and style. A diverse range of modules will introduce you to differing coaching theories, concepts and practices, aimed at giving you a personal skillset to become an accomplished coach.

Accreditation

As a partner of CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity), our curriculum is underpinned by professional coaching standards.

What you'll study

This course covers a broad range of fundamental sports topics through core modules, from teaching and coaching, to sports science, and psychology. In addition to these core topics, you’ll have a wide range of optional modules to choose from, allowing you to specialise to suit your interests and career goals.

Level four (year one)

Your first year will focus on introducing you to a broad range of topics, providing you with the skills and knowledge you’ll need to begin developing your own coaching identity. Alongside your core coaching module, you’ll study physiology, psychology, and sociology topics, as well as developing your academic and professional skills.

Level five (year two)

Alongside your core coaching and academic skills modules, in your second year, you’ll start to choose your own path with a choice of optional modules. You could focus on sports business management, sports science, health topics, inclusion, and youth development.

Level six (year three)

Your final year allows you to concentrate the topics that interest you most and will support you best in your future career. One module is dissertation, a substantial research project that enables you to experience being responsible for planning, implementing and reporting on a specialist topic. In addition, you’ll be exposed to contemporary challenges in the subject area, as well as gaining an insight into where current research and coaching practice is focusing.

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. The course is taught in English.

Further details

Graduate destinations

Our sports coaching graduates work in a range of sport, exercise, and health and wellbeing areas in the performance, school and community sports sectors. Studying sports coaching also develops the skills needed for other graduate careers. Recent graduate destinations have included:

• Football Coach, Paris Saint Germain
• Rugby coach, Play Rugby USA
• Rowing coach, Canterbury Christchurch College
• Head of Sport, private school
• Sport Development lead, Young Gloucestershire
• Performance Analyst, Gloucester Rugby
• Lecturer, Hartpury College

Tuition fees and financial support

Please visit our 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

Students have an option to purchase sports kits which can be bought as a bundle via Hartpury’s website for approximately £150.00. Students are encouraged to engage in various trips and visits as part of the programme. A comprehensive package of non-repayable financial support is available to facilitate engagement with placements and study tours / trips where additional costs are involved.

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.

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Accommodation and living costs

Please visit our student accommodation page for details.