Overview

The science of sports coaching is a rapidly growing specialism within the sports industry, thanks to the additional investment and increased awareness of this industry in recent years. There are many skills, needed to be a successful sports coach or to work within sports development, that you will gain from the Foundation Degree in Sport.

Course description

The Sports Coaching Foundation Degree adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of sports coaching and focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of sports coaching, sports psychology, sports performance analysis, biomechanics, sports nutrition and fitness training.

In addition, this qualification develops your personal skills, enabling you to be an independent learner who can progress onto the final stages of a degree course and employment. This is achieved through the completion of an ongoing sports coaching work placement.

As part of the programme of study, you will have the opportunity to work with and be coached by some of the UK's elite coaches. You will gain experience of working with athletes, using state of the art sports technology whilst on educational visits.

What areas will I study?

Units studied over the 2 year course:

Level 4 modules:

• Research methods and academic skills 1
• Introduction to coaching science
• Contemporary issues in sports coaching
• Principles and practices of training athletic populations
• Strength and conditioning
• Applied sports coaching

Level 5 modules:

• Research methods and academic skills 2
• Coaching psychology
• Human movement
• Sport performance analysis
• Applied sports coaching
• Sports science support

During the course there may be additional costs such as sports kit and educational trips at approximately £350.

What are the entry requirements?

Entry onto the Foundation Degree in Sports Coaching programme is through one of two routes; applicants who have completed a Level 3 programme of study and attained a minimum of 280 UCAS tariff points or 112 UCAS tariff points (on the new tariff points system) will be accepted onto the programme. Alternatively, applicants that do not meet the required tariff points but have relevant industry experience will also be considered upon interview.

Applicants are also required to have Grade 4 or above in GSCE English language and maths, or hold an equivalent Level 2 Functional Skills qualification in English and maths. Applicants may also be required to provide academic references.

To find out more about UCAS points, please visit: https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/ucas-undergraduate-entry-requirements

Where can I progress to next?

Completion of the programme provides students with a number of options including further study; this could be a final year 'top-up' to a degree programme at Newman University or possibly at a number of other local and national universities. You could also apply for a range of career opportunities within the wider sports industry.