Sports Coaching and Physical Education BSc (Hons)

Develop a broad understanding of sports coaching and teaching physical education in school settings. Gain practical coaching/teaching experience through opportunities which will allow the application of theory into practice and the crucial development of practical and professional skills, relevant to the future workplace.

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Overview

BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching and Physical Education aims to develop aspiring coaches and future educators equipped to teach in primary, secondary and tertiary educational settings. You'll focus on fitness, training and performance whether that be aligned to athlete development, or the delivery of the national curriculum for physical education.

You'll complete at least 150 hours of work-related experience through local and regional links with sports clubs, public and private fitness centres/gyms, schools, after-school sport and holiday clubs.

This course is aligned to the industry standards as set by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).

Why us?

Our Sport Sciences courses are 17^th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2024)
Option to apply to the Elite Athlete Bursary Scheme
All students get free access to Adventure Sunderland which provides water-based activities (i.e. surfing, paddle boarding, sea kayaking)

We have great links to professional clubs in the local area, including Sunderland AFC, Sunderland Ladies FC, Durham County Cricket Club, and DMP Sharks Women’s Rugby Club. We also have links to local primary and secondary schools as well as local FE colleges

Course structure

Our teaching methods are designed to develop not only your knowledge but also practical skills through authentic learning activities that enhance employability.

Methods include small group work, practical teaching/coaching activities, work-based activities, workshops, lectures, industry speakers, tutorials, laboratory practicals, computer-based activities, presentations and independent learning.

Assessment methods include lab reports, essays, presentations, reflective portfolios, online quizzes and exams, problem based learning and competency-based practicals.

Modules

Year 1 (national level 4):

Working in a Sport, Exercise and Coaching Context (30 credits)

Ready to build skills that help you succeed at university and beyond? You'll understand the importance of learning and development for continued lifelong success.

Want to know about the different jobs in sport, exercise, health, or education? You’ll explore varied roles and find out what kinds of careers are out there. Plus, you’ll learn what employers expect and how to present yourself like a true professional.

You’ll also get 50 hours of work experience in sport, health, fitness, or education. This hands-on placement helps you visualise your future career depending on your interests.

Physiology of the Human Body (30 credits)

You’ll start by learning the basics of human physiology and nutrition – how your body systems work and how they respond during exercise.

In physiology, you’ll focus on how your body reacts right after exercise. For nutrition, you’ll learn the key principles about healthy eating and how to check someone’s nutritional health.

You’ll also practice important skills like carrying out simple tests on the body and nutrition, and learn how to explain the results clearly.

Coaching Science and Psychological Skills (30 credits)

This module covers everything you need to know about coaching – from basic skills and history to sports psychology and how technology helps coaches today. Each week builds on what you’ve learned, giving you a full picture of sports coaching and the theory behind it.

You’ll explore important ideas like motor skills, communication, practice, and feedback. You’ll also look at how coaches help athletes grow over time and how psychology can boost performance.

You’ll learn how to use these ideas to understand and improve athletes’ performance. Finally, you’ll work with your classmates to create and give a group presentation.

Kinesiology and Biomechanics of Human Movement (30 credits)

You’ll build your knowledge of human anatomy and movement by studying the upper limbs, lower limbs, trunk, and neck through hands-on activities. You’ll learn to identify key bones, muscles, and nerves using anatomical models, images, virtual tools, and real people.

You’ll also learn how to break down how the body moves using basic biomechanical principles. This means understanding how joints and muscles work together during normal and abnormal movements.

On top of that, you’ll practice important skills like talking with clients and doing physical assessments – skills every health and performance professional needs.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 2 (national level 5):

Professional Identity and Practice (30 credits)

You’ll learn what it means to be a professional in sport and exercise. This includes understanding your role and how research helps you grow. You’ll also get real work experience through a placement that matches industry standards.

During the course, you’ll work towards skills needed to become a Level 3 Personal Trainer or Strength and Conditioning coach. These are important qualifications if you want to work in fitness and sport.

You’ll also discover how learning and developing new skills doesn’t stop after university – it’s a lifelong process.

Theory and Practice of Sports Coaching and PE (30 credits)

Do you enjoy sport and want to help others learn and improve? In this module, you’ll learn the basics of coaching and teaching PE. You’ll find out how to build fun, safe, and inclusive sessions where everyone can take part and learn. What makes a great coach or PE teacher? You’ll start to discover that here.

