Curious about studying Sport Coaching - BSc (Hons)at University of Essex? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Colchester Campus
Full Time
Oct 2026
3 Year
You’ll gain the applied knowledge and skills to become a sports coach and effectively train athletes and teams across levels and sports.
WHY THIS COURSEThe BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching prepares you for a career in sport coaching by integrating world-leading research from various disciplines with practical application. You’ll learn through valuable connections with National Governing Bodies, including the Football Association, Volleyball England, Basketball England and Rugby Football Union, which offer you real-world experience, access to coach education courses, and the opportunity to gain National Governing Body awards. Add a placement year or study abroad to put your learning further into practice, expand your perspective and build confidence in professional or international settings. You’ll graduate on the path to a sports coach or personal trainer career.
This module introduces you to the historical evolution and philosophical foundations of sport coaching. You will explore a range of milestone events and epistemological perspectives that inform pre-modern and contemporary understandings of sport coaching knowledge and expertise. You will develop a greater appreciation of the social, cultural and historical influences on coaching knowledge and practice, including how sources of knowledge permeate everyday practice(s). Current conceptualisations of sport coaching as complex relational work will be explored to support you to plan, deliver and reflect upon your coaching practice in an increasingly reflexive manner. Throughout, you will be encouraged to (re)examine your deeply held coaching beliefs to develop alternative and more robust approaches to practice.
Is it all in the mind? The margin between victory and defeat is thin, but can an athlete’s psychology really give them an edge? Why do some people find exercise difficult and other find exercise essential? Understanding how involvement in sport, exercise and physical activity affects a person's health and wellbeing is important in creating better interventions. The aim of this module is to introduce you to the fundamental principles underpinning the psychology of sport and exercise.
This module aims to provide you with knowledge of the fundamental concepts of human anatomy and physiology that underpin the biological sciences. It will provide you with an understanding of the structure, function, and regulation of the major body systems involved in human movement and exercise, and enable you to develop a foundational knowledge of the mechanisms controlling and regulating physiological systems, forming a basis for further study in exercise physiology and related disciplines.
The aim of this module is to develop your academic, scientific and professional abilities relevant to the study of and professions related to sport, rehabilitation and exercise sciences. There are four key focuses of this module: professional skills; research design and ethics; data analysis, presentation and interpretation; and employability.
This module will help you to understand the physical and mechanical principles that determine how we, and the objects with which we interact during exercise and in sporting events, move. You will learn the meaning of concepts such as force, mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, momentum and we will explore how they enable us to describe and understand movement in sport and exercise.
This module will build upon your knowledge and skills to understand, appraise and plan research in sport and exercise. You will develop your understanding of different methodologies, research designs, and data analytical techniques, including their strengths, limitations and applications. You will develop your skills in using library and online resources for scientific research, and your ability to critically appraise published work and how it can be used to inform applied practice in sport and exercise. You will also gain practical experience in participating in research, planning your own study, and analysing and interpreting data. Overall, the module will equip you with knowledge and skills required for your final year research project.
Your biggest competition to date: the graduate job market. This module gives you a crucial head-start, ensuring you can both practically apply and effectively communicate your skills to the real-world and future employers.
During the Sports Science summer school you will identify and consequently investigate a chosen research question, working as part of a team to process, evaluate and analyse data. You will also have chance to prepare for life beyond graduation, developing a written strategy for optimising your employability, updating your skills e-portfolio and CV, and examining the job application process in detail.
This module offers you the opportunity to undertake an in-depth piece of work focused on a Sports Therapy topic of your choice. The Research Project may take various forms of empirical research, employing different kinds of methods and methodologies such as testing, surveys, interviewing or processing secondary data. The project provides an opportunity to apply the research methods covered during your course. You will be allocated a supervisor from the Sports Therapy team to provide support and guidance for your project.
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