Sport, Coaching and Physical Education with Foundation
Sport, coaching and physical education is a degree that takes sport seriously as a social, educational and professional practice. Physical education has long been recognised as essential to child development, building not only physical literacy but also confidence, teamwork, resilience and wellbeing. Coaching is a discipline with its own body of knowledge, concerned with how people develop skills, how performance improves over time, and how coaches can create environments in which individuals and teams flourish.
This degree brings those strands together, preparing you for professional roles across sport, education and health.
At the University of Gloucestershire, the four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, giving you additional preparation before you begin the full honours degree. You will study the science and practice of coaching, the principles of physical education pedagogy, sports psychology, exercise physiology, biomechanics and the social and cultural dimensions of sport. The degree develops your practical coaching skills alongside your theoretical understanding, and you will work with a range of populations in a variety of settings.
Gloucestershire's partnerships with local sport and education organisations enrich the practical experience available to you during the degree.
The university's connections with Active Gloucestershire and other community sport organisations reflect the degree's emphasis on sport as a tool for positive social impact, particularly in areas of health, community cohesion and young people's development.
Graduates work as physical education teachers in schools, sport coaches in clubs and community settings, sports development officers, health and exercise professionals, personal trainers and sport administrators. Teacher training after graduation is a common route for those who want to specialise in PE. Postgraduate study in sports coaching, exercise physiology, sport psychology or education is also a well-established path.