Start date
22 September 2025
Duration
3 years full-time
6 years part-time
Places available (subject to change)
40
About the course
Reasons to study
- This course is endorsed by Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), enabling you to meet industry-recognised standards and gain qualifications which are recognised by major employers.
- Benefit from sports hall facilities and specialist equipment in our dance studios, fitness suites, and sport science labs.
- Gain real-world experience on a work placement in your second year, while also putting the skills and knowledge gained on the course to the test.
There is an increasing emphasis on physical education and youth sport coaching to meet a range of agendas, including developing a sporting nation by increasing participation, performance, and an active lifestyle.
This degree will help you to develop a critical and practical understanding of sport coaching, physical education, sport management and development, sport analysis, and sport science. The course adopts an innovative and flexible approach to the curriculum design, emphasising the need to meet the changing demands of Physical Education and Sport Coaching professions.
You’ll learn by studying a combination of teaching and coaching pedagogy (how people teach/coach and learn), child development and maturation, performance analysis, safeguarding, and the psychology of coaching.
Innovative and unique approaches to teaching and coaching will be applied, including the importance of inclusive practice, teaching and coaching styles, and the need for individualisation. You’ll also be taught the skills required to critically reflect on your own delivery.
Contemporary issues in physical education and coaching will be explored, examining motivations and barriers to participation for children and young people with different abilities and from different backgrounds, focusing on equality, diversity, and inclusive practice.
Why study Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching BSc(Hons)
You’ll explore pedagogical and coaching practice in practical lectures using the sports hall facilities and specialist equipment in our dance studios, fitness suites, and sport science labs. This will support your learning to coach and teach children and young people effectively. You’ll work on a range of projects which can be transferred into employment, and visiting expert practitioners from a range of national, regional, and local teaching and coaching organisations will also share their knowledge and experience with you.
The course is delivered by a team of highly experienced and enthusiastic Physical Education and Coaching practitioners, committed to ensuring a quality experience that will provide you with the tools to become an effective and employable graduate. You’ll take part in lectures, seminars, practical workshops and work placements, gaining valuable experience in primary and secondary schools and other sport or physical activity settings. In addition, you’ll gain real-world experience through a work placement in your second year.
Through exploring physical education and youth sport coaching you’ll have opportunities to develop interpersonal qualities that will allow you to apply your knowledge in a variety of sporting career pathways. These include effective communication, presentation skills, critical -reasoning, problem -solving, and reflective practice. The qualities and experiences gained on the course will put you in a strong position to apply for teacher training and postgraduate study.
Progressing from this course, you may wish to apply for an Initial Teacher Training course leading to Qualified Teacher Status to work as a primary or secondary teacher or pursue further study in other areas, including sports performance, strength and conditioning, performance analysis, sports coaching, or sports development. Alternatively, you could work as a sports coach at recreational and elite level, in sports marketing and hospitality, as a sports performance analyst, or working for organisations including the Youth Sport Trust and Yorkshire Sport Foundation, as well as private sport providers.
This course is endorsed by Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA), which enables you to meet industry-recognised standards and gain qualifications within your degree which are recognised by major employers. Whilst studying the course you can also apply for annual student membership of CIMSPA at a cost of just £5 per student (an 83 per cent saving). This provides access to e-learning, work placement, volunteering, job opportunities, and more. On successful completion of the course, you’ll be eligible to apply for CIMSPA graduate membership.
Course detail
Core modules:
Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology in Sport and Exercise
Two branches of science, anatomy and physiology provide the foundation for understanding the body’s parts and functions. You'll be supported to develop an underpinning knowledge and understanding of the human body systems that are of most relevance to sport, exercise and health, as well as homeostatic control and how this relates to the pathophysiology of disease.
