Undergraduate course

BSc (Hons)

Sports Coaching

Sport

Attendance

Start Date

Duration:

Main Location

Headingley Campus Headingley Campus

Application Information 

UCAS code: CX6D

Institution code: L27

Application Information 

UCAS code: CX6D

Institution code: L27

This course is also available with an integrated foundation year. Apply using UCAS code CX69. Find out more about our Sport Degree Courses with Integrated Foundation Years.

Course Details
Course Benefits
Distance Learning

Helping people achieve their potential is one of the most satisfying parts of being a sports coach. This degree is shaped by an established model of coaching adopted by the Football Association and other leading national and international governing bodies. You will develop your key coaching skills by learning to understand your participants and their sport, and how to plan, deliver and review both short and long-term training programmes.

More than half the course delivery and assessment will be practical in nature, and you will have many opportunities to apply ideas from the course during organised placements.

Residentials
As part of your first year, you will have the opportunity to experience activities in a setting associated with your studies. This may include a residential or field trips, which will support your on-campus learning and enhance your future career prospects.

Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: 59% of our research submitted was assessed as world leading or internationally excellent.

What is an integrated foundation year?

We are offering nine of our sport degrees with an integrated foundation year. If you don't have the required UCAS points to be able to secure a place on one of our sports degree programmes, the foundation year will prepare you for academic life at our University.

What you will study

During the foundation year, you will study four sport-related modules. These will introduce you to the subjects included on each of our nine routes, from sport development and social sciences to coaching and lifelong health.

Two additional modules will develop the academic and study skills needed to successfully transition from school or the workplace to higher education and on to your full degree programme. You will also learn how to access the extensive resources and support services available here at Leeds Beckett, whether you need a hand locating specialist materials in the Library, or you need advice about personal issues.

During your second, third and fourth years you will study an average of six modules each year. Visit each of the course pages below for details of the modules offered as part of your chosen course.

How long is the course?

Most undergraduate degree programmes require three years of full-time study. A foundation year integrated with one of our undergraduate degree programmes will require four years of full-time study. Alternatively, you could study the course part-time over eight years.

How to apply

You will apply for your course through UCAS, using the individual UCAS codes detailed. The first year of each course will follow the model detailed here. From your second year, you will study your chosen degree programme. Click on the links below to find out more about each of the nine undergraduate courses.

Your future

Our sports courses will prepare you for a wide range of careers. Visit the careers section on each course page to find out more about the future your chosen route could lead you into. Our dedicated Employment Team offers expert advice and a host of resources to help you enhance your employability skills. You can read more about their services on our careers site.

Visit the Carnegie School of Sport Website

Our renowned research centre for sports coaching and physical education will provide a high-quality learning environment. Combined with the support and guidance from expert staff, you will have the perfect platform to develop the skills and knowledge needed to become a confident coach. Leeds Beckett staff have vast experience in sports coaching, and currently deliver an array of support services to coaches and athletes at all levels and across an extensive range of sports.

Some of your sessions will be located at Emerald Headingley Stadium - home to Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league giants Leeds Rhinos and rugby union's Yorkshire Carnegie, making it one of the busiest sports venues in the UK. You will also have access to specialist coaching equipment and software. This will allow you to analyse sporting performance and will help you develop the coaching techniques to improve.

Invaluable placement opportunities will give you the chance to put your learning into practice. You could be coaching children from local schools or working on campus assisting our coaches - some of whom work with Olympic athletes. You could also gain experience in the wider sports industry with professional clubs such as Leeds Rhinos and Leeds United, or with local authority and private fitness centres.

During your studies, you could also extend your experience and top-up your credentials with a sport-specific coaching qualification that is UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC) endorsed. These will be available at levels one and two. In addition to UKCC programmes, we also offer gym and personal trainer qualifications, which you could take to further boost your CV.

