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Course information
Throughout your degree, you’ll be encouraged to gain real-world experience. Build a diverse portfolio that you can use to evidence your coaching expertise, experience and philosophy to employers when you graduate.
We’ve got strong links across the sports industry, including with the Football Association and the Rugby Football Union, giving you access to a wide range of coaching opportunities.
With 10 sports academies on site, you won’t be short of opportunities to put what you’re learning into practice. You could also find yourself gaining experience with local sports clubs and physical activity organisations.
We’ll support you to discover and progress your own coaching philosophy and style. A diverse range of modules will introduce you to differing coaching theories, concepts and practices, aimed at giving you a personal skillset to become an accomplished coach.
Accreditation
As a partner of CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity), our curriculum is underpinned by professional coaching standards.
UCAS tariff points | 112 UCAS tariff points, to include Biology, Sport or PE.
A Levels | BBC or equivalent from at least two full A Levels. This must include Biology, Sport or PE at grade D or above.
Vocational Awards | DMM in an Extended Diploma in a relevant subject.
Access | 112 UCAS tariff points in an Access to Higher Education Diploma. This must include nine level 3 credits at Merit or above in Biology.
International Baccalaureate | 112 UCAS tariff points in an IB Diploma, from at least two Highers at H4 or above. This must include Biology or Sport.
Scottish Highers | 112 UCAS tariff points from at least two Highers, to include Biology, Sport or PE at C or above. You must have completed two years study at Higher Level.
Irish Leaving Certificate | 112 UCAS tariff points from at least two Highers, to include Biology, Sport or PE at H3 or above.
T Level | An overall grade of Distinction, to include grade C or above in the Core Component in a Science subject. T Level subjects considered are Animal Care and Management (Science Pathway), Healthcare Science and Science. Health will be considered on an individual basis.
Additional Information
In addition to the above, we require a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 9-4 (A*-C), to include English and Maths. We will consider equivalencies including but not limited to functional skills level 2, Irish Ordinary level, National 5s, IB standard level.
We will consider combinations of level three qualifications.
We welcome applications from individuals with equivalent, non-UK qualifications and mature students (over 21). We may interview as part of the application process.
The minimum academic entry requirement for this programme is 80 UCAS tariff points, providing this is combined with relevant experience.
:
Your career
Our course is strongly linked with the local sporting community, providing you with a broad range of opportunities to develop their coaching skills, gain valuable experiences, and developing connections needed for your graduate career.
Work experience
Our performance sports teams offer opportunities for students to gain industry experience ready for their careers. You could get involved with performance analysis, and coaching, as well as management roles. There are also opportunities for you to work with some of our partner sports clubs, schools and organisations. Many students go on to graduate roles with these employers.
Graduate destinations
Our sports coaching graduates work in a range of sport, exercise, and health and wellbeing areas in the performance, school and community sports sectors. Studying sports coaching also develops the skills needed for other graduate careers. Recent graduate destinations have included:
- Football Coach, Paris Saint Germain
- Rugby coach, Play Rugby USA
- Rowing coach, Canterbury Christchurch College
- Head of Sport, private school
- Sport Development lead, Young Gloucestershire
- Performance Analyst, Gloucester Rugby
- Lecturer, Hartpury College
We're committed to supporting you to fulfil your unique potential, which is why you'll receive a minimum of 15 hours of scheduled teaching time per week in your first year - this is 25% above the UK average.
Your support network
You'll benefit from a strong support network from day one to be the best you can be. This will range from your personal tutor and specialist academic support team (our Achievement and Success Centre) to dedicated wellbeing and employability (Innovation, Careers and Enterprise) centres.
Academic support
You’ll have your own personal tutor while you’re here who will support you to succeed in your studies. You’ll also have access to our academic and wellbeing support teams who run regular workshops and one-to-one sessions on campus and online.
Alongside this, we have a comprehensive bank of online study skills resources to help you make the most of your qualification.
