Performance Analysis and Coaching Science with Foundation Year

Performance analysis and coaching science is a discipline at the heart of contemporary elite and community sport. Performance analysis uses video, data, and technology to examine how athletes and teams perform, identifying patterns, strengths, and areas for improvement that are difficult to see in the moment of competition. Coaching science applies research from sport psychology, physiology, and pedagogy to understand how athletes learn and develop, and how coaches can structure practice and feedback most effectively.

Together, they equip you to support athletes and teams in reaching their potential.

At the University of Derby, this four-year full-time programme enables you to develop specialist skills in performance analysis and coaching using the latest technologies, including industry-standard platforms for video analysis and motion capture. You will learn to gather, interpret, and present performance data in ways that genuinely inform athlete and team development. The programme includes a sandwich year with a year abroad and work placement opportunities, giving you professional experience in real sporting environments before you graduate, as well as international exposure that broadens your understanding of how sport is organised and coached in different contexts.

Entry typically requires around 104 UCAS tariff points.

Graduates work as performance analysts with professional sports clubs, national governing bodies, and elite sport academies, as well as in coaching development, sports science support, and talent identification roles. The data literacy, technical skills, and understanding of human performance that the degree develops are also valued in health, fitness, and corporate wellbeing sectors. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in performance analysis, sport science, or coaching.