You’ll look at how giving feedback helps people get better at skills, and how to support those who might find it harder to join in. You’ll also learn how to plan lessons, work with people of different needs, and reflect on what went well and what could be better.

We’ll also explore how new technology is changing the way we coach and teach. From apps to video tools, you’ll get hands-on with ideas to boost learning and motivation. You’ll even dive into sport psychology and ask: how can we help more people feel confident, stay active, and achieve their best?

Sport and Exercise Psychology (30 credits)

What part of sport psychology interests you the most? How would you support an athlete facing stress? This module helps you understand how sport psychology can boost athletes’ performance and support their mental health. You’ll learn how motivation, goal-setting, and confidence help athletes achieve their best.

You’ll start by figuring out what athletes need from an initial assessment, then create and try out ways to support them. You’ll also learn how to deal with challenges like stress in high-pressure scenarios, motivational strategies, and tricky ethical dilemmas.

Using real case studies and role-play, you’ll explore how psychology and sport science work together. You’ll also focus on taking care of your own wellbeing, with an emphasis on self-care and professional supervision.

Sports Science for Coaches (30 credits)

Are you ready to take your coaching knowledge to the next level? This module helps you build on what you learned previously and prepares you for your final year. It brings together the science behind sport and the skills needed to be a great coach. Have you ever wondered how top athletes train and perform at their best?

You’ll explore how the body works in sport – learning about anatomy, biomechanics, fitness, and nutrition. These topics will show you how the body moves, builds strength, stays healthy, and recovers. Why do some training plans work better than others? How does food or rest affect performance? You’ll find out.

To bring it all to life, you’ll look at real case studies from different sports taking what you’ve learned and applying it to real coaching situations.

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules:

Applied Project and Professional Development (30 credits)

This module will bring together everything you’ve learned to complete two projects. One is a research project, and the other is a work placement project. Both help you connect your academic skills to real-life problems and give you the chance to showcase your knowledge and skills.

For your research project, you’ll choose a topic you care about, plan how to study it, collect your own data, and share your findings. You’ll even present your work at a Research Conference –possibly in front of the public and future employers.

For your placement project, you’ll work with a real employer on a problem that matters in the workplace. You’ll agree on a project, complete it during your placement, and reflect on what you’ve learned and how it helps your future career.

Applied Coaching Practice (30 credits)

What does it take to be a great coach others can trust and learn from? In this module, you’ll learn how to plan, deliver, and review your coaching in a smart and effective way. You’ll build on what you already know and think about how coaches make good choices, work fairly, and always keep learning.

You’ll explore advanced coaching ideas, like putting the athlete at the centre, adapting your style, and using clear communication. You’ll also learn how to analyse performance, work with others in a team, and use mental skills to help athletes stay focused.

Through real-life coaching tasks and examples, you’ll practise what you’ve learned and face challenges coaches meet every day. You’ll start to think like a professional – using theory in real coaching situations. Could this be the step that prepares you for your future career in sport?

Optional modules (choose two):

Physical Education: The Curriculum and Youth Development (30 credits)

What makes a great PE lesson? In this module, you’ll learn where PE came from, how it has changed over time, and why it matters so much for young people today. You’ll explore how PE links with other school subjects and how modern technology can make lessons even more fun and effective.

You’ll dive into how young people grow – not just physically, but also in how they think and feel. You’ll learn about the science behind movement, like biology, nutrition, and how the body works. You’ll also look at how to plan safe and exciting lessons, and why it’s important to keep thinking about what’s going well and what could improve.

By the end of this module, you’ll be able to design and deliver your own PE lessons – both in the classroom and in practical settings. You’ll practise making lessons that help young people enjoy being active and stay healthy for life. Could you be the teacher who helps the next generation love sport and movement?

Applied Sport and Health Physiology and Nutrition (30 credits)

In this module, you’ll explore how nutrition and the body work together to boost sports and exercise performance. You’ll learn how food, supplements, and different environments – like heat, cold, or high altitudes – can affect how we train, compete, and recover. Ever wondered what athletes should eat before a big game, or how training in the heat changes your body?

