Physical Education and Sports Coaching with Foundation Year

Physical education and sports coaching is a degree concerned with understanding how human beings learn, develop, and perform in physical activity, and with the skills needed to support others in doing so. Physical education as a discipline draws on exercise science, pedagogy, psychology, and sociology to understand how people engage with sport and physical activity across their lives. Sports coaching is a practical and applied field that develops the knowledge and skills to guide individuals and teams in improving their performance, wellbeing, and enjoyment of sport.

Together they form a degree well suited to anyone who wants to inspire others, promote active and healthy lives, and work in sporting or educational environments.

At York St John University, this four-year programme develops your understanding of how physical activity and sport work at the physiological, psychological, and social levels, and how effective coaching and teaching can make a difference across age groups and ability levels. You will study the science of movement and performance, the theory and practice of coaching methodologies, curriculum planning for physical education, and the social and cultural dimensions of sport and physical activity in society.

The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and a work placement, giving you substantial professional and international experience alongside your academic study. These elements place you in real sporting, educational, and community settings, developing the practical confidence and professional competence that employers in this field look for.

Graduates from physical education and sports coaching degrees pursue careers in school physical education, sports coaching across a range of disciplines and age groups, sports development roles in local authorities and national governing bodies, community sport and health promotion, performance analysis, and youth work. Many pursue postgraduate study or professional qualifications in teaching, coaching, or sport and exercise science. The combination of scientific grounding and practical coaching skills is valued across education, sport, health, and community development settings.