Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £9,535 per year
International/EU: £17,155 per year -
How long will I study?
4/5 Years
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Where will I study?
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What are the entry requirements?
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What is the UCAS code?
A111
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When do I start?
September 2025
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Placement year available?
Yes
Course summary
- Align your learning to your career aspirations in the world of sport coaching
- Apply your practical skills and knowledge to real-life situations
- Learn from expert researchers and coaches across a variety of disciplines
- Strengthen your practice by studying coach education, employment and development
- Unlock your potential to coach in a range of sport and physical activity environments
Explore the principles of sport coaching practice and the scientific foundations that underpin them. You will delve into the complexities of working with diverse individuals and groups – encompassing a wide range of coaching experiences.
The foundation year is suitable either if you don’t meet the entry requirements for the degree, or if you’d like further preparation before you start. You’ll gain the knowledge and confidence you need to progress onto the course.
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Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
The foundation year has been designed to prepare you for your undergraduate degree, develop your subject knowledge of sport and physical activity, and explore interesting, contemporary issues. You will also enhance your academic, professional, and personal skills, providing you with the foundation to progress successfully in your undergraduate degree and future career in sport and physical activity.
This course provides ample opportunities for specialisation – from community and children’s coaching to elite performance. You will learn through teaching, working and doing – developing the skills and knowledge you need for a variety of careers while aligning your learning to your career aspirations.
You are taught by experts who are active in coaching, research and consultation with industry. You benefit from their expertise, connections, and networking opportunities with leading sports organisations.
You learn through:
- Lectures, seminars and workshops
- Practical activities in both simulated and in-situ environments
- Placements
- Work-based learning experiences
- A virtual learning environment (VLE)
- Independent study
Key themes
On this course, you will develop the skills to prepare you for a range of potential careers in sport coaching, whether in performance or participation-focused roles. You will learn the behaviours expected and needed for working in schools, sport governing bodies, and professional or commercial sport and physical activity settings
Learn how to coach children, adolescents, adults – or all three. Gain the knowledge you need to coach a range of participants, evaluating their progress and adapting your coaching to achieve their goals.
- Apply your knowledge and understanding of coaching theories and concepts across different contexts and populations
- Demonstrate professional inter and intra-personal skills that enable your independent effective delivery
- Articulate a personal and professional philosophy to be an effective practitioner
- Interact with a range of audiences using appropriate forms of communication
- Engage and collaborate with the industry through alumni and professional networks, challenging and championing best practice
The course offers theoretical, philosophical, and practical foundations for sport coaching, covering topics like innovative coaching practice, coach-athlete relationships, physical literacy, and more.
Course support
The course is designed to help you demonstrate your learning outcomes – with authentic assessment activities relating to real-world scenarios, your specific goals and your skills development. Throughout your studies, various individuals will support your learning and target setting – guiding you towards resources for academic, professional and personal development.
These support roles include:
- Course and Module Leaders
- Your Academic Adviser
- Your Student Support Adviser
- Your Employability Adviser
- Central services like counselling, Library and IT
Course leaders and tutors
Applied learning
Work placements
There’s a mandatory short placement at the end of your third year. Over a minimum of 120 hours, you will be learning while you work and preparing to progress into employment after you graduate.
You will also have the opportunity to undertake a year-long work placement (25 weeks minimum) or multiple placements between your third and final years. This gives you further valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV.
Your course is designed to give you the knowledge, skills, confidence, and readiness to secure and succeed on your placements – supported by our careers and employability teams.
Practical Experience
You will develop your learning in applied first-hand, real-world situations, gaining valuable insight into working practice.
Guest lectures
You will hear from specialist industry experts who share context-specific examples of the knowledge, skills and behaviours you will need for your career ahead.
For example, we host a unique lecture series entitled ‘That Coaching Life’, where professional coaches from a range of backgrounds are invited to share their experiences of working in industry.
Networking opportunities
By joining this course you become a member of the School of Sport and Physical Activity at Sheffield Hallam University. The School is a diverse department, which offers you the opportunity to build networks at careers fairs and workshops. The School has close links to a large range of organisations and facilities locally, nationally and internationally which will give you superb opportunities to gain connections as you prepare for your career.
