Social Care and Sport & Physical Education

Social care and sport and physical education is a combination that might seem unusual at first, but it reflects a deep and well-evidenced connection between physical activity and wellbeing, and between sporting participation and social development. Social care is concerned with supporting individuals and communities facing disadvantage, vulnerability, and inequality, and the degree takes seriously the argument that understanding the root causes of those inequalities is as important as understanding how to respond to them. Physical education and sport, meanwhile, are examined not only as disciplines in their own right but as powerful sites for social intervention, inclusion, and the development of young people.

At Liverpool Hope University, this four-year full-time degree with a foundation year brings these two fields into productive dialogue.

You will study the theoretical frameworks of social care, including social policy, the sociology of welfare, ethics of care, and the development of services for different populations, alongside physical education pedagogy, sport science, and the psychology and sociology of physical activity. The combination invites you to think critically about who gets access to sport and physical activity, how physical education can be made genuinely inclusive, and how sport can be used as a tool for community development and social cohesion. A sandwich year and a year abroad are built into the programme, giving you extended professional experience and an international perspective.

Work placement opportunities are integrated throughout. The typical entry tariff is 120 UCAS points.

Graduates pursue careers in social work, social care management, youth work, community sport development, physical education teaching, and health promotion, among other fields. The combination of social care theory and physical education practice is particularly valuable in roles that work with young people, older adults, or communities facing health inequalities. Postgraduate study in social work, sport development, public health, or education is a natural progression for many graduates.