Sport Volunteering Opportunities

We offer a sport volunteering programme for anyone with an interest in sport. If you want to stay ahead of the game and have a competitive advantage in the job market, then sport volunteering is an ideal way to gain extra knowledge and skills on top of your degree. Volunteering is a huge advantage if you want to pursue a career in the sports industry - and it will look great on your CV!

Sport and Active Lifestyles

We're passionate about sport and at Leeds Beckett University there's a huge range of sports and activities for you to get involved in, including more than 40 sports clubs. If you'd like to find out more about what we have to offer - including the Carnegie Sports Scholarship Scheme - take a look at the Sport & Active Lifestyles website.

We understand that full-time study does not suit everyone. That’s why we offer courses which give you the opportunity to decide where, when and how you can get involved in learning. Studying a distance learning course offers the convenience and flexibility to make education work for you. Whether you’d like to fit your studies around childcare, develop your skills while working or, quite simply, want to learn from the comfort of your own home, we can help you gain a qualification at a time and pace that suits your lifestyle.

Like our students on campus, you will have the same excellent teaching and learning resources, however you’ll find these online instead of in a lecture theatre. Not only are all the modules taught online, but you will also have access to an online community and more than 140,000 books and journals in our online library.

To study this course, you will require broadband internet connection with a speed of 2mbps and working speakers. You will need Windows 7 / Mac OSX 10.8 or above and have access to Chrome v63 or higher (recommended), Edge v42+, Firefox v57+ or Safari v6+. Java and Adobe Acrobat Reader will need to be enabled and you will need a minimum screen resolution of 1024 x 768.

Visit our distance learning guide for a complete list of technical requirements.

Visit our Distance Learning Website

Course Features

Placements
Specialist facilities
Residential experience
Real-life projects
Sandwich year
Study abroad option
Industry expertise
Industry links
Practice based learning
Network with industry professionals
93.9% of students said the course provided opportunities to apply what they learnt*
Integrated Foundation Year available
Sport volunteering opportunities
UK Coaching Certificate qualification available
Gym and personal trainer qualifications available
Expert careers service
24/7 Library
University accommodation
TEF Silver Award

Carnegie School of Sport Heritage Video

Carnegie School of Sport building update

BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching 2017

BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching - Dave Piggott, Principal Lecturer

UCAS Tariff Points:

120 points required. (Minimum 80 from two A Levels or equivalent, e.g. BTEC Nationals or Cambridge Technicals, excluding General Studies). Or 112 UCAS points from three A levels (excluding General Studies) or equivalent e.g. BTEC Nationals or Cambridge Technicals. If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.

Additional Requirements:

GCSEs:

GCSE English Language and Maths at Grade C or above (Grade 4 for those sitting their GCSE from 2017 onwards) or equivalent. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy/Numeracy are accepted in place of GCSEs.

Access to HE Diploma:

Pass overall with a minimum of 120 UCAS tariff points.

Scottish Awards:

Minimum of 5 subjects at Grade B at Higher Level.

Irish Leaving Certificate:

Minimum of 5 subjects at Grade C1 or above at Higher Level of which at least 3 must be at B2.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.

International Baccalaureate

26 Points

IELTS:

IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.

ENHANCED CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECKS:

Satisfactory enhanced criminal history checks will be required by all applicants prior to acceptance on the course, (processed through the University only). The University is unable to accept DBS checks obtained through another institution (this includes those registered with the DBS Update Service); the checks undertaken by the University are appropriate to the course of study and relevant regulated activity placements. For important information on the UK Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check requirements please refer to the Guidance on DBS and Additional Checks.

SELF DECLARATION:

You will be asked to complete this online form as part of the DBS check process. You will be asked to identify on the self-declaration form if you have any cautions/convictions that would not be filtered out on a DBS certificate. Please refer to the following website for guidance on filtering. The form will also ask if you have resided outside of the UK after the age of 16, to establish if an Overseas Police Record check may be required.