Your learning experiences
You'll experience a range of teaching methods to strengthen your digestion of topics, including lectures, workshops and practical sessions, as well as supported work placement learning as part of many courses.
Your career
Each year of your course will be made up of two semesters, within which you’ll study compulsory and optional modules on different industry-focused topics, enabling you to develop your own unique portfolio of knowledge, skills and experience, ready for your career. The course is taught in English.
Course information
Overview
Throughout your degree, you’ll be encouraged to gain real-world experience. Build a diverse portfolio that you can use to evidence your coaching expertise, experience and philosophy to employers when you graduate.
We’ve got strong links across the sports industry, including with the Football Association and the Rugby Football Union, giving you access to a wide range of coaching opportunities.
With 10 sports academies on site, you won’t be short of opportunities to put what you’re learning into practice. You could also find yourself gaining experience with local sports clubs and physical activity organisations.
We’ll support you to discover and progress your own coaching philosophy and style. A diverse range of modules will introduce you to differing coaching theories, concepts and practices, aimed at giving you a personal skillset to become an accomplished coach.
Accreditation
As a partner of CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity), our curriculum is underpinned by professional coaching standards.
Entry requirements
UCAS tariff points | 112 UCAS tariff points, to include Biology, Sport or PE.
A Levels | BBC or equivalent from at least two full A Levels. This must include Biology, Sport or PE at grade D or above.
Vocational Awards | DMM in an Extended Diploma in a relevant subject.
Access | 112 UCAS tariff points in an Access to Higher Education Diploma. This must include nine level 3 credits at Merit or above in Biology.
International Baccalaureate | 112 UCAS tariff points in an IB Diploma, from at least two Highers at H4 or above. This must include Biology or Sport.
Scottish Highers | 112 UCAS tariff points from at least two Highers, to include Biology, Sport or PE at C or above. You must have completed two years study at Higher Level.
Irish Leaving Certificate | 112 UCAS tariff points from at least two Highers, to include Biology, Sport or PE at H3 or above.
T Level | An overall grade of Distinction, to include grade C or above in the Core Component in a Science subject. T Level subjects considered are Animal Care and Management (Science Pathway), Healthcare Science and Science. Health will be considered on an individual basis.
Additional Information
In addition to the above, we require a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 9-4 (A*-C), to include English and Maths. We will consider equivalencies including but not limited to functional skills level 2, Irish Ordinary level, National 5s, IB standard level.
We will consider combinations of level three qualifications.
We welcome applications from individuals with equivalent, non-UK qualifications and mature students (over 21). We may interview as part of the application process.
The minimum academic entry requirement for this programme is 80 UCAS tariff points, providing this is combined with relevant experience.
:
Employability
Your career
Our course is strongly linked with the local sporting community, providing you with a broad range of opportunities to develop their coaching skills, gain valuable experiences, and developing connections needed for your graduate career.
Work experience
Our performance sports teams offer opportunities for students to gain industry experience ready for their careers. You could get involved with performance analysis, and coaching, as well as management roles. There are also opportunities for you to work with some of our partner sports clubs, schools and organisations. Many students go on to graduate roles with these employers.
Graduate destinations
Our sports coaching graduates work in a range of sport, exercise, and health and wellbeing areas in the performance, school and community sports sectors. Studying sports coaching also develops the skills needed for other graduate careers. Recent graduate destinations have included:
- Football Coach, Paris Saint Germain
- Rugby coach, Play Rugby USA
- Rowing coach, Canterbury Christchurch College
- Head of Sport, private school
- Sport Development lead, Young Gloucestershire
- Performance Analyst, Gloucester Rugby
- Lecturer, Hartpury College
How you'll study
We're committed to supporting you to fulfil your unique potential, which is why you'll receive a minimum of 15 hours of scheduled teaching time per week in your first year - this is 25% above the UK average.
Your support network
You'll benefit from a strong support network from day one to be the best you can be. This will range from your personal tutor and specialist academic support team (our Achievement and Success Centre) to dedicated wellbeing and employability (Innovation, Careers and Enterprise) centres.
