Sport and Physical Education

Sport and physical education together address the science of human movement and the practice of teaching and promoting it. Physical education is concerned with how sport and physical activity are taught in schools and other settings, how people are motivated and enabled to be physically active across the lifespan, and what role PE plays in children's development and wellbeing. Sport science brings the rigour of physiology, biomechanics, psychology and nutrition to understanding how athletic performance works and how individuals and teams can be supported to improve.

The combination prepares you to work across both dimensions, as a teacher, a coach, or a developer of sport and physical activity in communities.

At the University of Bedfordshire this four-year programme begins with a foundation year that builds the scientific and academic grounding you need before the degree begins. The foundation year is designed to support students who have the motivation and potential to succeed in the subject but who may not have the specific prior qualifications that direct entry requires. Across the full programme you will study the physiology and psychology of sport, coaching and pedagogy, curriculum development in PE, sport development and the management of physical activity programmes.

You will develop practical coaching and teaching skills alongside theoretical knowledge, and you will engage with the evidence base for effective PE and physical activity promotion.

Graduates from sport and physical education programmes go on to work as PE teachers in schools (often after completing a PGCE), as sports coaches, as sports development officers in local authorities and national governing bodies, as fitness professionals and as physical activity promotion specialists in health and community settings. Others move into leisure management, sports administration or coaching education. The degree provides a broad and practically oriented foundation for a career that contributes to the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.