Overseas Police Checks/Letter of Good Conduct

The DBS in the UK is currently not able to conduct overseas criminal record checks. International applicants; those without British Citizenship and British Citizens with a significant period of overseas residency of 12 months or more after the age of 16; therefore, require a criminal records check or certificate of good conduct from their home/overseas country(ies) prior to entry on to the course. A UK DBS check will also be required prior to enrolment; the DBS team will send you guidance on how to apply following your offer of a place. The application process and timeframes for Overseas Police checks can differ from country to country and so it is recommended that you start the process as soon as possible after you have been made a conditional/Unconditional offer to ensure you have enough lead in time to obtain the check prior to enrolment. For some countries, an individual can only apply in person and so it is preferable for those applicants still resident in the relevant country, to apply before entering the UK.

Mature Applicants:

Our University welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. All students will be considered through the contextual admissions policy described above. If you do not meet the requirements through the contextual admissions policy, we may still be able to make you an offer if you have recent relevant work experience through our ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ policy. Please ensure that you list both your qualifications and any relevant work experience in your application so that we can consider you under both schemes where applicable..

All applicants to our University are required to meet our standard English language requirement of GCSE grade C or equivalent, for example we accept some Functional Skills Tests.

UCAS Tariff Points:

Additional Requirements:

GCSEs:

Access to HE Diploma:

Pass overall with a minimum of 120 UCAS tariff points.

Scottish Awards:

Minimum of 5 subjects at Grade B at Higher Level.

Irish Leaving Certificate:

Minimum of 5 subjects at Grade C1 or above at Higher Level of which at least 3 must be at B2.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

International Baccalaureate

26 Points

IELTS:

IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.

ENHANCED CRIMINAL HISTORY CHECKS:

SELF DECLARATION:

Overseas Police Checks/Letter of Good Conduct

ADDITIONAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:

Verify your qualifications

If you are an international student, we can help you to compare and verify your qualifications. Please contact our International Office on +44 (0)113 812 1111 09.00 to 17.00 Mon-Thurs / 09.00 to 16.30 Fri GMT or email internationaloffice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.

Need to improve your English Language skills?

Don't worry if you don't have the level of English required for your chosen course. We offer a wide range of courses which have been designed to help you to improve your qualifications and English language ability, most of which are accredited by the British Council. Check your English and find out more about our English courses.

Careers

Graduate Story
Job Prospects
Post Grad Study
Careers Advice

Grace Alsancak

Diving Development Officer Cambridge Dive Team

MSc Sport Coaching and BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching

“I loved sport from a young age and my plan was always to study PE at university. However, I attended an inspirational sports coaching lecture during a visit to Leeds Beckett and decided to follow that route instead. After I finished my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to continue my learning so I stayed on for my masters. My studies encouraged me to become a reflective practitioner and helped my confidence to grow so that I was able to go out and get my dream job.

With excellent industry contacts and the school's reputation for producing high-quality graduates, your course will provide a solid foundation for a career in sport. Our graduates have gone on to work as sports coaches in a variety of settings - from working with children and young people, through to elite athletes and professional clubs. They also work as performance analysts, strength and conditioning coaches, sport development officers, lecturers, PE teachers and coach educators. Many students also apply the valuable transferable skills developed on this course in rewarding graduate roles outside of the sports industry.

Sports Coach (Professional Teams)
School Sports Coach
Performance Development Officer
Personal Trainer

Your future career is our business. That's why we offer further study opportunities across all our subject areas. Our postgraduate courses are a great way to enhance the skills you have already learnt, benefit from our links with industry and give you a CV that will catch the eye of employers.

Our dedicated Jobs and Careers team offers expert advice and a host of resources to help you choose and gain employment. Whether you're in your first or final year, you can speak to members of staff from our Careers Office who can offer you advice from writing a CV to searching for jobs.

Visit our Careers Site

Become a well-rounded, independent practitioner of sports coaching with a broad skillset. You will be able to create exciting and engaging physical activity plans to resonate with your participants and to help achieve your long-term coaching objectives.