Academic support
You’ll have your own personal tutor while you’re here who will support you to succeed in your studies. You’ll also have access to our academic and wellbeing support teams who run regular workshops and one-to-one sessions on campus and online.
Alongside this, we have a comprehensive bank of online study skills resources to help you make the most of your qualification.
Your learning experiences
You'll experience a range of teaching methods to strengthen your digestion of topics, including lectures, workshops and practical sessions, as well as supported work placement learning as part of many courses.
Your career
Each year of your course will be made up of two semesters, within which you’ll study compulsory and optional modules on different industry-focused topics, enabling you to develop your own unique portfolio of knowledge, skills and experience, ready for your career. The course is taught in English.
Modules
What you'll study
This course covers a broad range of fundamental sports topics through core modules, from teaching and coaching, to sports science, and psychology. In addition to these core topics, you’ll have a wide range of optional modules to choose from, allowing you to specialise to suit your interests and career goals.
Module credits
On successful completion of your modules you’ll gain academic credit that accumulates towards your award. The marks you gain in your second and third years may contribute towards your final degree classification.
Your first year will focus on introducing you to a broad range of topics, providing you with the skills and knowledge you’ll need to begin developing your own coaching identity. Alongside your core coaching module, you’ll study physiology, psychology, and sociology topics, as well as developing your academic and professional skills.
Compulsory Modules
Apply coaching theory to evaluate your own abilities, illustrating your personal development.
Learn academic and research skills through work with other sports science disciplines.
Understand athlete behaviour through key theories in sport exercise psychology.
Investigate how participation is influenced by the structure, leadership and organisation of sport.
This module covers the biological systems used during exercise.
Study how historical and political influences have shaped practices in a chosen sport.
Alongside your core coaching and academic skills modules, in your second year, you’ll start to choose your own path with a choice of optional modules. You could focus on sports business management, sports science, health topics, inclusion, and youth development.
Compulsory Modules
This module focuses on developing learning strategies and evaluating your ability to educate others.
Use study methods and theories of practice to identify their appropriateness for coaching children.
Understand how multidisciplinary teams work together in sport and exercise. An introduction to research methods and analysis required for future projects.
Optional Modules
Students actively collect, analyse and feedback performance analysis data.
Focus on the exercise techniques designed to improve health.
This module allows students to explore the principles and practices faced by entrepreneurs whilst working through the process of developing a new commercial venture. The assessment offers students the chance to engage with their own new business idea and present to both business professionals and academic staff in a ‘dragon’s den’ style pitch.
Learn and apply psychological skills to improve athlete performance.
Students will develop an understanding of inclusive practice within sport, physical activity, and physical education.
This module provides students with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical application to provide strength and conditioning provision to the youth population for both sporting and health purposes.
Your final year allows you to concentrate the topics that interest you most and will support you best in your future career. One module is dissertation, a substantial research project that enables you to experience being responsible for planning, implementing and reporting on a specialist topic. In addition, you’ll be exposed to contemporary challenges in the subject area, as well as gaining an insight into where current research and coaching practice is focusing.
Compulsory Modules
Independent research and analysis in a related area of your choice.
Critically reflect on your coaching abilities and how you’ve developed throughout the programme.
Evaluate the leadership and management of sport science support within the performance environment.
Optional Modules
Studying what we can learn from professional development in other sectors to develop coaching and teaching practice.
Students apply and evaluate the impact of performance analysis techniques within the coaching cycle.
Students will develop a critical understanding of how exercise can be used to improve health within special populations as well as develop and implement an exercise programme for a client of their choice.
This module allows students to explore the growing influence of social media within the sports industry. Students will also analyse athlete social media content and consider their findings within the context of relevant contemporary research.
The purpose of this module is to give students a real picture of sport psychology in action by providing the framework from which psychological techniques can be applied to facilitate psychological and performance outcomes.