Foundations of Biomechanics for Sport and Exercise
Biomechanics is the study of the forces acting on and produced by the body. You'll be supported to develop an understanding of the academic and practical skills required of a sport and exercise scientist, providing you with knowledge to interpret biomechanical principles that govern human motion. Biomechanics is one of the key sport and exercise science disciplines recognised by British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
Foundations of Coaching
In this module you'll explore the specific roles of the coach in the context of youth sport. You'll be provided with opportunities to develop practical skills including communication and demonstration skills. It will also help you gain an understanding of underpinning principles of coaching including models of youth development, positive youth development through sport, and coaching styles.
Physical Education and School Sport Pedagogy 1
This module will explore your understanding of pedagogical approaches in physical education (PE) and school sport and their differences and similarities. You'll investigate the most effective methods for delivering high-quality, student-centred PE, developing healthy, confident and motivated learners. You'll have the opportunity to put theory into practice through practicals, lectures and teaching sessions in schools, reflecting on your own and others’ delivery. You’ll explore innovative ways of teaching that make it comprehensible and exciting. The module will look at the National Curriculum for PE and provide an insight into current issues and initiatives, including what constitutes a high-quality PE lesson.
Research Methods 1
This module focuses on establishing an understanding of the research process and developing the academic skills required to progress in higher education and successfully complete the course. You'll examine essential areas such as essay and report writing, referencing and the use of Summon in searching for information. You'll explore concepts of research design and the research process and you'll identify where support can be accessed to enable academic progression. This module will also introduce key concepts in Professional Practice to support future career goals.
Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport
This module will raise your awareness of current legislation, policies and procedures which exist to keep children and young people safe in sporting contexts. It emphasises the knowledge, skills and qualities required to work with children, young people as well as National Governing Bodies and other organisations involved in protecting children. You’ll explore broader safeguarding concepts (such as PREVENT in the context of sport).
Core modules:
Child Development and Maturation
Children and adolescents are not simply ‘mini-adults’, thus physiological responses to exercise are different from adults. This module aims to describe, understand and critically evaluate the processes of growth and development in children and adolescents, as well as the potential impact of these on health and performance. You'll explore the physiological function, the benefits and risks, including common injuries of participating in sport and exercise, as well as development models.
Coaching Youth Sport
This module helps you gain the knowledge and practical skills required to effectively coach youth sports across various competition levels. You'll explore key coaching principles, holistic coaching practices, ethical considerations and investigate key challenges in youth sport. You'll also examine how climates created by key social agents, for example coaches, parents and peers can impact athletes, along with an understanding of how video analysis can be used to evaluate how you coach.
Physical Education and School Sport Pedagogy 2
This module aims to develop your awareness and understanding of the pedagogical social, and cultural foundations of teaching practice. It will assist your understanding of teaching and learning theories and models in PE and school sport, helping you to develop a critical appreciation of their value to lifelong learning and participation. You'll have the opportunity to lead practical sessions for your peers and within various school environments, furthering your knowledge of the National Curriculum for PE at all key stages. The focus is on the child and young person being at the heart of learning, regardless of their learning context.
Psychology of Coaching
In this module you'll explore psychological principles of coaching, learning and factors that affect the acquisition, performance and retention of sport skills in novice, expert or elite athletes. It will aid in your understanding of movement skills and help to develop your pedagogic and coaching practice. You'll learn how to profile a performer, whilst developing an understanding of skill acquisition theory and the processes involved in executing, transferring, retaining and learning physical skills. Using these exemplar theoretical and pedagogic principles, you'll also have an opportunity to practice these methods to facilitate your understanding.
Research Methods 2
This module will help you further develop the skills and knowledge of research methods you learnt in Year 1, supporting you to produce a more considered research proposal for your final year project. You'll focus on the applications of research methods to different kinds of problems, allowing experiential learning to take place. This will help you to become better equipped to undertake your own research and offer a critique of the research of others.
Work Placement
This module provides the opportunity to gain work experience in an industry placement and develop an understanding of the core purpose and management of the organisation. You’ll complete 100 hours on placement where you'll identify, develop and maintain a role as a working member of the team, appreciating the rights and responsibilities of yourself and the organisation.