The tabs below detail what and how you will study in each year of your course. The balance of assessments and overall workload is indicative and may be subject to change.

You will experience a blended approach to teaching and learning - this is a mix of face-to-face, on campus and remote teaching and learning. The learning content you receive will be as planned for the academic year 2020/2021 before the Covid-19 outbreak. To find out more about teaching on your course visit the Carnegie School of Sport - Teaching 2020-21 page.

You will look at the needs of children and young people in an anatomical and sporting context, and begin planning inclusive coaching sessions aligned to specific ages. You will also learn how to adapt 'on the fly' and make change to activities.

Overall workload

288 hours Teaching and learning

912 hours Independent study

Assessment proportions

Level 4 assessment is broadly an even mix of coursework and practical assessments.

Core Modules

Practical Coaching Pedagogy: Explore threshold concepts relating to teaching and learning such that you can apply key teaching principles in practice. Furthermore, the module will equip you with the basic understanding and appreciation of reflective practice, so you can begin the process of self-evaluation and development.

Participant-Centred Curriculum: Gain the requisite knowledge regarding the psycho-motor, physical and psycho-social stages of development characteristics of a broad range of children and young people. This knowledge informs the design and implementation of appropriate and inclusive coaching sessions for children and young people.

Coaching Contexts: The International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) defines at least four main domains in which a coach may work: performance; talent development; community; children. You will explore these different contexts, the contemporary issues coaches face, and the specific ways in which, for example, broad issues such as inclusion policies may influence on-the-ground practice.

Research & Personal Development: Undertake the early engagement in and development of self-regulatory, study, research and employability skills. This module also aims to develop your skills and knowledge required in transitioning from school or work life into the life of a university student.

At the end of year one, you will choose an optional pathway through the remainder of your course, in one of the following three areas:

Performance & Talent Development

Youth Sport & Physical Education

Community Sport & Physical Activity

In Year Two you will learn to devise and communicate coaching programmes that are more complex, more tactical and multiskilled, and reflect upon realistic intended learning outcomes in groups. You will undertake a 20-week placement relevant to your career pathway.

Overall workload

277 hours Teaching and learning

864 hours Independent study

60 hours Placements

Assessment proportions

Level 5 assessment is broadly an even mix of coursework and practical assessments.

Core Modules

Coaching Pedagogy in Context: Develop a range of teaching tools for the delivery of constructively aligned practices and behaviours that allow for maximum participant engagement towards identified and quantifiable learning objectives.

Sport Curriculum: Enhance your understanding of the technical, tactical, physical, psychological and social demands of different sport types in order to be able to plan and deliver multiple coaching sessions to participants at specific ages and stages of development.

Research Methods for Sports Coaching: Build upon the research and study skills already acquired to enable students to be consumers of research for use across your degree. By the end of the module, you will be able to search for and apply relevant literature and/or theory; choose research designs to address research enquiries; analyse and interpret empirical data (qualitative and quantitative); and present research findings in your specific field.

Advance your expertise to become a confident and effective coaching practitioner across children's choaching, participation coaching, performance development and high performance coaching. You will be challenged to reflect critically on your experience of applying theories and concepts in your placement settings, whilst also developing a sustained, independent final year project.

Overall workload

130 hours Teaching and learning

1022 hours Independent study

48 hours Placements

Assessment proportions

Level 6 assessment is predominantly by coursework with some practical assessments.

Core Modules

Model-Based Coaching: Prepare yourself for head coaching roles, where you are likely to be tasked with developing, and delivering against, a performance model and long-term plan for a squad, athlete or entire programme. It therefore challenges you to develop a simple 'mental model' of a sport or activity linked to your intended career; to use this as the basis for long-term curriculum design, matched to the needs of specific participant groups; then to demonstrate how this curriculum is delivered to a specific group or athlete in practice.

Professional Practice: Get the preparation to graduate into employment into your chosen coaching contexts. You will engage in activities to support the development of your professional practice through reflection of your development as a person, student and coach. You will gain an advanced understanding of a range of coaching contexts through engagement with industry via guest speakers and site visits where possible.