Modules
Overview
What you'll study
This course covers a broad range of fundamental sports topics through core modules, from teaching and coaching, to sports science, and psychology. In addition to these core topics, you’ll have a wide range of optional modules to choose from, allowing you to specialise to suit your interests and career goals.
Module credits
On successful completion of your modules you’ll gain academic credit that accumulates towards your award. The marks you gain in your second and third years may contribute towards your final degree classification.
Level four (year one)
Your first year will focus on introducing you to a broad range of topics, providing you with the skills and knowledge you’ll need to begin developing your own coaching identity. Alongside your core coaching module, you’ll study physiology, psychology, and sociology topics, as well as developing your academic and professional skills.
Compulsory Modules
Apply coaching theory to evaluate your own abilities, illustrating your personal development.
Learn academic and research skills through work with other sports science disciplines.
Understand athlete behaviour through key theories in sport exercise psychology.
Investigate how participation is influenced by the structure, leadership and organisation of sport.
This module covers the biological systems used during exercise.
Study how historical and political influences have shaped practices in a chosen sport.
Level five (year two)
Alongside your core coaching and academic skills modules, in your second year, you’ll start to choose your own path with a choice of optional modules. You could focus on sports business management, sports science, health topics, inclusion, and youth development.
Compulsory Modules
This module focuses on developing learning strategies and evaluating your ability to educate others.
Use study methods and theories of practice to identify their appropriateness for coaching children.
Understand how multidisciplinary teams work together in sport and exercise. An introduction to research methods and analysis required for future projects.
Optional Modules
Students actively collect, analyse and feedback performance analysis data.
Focus on the exercise techniques designed to improve health.
This module allows students to explore the principles and practices faced by entrepreneurs whilst working through the process of developing a new commercial venture. The assessment offers students the chance to engage with their own new business idea and present to both business professionals and academic staff in a ‘dragon’s den’ style pitch.
Learn and apply psychological skills to improve athlete performance.
Students will develop an understanding of inclusive practice within sport, physical activity, and physical education.
This module provides students with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical application to provide strength and conditioning provision to the youth population for both sporting and health purposes.
Level Six (year three)
Your final year allows you to concentrate the topics that interest you most and will support you best in your future career. One module is dissertation, a substantial research project that enables you to experience being responsible for planning, implementing and reporting on a specialist topic. In addition, you’ll be exposed to contemporary challenges in the subject area, as well as gaining an insight into where current research and coaching practice is focusing.
Compulsory Modules
Independent research and analysis in a related area of your choice.
Critically reflect on your coaching abilities and how you’ve developed throughout the programme.
Evaluate the leadership and management of sport science support within the performance environment.
Optional Modules
Studying what we can learn from professional development in other sectors to develop coaching and teaching practice.
Students apply and evaluate the impact of performance analysis techniques within the coaching cycle.
Students will develop a critical understanding of how exercise can be used to improve health within special populations as well as develop and implement an exercise programme for a client of their choice.
This module allows students to explore the growing influence of social media within the sports industry. Students will also analyse athlete social media content and consider their findings within the context of relevant contemporary research.
The purpose of this module is to give students a real picture of sport psychology in action by providing the framework from which psychological techniques can be applied to facilitate psychological and performance outcomes.
The modules contain a mixture of scheduled learning – lectures, workshops and practical sessions – alongside independent learning. Students are expected to dedicate at least two to three hours of independent study per contact hour. Your course may also include work placement learning as part of some modules.
| Year | Contact learning | Independent learning | Placement learning |
| Level four (year one) | 24% | 76% | 0% |
| Level five (year two) | 24% | 76% | 0% |
| Level six (year three) | 18% | 82% | 0% |
You will be assessed through a mixture of written exams, practical exams and written assignments. Many of the modules will be marked based on a mixture of assessment types, whilst others will be based solely on one type of assessment. Feedback will be given on-line (electronic and oral), and in some cases face-to-face.
| Year | Written exam | Practical exam | Coursework |
| Level four (year one) | 13% | 56% | 31% |
| Level five (year two) | 0% | 60% | 40% |
| Level six (year three) | 13% | 28% | 59% |
Each year of this course is taught over two semesters, normally consisting of 12 weeks of scheduled teaching and then assessment weeks, with an overview below:
- Scheduled teaching takes place between 8:30 to 20:30 Monday to Friday
- Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities
- Part-time students may need to attend learning activities five days each week, depending on modules selected
- Timetables are available during enrolment week
Please visit our finance page for information on tuition fees and student loans, as well as non-repayable grants, bursaries and scholarships, eligible to different groups, to support with study costs.
