Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Study options

Award

BSc (Hons)

Key facts

UCAS code:
CX6C
Location:
Stoke-on-Trent campus
Study option:
Full-time
Duration:
3 Years
Start date:
19 September 2022
School:
School of Life Sciences and Education

Industry placement

Get hands-on industry experience

Progress onto PE PGCE

Leave Staffordshire University as a qualified teacher

Practical first year

Develop your skills from the start

Our highly regarded Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching degree will prepare you for a career in teaching, coaching, health and fitness, or sports development.

The development of teaching and coaching skills are central to this course. 

This course is informed by close links with organisations such as the Youth Sport Trust and Sport Across Staffordshire. You’ll be taught by lecturers who hold high-level coaching qualifications, have extensive teaching experience in local secondary schools and are well connected within the industry. 

During this course you will have the opportunity to apply for our PGCE Secondary in Physical Education.

Our industry links will help to ensure that you’re work-ready when you complete the course, with your own network of connections already underway. As a Sport and Exercise student, you’ll be guaranteed a placement, internship or volunteering opportunity during your studies, in order to apply your knowledge and develop real world skills.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Work placements

The Sport and Exercise Department works with local, regional and national employers alongside international university partners to provide students with placement and work experience opportunities both in the UK and abroad. In 2018/19 our students visited Nippon Sport Science University in Japan and we are currently planning this years’ trip to ILEPS in Paris.

This course has a number of links with primary, secondary, independent and special schools across the region.

Course content

Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on developing practical skills and theoretical knowledge to advance teaching pedagogy and enhance your coaching practice.Investigating the scientific and social aspects of sport will allow for the creation of your own teaching and coaching philosophy underpinned by research and theoretical principles.

A wide range of digital and online technologies will be utilised throughout modules to enhance your learning experience and allow you to truly immerse yourself within the course.

The first year of the course will allow you to focus on your personal areas of interests from within the national curriculum, including a range of individual and team sports. Dance, gymnastics and outdoor adventure activities provide an excellent opportunity to refine skills in more diverse areas of the curriculum.

The second year of your studies will focus on underpinning practical skill and knowledge with theoretical understanding. Research will be examined to decipher the current physical education landscape and the role teachers and coaches play in both primary and secondary schools.

One specific module has a placement opportunity to gain experience within a work place (typically school based environments). This is an ideal opportunity to gain experience towards applying for a Post Graduate certificate in education (PGCE), or to help assess what area of the curriculum you may want to teach or coach in, moving forward. All students will be provided with the opportunity to complete a  DBS, Disclosure and Barring Service, this  is compulsory for all work experience opportunities.

Your final year will provide you with the opportunity to develop your own research project in your area of interest, to take part in continued professional development programmes and to investigate innovative and emerging teaching practices. 

Academic year

The course operates on a modular basis that provides flexibility and choice. Typically the majority of modules are 30 academic credits with a smaller number of 15 credit modules. Each credit taken equates to a total study time of around 10 hours. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study and assessment activity. Full-time students take modules worth 60 credits per semester, with part-time students taking proportionately fewer credits per semester. All students take a total of 120 credits per level and 360 credits for the degree as a whole. Your overall grade for the course and your degree classification are based on the marks obtained for modules taken at levels 5 and 6.  The full-time course has one start point in September.

Courtney Pitts - BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Courtney Pitts - BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Video

BSc (Hons) PE and Youth Sport Coaching student Courtney explains why he chose his course, and how he's been offered a job in his chosen industry before he's even graduated.

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module.

Entry requirements

  • Typical UCAS Offer: 112
  • A Level: BBC
  • BTEC: DMM
  • Applicants are individually assessed.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

Former footballer kicks back at racism

News

An ex-footballer championing racial equality in the game has graduated from Staffordshire University with first-class honours

For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country.

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Facilities

Learning Spaces

We also house our new 21st century teaching and learning classrooms with integrated Wolf Vision technology to enhance interactive learning through the use of mobile technologies in theory lessons.

Careers
  • PE Teacher
  • Head of PE
  • Sports Coach

The BSc (Hons) PE and Youth Sport Coaching prepares you for career progression in teaching, professional coaching, health and fitness, and sport development.

Previous graduates have gone on to work in athletics development, football coaching and lecturing.  A number of our former students are now working as Physical Education teachers, Heads of Department and other roles within schools or youth sport.

Most Sport and Exercise graduates have gained positions within the industry with others progressing into teacher training.

Students may also wish to continue their studies through progression onto our Masters courses.

Annabel Ratcliffe - BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Annabel Ratcliffe - BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Video

Annabel discusses why she chose to do her final dissertation of a subject which was close to her heart - the barriers of exercise for over 18 women, including body image.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, workshops, small group and practical sessions. Small group sessions enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups of around 10-12 students. In addition, you will have timetabled meetings with your personal tutor at least twice a year. You will be taught in first-class learning spaces throughout your course. 