Final Year Project: Be challenged to undertake an extended and largely independent piece of work that demonstrates research skills, critical thinking, and an awareness of ethical methodological approaches to study. You are provided with a choice of project types that reflect the key knowledge, skills and attributes of graduate careers associated with your course (e.g. talent coach, performance analyst, primary PE specialist etc.)

Download 2020/21 Course Spec

Core Modules

Practical Coaching Pedagogy: Explore threshold concepts relating to teaching and learning such that you can apply key teaching principles in practice. Furthermore, the module will equip you with the basic understanding and appreciation of reflective practice, so you can begin the process of self-evaluation and development.

Participant-Centred Curriculum: Gain the requisite knowledge regarding the psycho-motor, physical and psycho-social stages of development characteristics of a broad range of children and young people. This knowledge informs the design and implementation of appropriate and inclusive coaching sessions for children and young people.

Coaching Contexts: The International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) defines at least four main domains in which a coach may work: performance; talent development; community; children. You will explore these different contexts, the contemporary issues coaches face, and the specific ways in which, for example, broad issues such as inclusion policies may influence on-the-ground practice.

Research & Personal Development: Undertake the early engagement in and development of self-regulatory, study, research and employability skills. This module also aims to develop your skills and knowledge required in transitioning from school or work life into the life of a university student.

At the end of year one, you will choose an optional pathway through the remainder of your course, in one of the following three areas:

Performance & Talent Development

Youth Sport & Physical Education

Community Sport & Physical Activity

Core Modules

Coaching Pedagogy in Context: Develop a range of teaching tools for the delivery of constructively aligned practices and behaviours that allow for maximum participant engagement towards identified and quantifiable learning objectives.

Sport Curriculum: Enhance your understanding of the technical, tactical, physical, psychological and social demands of different sport types in order to be able to plan and deliver multiple coaching sessions to participants at specific ages and stages of development.

Research Methods for Sports Coaching: Build upon the research and study skills already acquired to enable students to be consumers of research for use across your degree. By the end of the module, you will be able to search for and apply relevant literature and/or theory; choose research designs to address research enquiries; analyse and interpret empirical data (qualitative and quantitative); and present research findings in your specific field.

Core Modules

Model-Based Coaching: Prepare yourself for head coaching roles, where you are likely to be tasked with developing, and delivering against, a performance model and long-term plan for a squad, athlete or entire programme. It therefore challenges you to develop a simple 'mental model' of a sport or activity linked to your intended career; to use this as the basis for long-term curriculum design, matched to the needs of specific participant groups; then to demonstrate how this curriculum is delivered to a specific group or athlete in practice.

Professional Practice: Get the preparation to graduate into employment into your chosen coaching contexts. You will engage in activities to support the development of your professional practice through reflection of your development as a person, student and coach. You will gain an advanced understanding of a range of coaching contexts through engagement with industry via guest speakers and site visits where possible.

Final Year Project: Be challenged to undertake an extended and largely independent piece of work that demonstrates research skills, critical thinking, and an awareness of ethical methodological approaches to study. You are provided with a choice of project types that reflect the key knowledge, skills and attributes of graduate careers associated with your course (e.g. talent coach, performance analyst, primary PE specialist etc.)

Peter Mackreth

Dean of School

Peter is Head of the Carnegie School of Sport which houses a diverse range of disciplines that promote excellence at all levels of participation, performance and policy in sport. Across the School are talented, committed and passionate staff who continually strive to build on the synergies between teaching, research and enterprise. Our approach fosters the development of innovative and important projects, which feeds into an excellent student experience at all levels. The School has a strong progression rate with many undergraduates going on to do masters and then PhDs.

Across the school we have talented, committed and passionate staff who continually strive to build on the synergies between teaching, research and enterprise. Our approach fosters the development of innovative and important projects which feeds into an excellent student experience at all levels.