University course · real outcomes from HESA / Discover Uni · part of Careermash

University degree

Sports Coaching and Physical Education

Birmingham City University · Birmingham

Qualification

Degree

Length

3 yrs

UK fees / yr

£9,535

Study

full-time

Robin · your guide

Here's the honest picture on this course - what you'd study, whether you'd likely get in, what it pays, and where it leads. Everything's real data.

About this course

Sports coaching and physical education is a combination that prepares you to develop athletes and to deliver physical education in school settings. Coaching is a profession concerned with developing individuals' physical performance, tactical understanding, and psychological resilience, drawing on exercise science, pedagogy, and psychology to design and deliver programmes that produce sustained improvement. Physical education adds a curriculum and educational dimension, focusing on how movement, fitness, and sport are taught to children and young people in primary and secondary schools, and why physical literacy and health are important educational goals.

At Birmingham City University, this three-year full-time programme develops the pedagogical practice required to coach athletes across a range of ages and abilities, and to deliver the physical education curriculum at both primary and secondary school level. You will study coaching theory, sports science, pedagogy, curriculum design, assessment, child development, and the practical delivery of sport and PE in different contexts. The programme is designed explicitly to prepare you for employment in sports coaching or school sport settings, or to proceed to postgraduate study such as a PGCE in Physical Education for those seeking qualified teacher status.

You will develop practical coaching skills, an understanding of the physical and psychological development of young athletes, curriculum planning competence, and the professional communication and leadership skills that coaching and teaching both demand.

Graduates from sports coaching and physical education programmes pursue careers as sports coaches across club, school, and community settings, as school sports coordinators, as physical education teachers following further training, and in roles in national governing bodies, sport development agencies, and youth sport organisations. Postgraduate study through a PGCE or specialist sports science masters is a natural next step for those seeking qualification or specialist expertise.

Could you get in?

The grades students arrived with

80-95 pts5%

96-111 pts25%

112-127 pts25%

128-143 pts20%

144-159 pts15%

160-175 pts5%

208-223 pts5%

How they qualified

100% got in with A-levels. The rest came in a mix of ways:

A-levels100%

other higher education5%

Could I get in? Try your grades

120 UCAS pts

Pay & prospects

85%

In work or further study after

85%

Continue past first year

91%

Student satisfaction

What graduates earn over time

£23,000

After 15 months

What graduates actually go on to do % of leavers

Elementary occupations10%

Therapy professionalsHighly skilled25%

Sales occupations5%

Teaching ProfessionalsHighly skilled15%

Sports and fitness occupationsHighly skilled15%

Caring personal services5%

Customer service occupations5%

Managers, directors and senior officialsHighly skilled5%

What students say National Student Survey

91%

of students are satisfied with the course overall

Teaching90%

Assessment & feedback93%

Academic support95%

Well organised94%

Learning resources86%

Student community91%

In students' own words

★★★★☆

Would do it again

Honestly, one of the best decisions I've made. The best part: the course strikes a good balance between theory and practical application. If I'm honest, a few modules feel under-resourced compared to the flagship ones. On the city — good tr…

Postgraduate · Part-time

★★★★☆

Mixed but mostly good

Would I choose it again? Probably yes, with caveats. The best part: the teaching staff are genuinely world-class and accessible. If I'm honest, admin can be slow to respond, especially at start of term. On the city — good transport links ma…

Class of 2022 · Part-time

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