Core modules:
Applied Research
You'll have the opportunity to develop practical research skills by investigating a specific aspect of sport, exercise or nutrition by reviewing the most up-to-date research literature available. You'll produce a project, which will be individually negotiated with a university appointed supervisor and, in some cases, an employer or work-based supervisor who will provide ongoing support. All research projects will be approved by the University’s School Research and Ethics Panel.
Applied Youth Sport Coaching
In this module, you'll critically examine key principles and practices in youth sport. You'll explore young people’s participation across the sports development continuum and critically analyse the role and behaviours of a coach at all levels. The demands of coaching elite youth athletes will be considered from practical and theoretical perspectives. You'll also explore transitional stages affecting participation and progression in youth sport. Key issues for youth athletes will be investigated and the role of the coach in supporting and managing the athlete.
Contemporary Issues in Physical Education and Youth Sport
This module explores the role of sport and physical education (PE) within the lives of children and young people. The module evaluates global perspectives and explores issues affecting children and young people in sport and PE. You'll critically appraise some of the most significant themes and issues in contemporary society. From a UK perspective, the module also explores political, social, and economic factors that influence children and young people’s participation. You'll critically examine current issues affecting all levels of participation from foundation to elite, as well as consider how sport and PE may evolve to meet the needs of changes in society.
Physical Education and School Sport Pedagogy 3
In this module you’ll focus on developing your own teaching style and philosophy by delivering and reflecting on practical sessions to your peers and in the school environment. You’ll explore and critique different methods of assessment within Physical Education (PE) and how they should be embedded throughout a high-quality curriculum. You’ll also explore the importance of assessment and how it can be used to ensure learners make progress and improve their attainment, and the relationship between schemes, units of work, and lesson planning. You'll also have the opportunity to appraise quantitative and qualitative assessment tools used within PE.
Project Management
In this module you'll explore the skills required to lead a project within the Sports, Physical Education and School Sport (PESS) or Health industries. It aims to build on previous knowledge gained from disciplines you have studied, examining sport, physical education (PE) or health project management from conception to evaluation. You'll also understand the importance of applying the theory of the benefits of sport, exercise or PE and school sport to the practical side of developing a community initiative.
Learning and teaching is delivered through seminars, group- work, practical experience, tutorials, independent study and lectures. Assessment is a combination of coursework, practice or competency-based learning, and examinations. The nature of the assessment varies from module to module and mirrors the modes of communication expected of graduates in this field.
Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course.
Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term- time weeks unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance is available on request after the publication of results.
Full-time or part-time study
You can choose to study this course on a full or part-time basis. Our part-time students attend modules at the same time as our full-time students, alongside the standard full-time timetable. This course is not available to study on a part-time basis on an evening, at the weekend, or via distance learning.
Further information
The teaching year starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Timetables are normally available one month before registration. As this is a full-time course, you may have to attend every day of the week.
Your course is made up of modules and each module is worth a number of credits. Each year you study modules to the value of 120 credits, adding up to 360 credits in total for a bachelor’s qualification. These credits can come from a combination of core, compulsory and optional modules but please note that optional modules may not run if we do not have enough students interested.
If you achieve 120 credits for the current stage you are at, you may progress to the next stage of your course, subject to any professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.
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The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.
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Further proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2024). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.
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We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 23 since 2008 (2024 data).
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We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).
Read more about academic staff at the University of Huddersfield
At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive a GPA certificate from the University of Huddersfield, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.
Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.
*full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.
Entry requirements
BBC-BCCat A Level . |
112-104 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications. |
Pass at T Level with grade C or above on core. |
DMM-MMM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma. |
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No specific subjects are required but subjects including Physical Education, Sports Studies, Sport Development and Coaching, Psychology, Health-related or Science subjects (Applied Science, Biology, Physics, Chemistry) provide a good foundation for our Sport degrees.
Applicants will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prior to commencing the course, because prior convictions may preclude working with young people.
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.
Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.
Facilities
Student support
At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.
Important information
Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons
When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.
Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons
Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on
If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.
Changes to your course after you enrol as a student
Changes to option modules:
Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.
Major changes:
We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.
Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.
In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.
The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.