Assessment

A variety of assessment methods are used throughout the course including coursework, practical coaching, examinations, podcasts and presentations. For further information on yearly breakdown of assessments please see 'Assessment breakdown' tab. 

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills); written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy); academic writing (including how to reference); research skills; critical thinking and understanding arguments; and revision, assessment and examination skills (including time management).

Additional support

Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Feedback

You will normally receive feedback on coursework assessments within 20 working days following the date of submission. Examination feedback may take a variety of formats. However, as a minimum, generic feedback will be made available to all students who take written examinations.

BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching - Course Leader

BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching - Course Leader

Video

Course leader Dan discusses what you can expect when you choose to study BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching.

Your study time will consist of class contact hours, self-directed learning, assessment and placements where appropriate. Your actual contact hours will depend on the subject area, on the option modules you select and professional body requirements. 

Year 1

22% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
78% of time in independent study
0% of time in placements

Year 2

16% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
84% of time in independent study
0% of time in placements

Year 3

15% of time in lectures, seminars or similar
85% of time in independent study
0% of time in placements

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars, laboratory or other timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve utilising a range of digital resources including our virtual learning environment; reading journals, articles and books; working on individual and group projects; undertaking research in the library; preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Your independent learning will be supported by a range of excellent facilities. These include the library, open access computer facilities, informal learning zones, a range of laboratories and specialist teaching areas.

Year 1

5% practical exams
64% coursework
31% written exams

Year 2

48% practical exams
40% coursework
13% written exams

Year 3

28% practical exams
73% coursework
0% written exams

Staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics and professional practitioners with industry experience.

Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teaching training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Our teaching is research-informed and 80% of our full-time staff in Life Sciences and Education are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

Daniel Dawson

Course Director

Dan is a lecturer in Sport and Exercise and is the Course Leader for PGCE Physical Education and PE and Youth Sport Coaching courses.

Daniel's profile

Fees

For the course starting on 19 September 2022 the tuition fees are:

Study option UK / Channel Islands
Full-time To be confirmed

UK and Channel Island students: This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX**. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any change as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

**RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

Harry Podmore - BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Harry Podmore - BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Video

Harry always knew he wanted to be a PE Teacher - so our BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching degree was the perfect fit for him.

Included in the fees:
  • DBS checks where required for assessed modules 
  • Loan of subject related requirement where required for modules
Not included in the fees:
  • Text books are available from the library, but some students chose to purchase their own copies
  • Printing
  • Travel costs to and from placements. We will have available placements within travel distance from the campus, or within proximity of your address
  • Clothing suitable for placements and facilities
  • Any optional field trips
Accommodation and living costs

Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

For more information on accommodation and living costs, please see: Accommodation

Sources of financial support

If you receive funding from Student Finance you may be eligible to apply for additional benefits. Details can be obtained by visiting: www.gov.uk

Scholarships and additional funding

As an undergraduate student at Staffordshire, you may be eligible for additional financial support through one of our scholarships and bursaries. You can visit our funding page to find out more and check your eligibility.

Our students

I chose the course because it allows you to go down two different paths – coaching and PE teaching, and when I first started I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do so it was perfect.

The best thing about the course is the variety. It’s not just writing and essays, you actually do a lot of practicals, like swimming and football coaching sessions on the astroturf.

Lauren Morris-Bannister

BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

The best thing about the course is the experience you get, especially at level 5. You go out and deliver into the schools but you do a lot of other subjects as well such as Psychology. I never thought I’d enjoy it or thought it’d link in, but it helps, especially when you’re delivering because it can help you to get an understanding of how students are feeling and it can help you deliver better. 

Ben Dytiche

BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

After being inspired by my daughter, who graduated in July 2019, I thought “I can do this” “I can fulfil my dream” so I spoke to the University and made the leap.

My goal in life was to become a PE teacher. Not only do I want to inspire children through physical activity, but I also want to help them grow and develop as an individual, and to hopefully have an impact on their life that they can take through to adulthood.

The lecturers have always been there if I needed to ask a question, and the support is second to none. They have made my university experience so much more than I could have imagined and have also given me the confidence in myself that I can achieve my dream.

Wendy Ollier

BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

To anyone considering the course, I’d really recommend it. I was really specialised in PE and I knew I wanted to do that so it seemed the perfect degree for me – but even if you want to do coaching, there’s plenty of CPD opportunities and other external things that you can do. 

Mackenzie Faulkner

BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

I would 100% recommend this degree – it's completely tailored to being a PE teacher and if you know that’s what you want to do, I’d do it because it’ll give you all the professional development you need – all the coaching stuff you need and the teaching side of it.  

Emily James

BSc (Hons) Physical Education and Youth Sport Coaching

Apply

Location Award Study option Start date
Stoke-on-Trent campus BSc (Hons) Full-time 19 September 2022 Apply now

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at Staffordshire University, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of Staffordshire University enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.

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