You’ll look at topics like how protein helps build muscle, how to fuel your body during competition, and how exercise in extreme weather affects performance. You’ll also explore how different groups – like child athletes, older adults, female athletes, or people with disabilities – have unique nutrition and health needs.

You’ll get hands-on by designing ways to test how different factors impact health and performance. You’ll also learn to explain complex ideas in a simple, and clear way.

Applied Psychological Skills (30 credits)

This module helps you turn psychology theory into real-world practice. You’ll learn how to handle tricky mental challenges that come up in sport and exercise – like staying calm under pressure or helping others stay motivated and confident.

You’ll build on the skills you learned earlier in your degree and start using them like a pro. You’ll explore how coaching, psychology, and athlete wellbeing all connect. Want to be a performance coach or study sport psychology further? This module will help you get there.

You’ll learn by working on real-life examples – like how to support a team during tough times or help an athlete bounce back from setbacks. You’ll use case studies, role plays, and group work to design plans that truly help others. How would you help an athlete struggling with confidence or pressure?

Applied Biomechanics in Sport, Health, and Performance (30 credits)

How would you feel about helping someone improve their performance or avoid injury? This module builds on what you’ve already learned about how the body moves and how strength and conditioning help with performance. You’ll dive deeper into biomechanics – the science of how the body moves – and learn how to use special equipment to carry out real tests and experiments.

You’ll look at strength and conditioning through a biomechanics lens, exploring how movement affects performance, injury, and health. You’ll study how the body adapts to different types of training and how biomechanics plays a role in everyday tasks, sport, and recovery.

You’ll take on the role of a biomechanics expert by working with a real client. You’ll carry out a full movement assessment, give a clear diagnosis, and share useful feedback – just like you would if working for a top sports institute or professional team.

Facilities

You will be based in the Darwin Building and CitySpace which has recently benefited from a multi-million pound refurbishment.

State of the art equipment includes Vicon® systems, Xsens® motion capture suits, Kinovea® live action capture software, movement tracking tools, BTE Primus® rehabilitation equipment and so much more.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.

If English is not your first language, evidence is required of at least Level 6 attainment in the International English Language Testing Scheme (IELTS). Please see our English language requirements. However, students must be aware that to qualify and be accepted for teacher training an IELTS score of 6.5 is necessary. This may mean that some overseas students will need to undertake additional language development classes and take another IELTS assessment during the progress of the course.

Additional information

Sports Coaching and Physical Education students will be subject to Safeguarding and Fitness to Practise procedures. Prior to admission, a Disclosure and Barring service (DBS) check is required for UK students, whereas for overseas students, a Certificate of Good Conduct from the domicile police force is required. This is then superseded by a DBS check which must be obtained by the student six months after starting the course.

In addition, an Occupational Health check will be undertaken by the University Occupational Health partner. If required, the health check documentation is sent externally to an independent GP contacted by the University for approval. Students will be asked to complete and sign two self-declaration forms prior to admission and at the beginning of each academic year, one declaring good health and the other personal good conduct. No student will be allowed on placement without the completion of the requisite documentation.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The annual, full-time fee for this course is:

£9,535 if you are from the UK*/Europe
£17,500 if you are an international student

*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2026/27 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

At Sunderland, our sporting courses are professions-facing. The academic team work closely with employers in the local region to provide valuable and authentic work-based learning experiences.

The course embeds practical experiences which allows you to put theory into practice so that upon graduation, you are well equipped with a broad and in-depth knowledge and skillset.

Work-related experience

Work-related experience on the course will ensure that our graduates are ‘ready for work’. They will be competency-based and supported by an academic mentor. You'll meet and work with professionals in the fields of sport coaching, sport development, leisure industry and physical education (teaching). You'll be given the opportunity to present your work to professional colleagues.

Career options

Potential employers for graduates of this course include sports clubs, schools and colleges, national sports associations, sports and leisure companies, recreation services and local authorities.

During the course, you'll be encouraged and supported to obtain National Governing Body Coaching Awards to support future development. This will allow you to develop the skills required to become an effective sports coach/physical education teacher across a range of activities.

Job roles include the following (some require further training):

Sports coach/instructor
Fitness centre manager
PE Teacher (primary and secondary)

Meet the students

The University opened my eyes to various amounts of teaching/coaching styles, which I use today.

Connor Smith

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Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing.

Page last updated: 12 November 2025

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.