Below, you'll find extra costs associated with studying this course.
Clothing and footwear
Students have an option to purchase sports kits which can be bought as a bundle for approximately £150. Students are encouraged to engage in various trips and visits as part of the programme. A comprehensive package of non-repayable financial support is available to facilitate engagement with placements and study tours / trips where additional costs are involved.
Performance Sports Academy membership
Find out costs and details for joining one of our performance Sports Academy teams.
Hartpury gym
Find out about costs and details for joining the Hartpury gym.
Accommodation and living costs
Please visit our student accommodation page for details.
Our Resource Library is where you'll find all the essential details about Hartpury University's courses. It includes Programme and Module Specifications, along with Course Information Sheets for every course. You can easily download a complete revision history for each of these, clearly showing the dates changes were made.
Course Information Sheets: These are PDF versions of the course webpages. They provide an overview of the course, what to expect during your studies, and the topics covered.
Programme Specifications: These are detailed, validated documents containing academic specifics for each programme. They include descriptions of the programme, its aims, learning outcomes, year and module structure, as well as teaching, learning, and assessment strategies.
Module Specifications: Each Programme consists of several Modules. Our Module Specifications outline the topics covered and the expected outcomes for students studying each Module.
Guardian University Guide 2025
Hartpury University has received outstanding recognition in The Guardian University Guide 2025, in which Hartpury University now sits 4th out of 86 universities for Sports Science. This marks an impressive 65-place jump in just four years.
If you’re playing sport competitively, or you have the talent and drive to do so, you may want to join one of our Sports Academies. Over 200 international athletes have developed their talents with us over the past 10 years. You could be our next success story. We're a semi-professional sports environment offering world-class facilities and professional coaching and support services.
Settle into an accommodation option to suit your taste and budget – at Hartpury University, undergraduate students can choose to live on-campus surrounded by Gloucestershire’s beautiful countryside or off-campus in the heart of Gloucester City centre. Enjoy the best of both worlds.
We can help you understand how it all works, and what you need to do next. Find out everything you need to know about tuition fees, student loans and bursaries and scholarships. In 2021/22, we provided assistance to over 1/3 of our students through bursaries, scholarships and grants, totalling a little under £1million.
CIMSPA-endorsed
This degree programme is endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity
TEF Gold
Our undergraduate provision has been awarded Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Gold in all aspects - Overall, Student Experience, and Student Outcomes.
Teaching quality
Ranked in the top 10 universities for teaching quality (The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2025).
Graduate employability
97% of our graduates are in employment, further study or other purposeful activity (Graduate Outcomes, 2024).
Academic support
We’re a top 10 university for academic support (NSS 2024, UK universities).
"Being immersed in a high performance environment at Hartpury, both academically and practically, you develop a mindset that allows you to push yourself to perform at a higher level. That ethos and culture has helped me to take the path that I'm on now."
Dan Holloway, Nike Football UK Head Coach
"Being immersed in a high performance environment at Hartpury, both academically and practically, you develop a mindset that allows you to push yourself to perform at a higher level. That ethos and culture has helped me to take the path that I'm on now."
Dan Holloway, Nike Football UK Head Coach
Important information
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information, however our programmes are reviewed and developed regularly. Changes or cancellation of courses may be necessary to ensure alignment with emerging employment areas, to comply with accrediting body requirements, revisions to subject benchmark statements or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make necessary changes and will notify all offer-holders of changes as and when they occur.
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Our partners & accreditations