Future careers
This course offers a broad range of future paths for you to explore, which you will be introduced to as part of your degree. For example, you will have the chance to collaborate with our enterprise team, both during and after your course, to experience what it is like to establish your own business. Similarly, option modules allow you to tailor your learning towards your career aspirations. Recent students have successfully developed various software and apps related to sports and coaching.
This course prepares you for a career in:
- Professional sports coaching
- Community sport provision
- Coach education and development
- Education
- Health and the physical activity sector
- National governing bodies
- Policy and sport strategy development
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:
- Professional sport clubs
- Governing bodies and federations of sport
- Schools sport provision
- PE teaching (primary, secondary and further education)
- Coach education environments
- Strength and conditioning
- Further study (masters and PGCE)
- The charity sector
Where will I study?
You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
Collegiate campus
Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.
Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities
Collegiate library
Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreLearn more about your department
Find out about sports and physical activity at Sheffield Hallam University.
Equipment and facilities
You will have access to a range of facilities and equipment to develop your knowledge and skills in the delivery and analysis of coaching. Our sport-specific training facilities and research laboratories include:
- The UK Sports Institute
- The Sheffield Hallam University Sports Park
- A strength and conditioning teaching lab
- A range of physical activity spaces, both indoor and outdoor
- A performance analysis suite, video analysis and motion capture
- Sport psychology consultation rooms
- Access to data collection and analysis software
Media Gallery
UNIPRO Football Coaching
Entry requirements
All students
UCAS points
- 64
This must include at least 24 (Grade D) from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications. For example:
- DDE at A Level.
- MPP in BTEC Extended Diploma.
- Pass overall from a T level qualification with D or E from core.
- A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels and EPQ.
You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.
GCSE
- English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent.
- Maths at grade C or 4 or equivalent.
GCSE English and mathematics equivalent
equivalency test from www.equivalencytesting.co.uk
ACCESS
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Access to HE Diploma, with at least 45 level 3 credits.
If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 or above, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each skill.
If you do not have any of the qualifications above but have relevant experience you are welcome to discuss potential opportunities with the admissions tutor.
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Foundations Of Sport And Physical Activity
Introduction To Investigating Contemporary Issues In Sport And Physical Activity
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Foundations Of Coaching And Teaching
Innovative Coaching Practice
The Nature And Purpose Of Physical Education And Sport Coaching
The Science Of Physical Education And Sport Coaching
Year 3
Compulsory modules
Applied Coaching Interventions
Coaching And The Scientific Support Process
Physical Literacy In Context
Elective modules
Alternative Physical Activities
Analysis Of Sport And Games
Event Management For Sport And Physical Activity
Exercise Prescription For The Prevention Of Disease
Sport As A Tool For Social Change
Sports Club Development
Sports Facility Management Simulation
Study Abroad - Sport And Physical Activity
Technology For Sport And Physical Activity
Testing And Analysis In Sport And Physical Activity
Year 4
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Contemporary Issues In Sport Coaching
Independent Project In Sport And Physical Activity
Elective modules
Approaches To Talent Development
Coach Education And Development
Economics And Finance Of Sport
Entrepreneurship And Innovation For Sport And Physical Activity
Exercise Prescription For Long Term Conditions
Health Promotion
Innovative Practical Pedagogy
Major Sport Events
Nutrition For Sport And Physical Activity
Performance Analysis Of Sport
Programming And Prescription Of Training In Sport And Physical Activity
Psychology Of Sport And Exercise
Sport And The Media
Sport, Brands And Culture
Sport Data Analytics
Sport Injury
Sport Journalism
Teaching As A Profession
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students on full-time undergraduate degree courses in 2025/26 is £9,535 per year (capped at a maximum of 20% of this during your placement year). These fees are regulated by the UK government and therefore subject to change in future years. We are currently reviewing our tuition fees for the foundation year stage of this course following the Government announcement of fee changes for some foundation year courses and will confirm fees as soon as possible.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sport and Physical Activity (PDF, 144.2KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
