Sports Coaching and Exercise
Sports coaching and exercise is a vocational discipline focused on the practical skills, theoretical knowledge, and reflective practice needed to coach athletes and support physical activity participation effectively. Coaching is both a science and a human relationship: it involves applying knowledge from exercise science and psychology to the design of training programmes and competitive preparation, while also developing the communication, leadership, and mentoring skills that enable coaches to get the best from the people they work with. Exercise, as a component of the degree, connects these coaching skills to the broader promotion of physical activity and health.
At Teesside University, this full-time, two-year programme takes a work-based approach to learning, offering learners the opportunity to develop their skills in direct connection with real work experience. You will use a reflective cycle to justify and explain issues encountered in the working environment, developing personal development plans that enhance both your learning and your professional employability. The programme covers teaching methods, planning, monitoring and evaluation, coaching performance, self-reflection, observation of others, and peer reflection processes, all grounded in practical application alongside theoretical understanding.
The typical entry tariff is 104 UCAS points.
Graduates from sports coaching and exercise programmes work as coaches, sports development officers, community sport practitioners, fitness instructors, health and wellbeing coordinators, and physical activity promoters across professional clubs, local authorities, leisure centres, national governing bodies, schools, and public health organisations. The work-based learning element of this programme is particularly valuable in a sector where demonstrated competence and practical experience matter as much as academic credentials. Many graduates continue to further study or professional qualifications in coaching, physical education, or sport science.