BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching

Key information

Why choose this course?

  • Coaching opportunities through our partnerships with Watford Football Club and the London Mavericks
  • 90% satisfaction for teaching on my course (NSS, 2024, based on the average of Q1-4)
  • Opportunity to gain accredited coaching qualifications

On this sports coaching degree, you will learn in our specialist facility: You’ll have access to some of the best university sports facilities in the UK, including our multi-million-pound Institute of Sport Building based at the de Havilland Campus.  Our Sports Village facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool, 12m high climbing wall and a 110+ station gym. The gym has both strength and cardio equipment, such as rowing machines, cable stations and a free weights area. Facilities also include match-quality courts, sports halls and new generation astro pitches and so much more.  

Your learning will be enhanced by our industry connections: The University works closely with national and international researchers, coaches and athletes, giving you the opportunity of masterclasses and insights from those at the top of their game. 

Benefit from our official partnerships with Watford FC and the London Mavericks: As a Herts student, you’ll have exclusive access to unique career and educational opportunities. 

Herts offers an Active Students and Staff programme, with free sports and exercise sessions available. You could even get a part time job working as an activator, leading your own exercise sessions or assisting with qualified instructors.   

What's the course about?

If you love sport and want to focus on coaching, this is the course for you. Whether thinking about becoming a high-performance coach, PE teacher, performance analyst or running your own business, this BSc Sports Coaching will equip you with the knowledge and skills to excel in your career. 

Our sports coaching degree has a strong emphasis on practical coaching experiences being applied to the sporting area of your choice. You’ll have the opportunity to explore coaching theory, research and practice, including understanding the use of performance analysis in sport. You’ll focus on contemporary areas of sports coaching study, including coach education, learning and practical skills. You’ll also develop your own specialised coaching knowledge, attributes and abilities through a wide range of theoretical and hands-on experiences.  

Throughout your time with us, we’ll encourage you to shape your own professional development journey and achieve the appropriate vocational coaching qualifications to take your career in the direction you want. We’ll also emphasise the importance of developing your academic and research strengths, improving your confidence, credibility and critical writing skills. 

What will I study?

Through this sports coaching degree, you will explore the theory, research and practice of coaching.  

In your first year, you’ll learn the foundations of sports coaching and practical coaching delivery. You will learn important sports science content to support your coaching skills and practice: anatomy and physiology for coaches, and exercise prescription and fitness testing.  

Your second year deepens your sports coaching knowledge through study of coaching pedagogy, periodisation and planning in coaching, performance analysis, process and practice in high-performance sport, and exploring sports ethics. The research methods module helps you understand the principles and methods that underpin coaching-based research. Your sport experience learning module provides you an opportunity to get applied work experience in the sport coaching industry.     

Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or complete a work placement for up to a year. If you would rather go straight to your final year, that’s fine too. You can decide in your second year with us, so there is still plenty of time to think about this.   

In your final year, you’ll learn in more depth about coaching in the community and excellence in coaching. You will also study psychology in coaching, behaviour change for physical activity and sport, and professional practice in sports coaching. You will be responsible for designing and delivering either a work experience or research focused independent project to further develop your understanding of sports coaching. You’ll get a personal supervisor to support you with the research or work experience dissertation that you choose to study. 

Alumni headshot

Alumni Stories

Annabelle Bullock

Meet Annabelle Bullock, a BUCS gold medallist, who studied Sports Studies alongside her athletic pursuits. As an athlete she competed in target shooting and as a member of the women's Lacrosse team.

Read more stories BSc (Hons) Sports Studies MA Education
Current job roleEducation Liaison Coordinator
Year of graduation2018 / 2019
Course of studyBSc (Hons) Sports Studies
MA Education
Bella Bullock

University experience and support

The University supported Annabelle by making her one of its sponsored athletes providing her with greater flexibility and access to sporting facilities and opportunities. This helped her develop a broad and transferable set of skills and experience.

Annabelle says, 'Being an athlete and studying was challenging, but the University and my lecturers were so supportive. Being made a sponsored athlete also came with a bunch of perks. All this support and the opportunities that the University provided helped me to build the skills and confidence I needed to be truly successful in my job today.'

Annabelle currently works as one of the Education Liaison Coordinators at Herts. Having established fantastic contacts within the University, her student activities meant she could seamlessly progress into a professional role that complimented many of her skills and interests.

'I always assumed that I would do something within sport, but when it came to my final year in BSc Sport Studies, I had found my passion for Coach Education. During my MA in Education at the University, I discovered another passion for helping others and working with student athletes.'

Opportunities to explore

The University is committed to recognising talent in its students and offering any exciting opportunities that can enrich their studies and further their careers. Annabelle's lecturers' encouraged her to explore her passion for research which inspired her to continue with postgraduate study. Most impressively, the University helped her win its first BUCS gold medal in target shooting, which she says 'felt amazing as I was the only one in the team!'

Annabelle's advice for new and current students is to 'Do things that are out of your comfort zone because the skills and experiences you develop may just be the thing that your employer is looking for. Take all of the opportunities you can. I thought I was going to be an athlete forever, then I discovered coaching. I am very lucky that my first "proper" job is something that I absolutely love but I am still able to continue coaching. This summer I am helping coach a target shooting national team in the biggest junior, under 21, competition in the country.'

Alumni headshot

Alumni Stories

Gavin Beard

Meet Gavin Beard who has taken his love for sports into industry. Since graduating he has worked his way up the career ladder and is now the Head of Marketing for Norwich Football Club.

Read more stories
Current job roleHead of Marketing
Year of graduation2013
Course of studyBSc (Hons) Sports Studies
Gavin Beard

More than a degree

Gavin graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with more than a degree; his university experience helped him to gain valuable insight to several disciplines and allowed him to narrow down his career choices.

He says, 'My degree allowed me to study various disciplines, including coaching, science and business. Having exposure to these different areas helped me understand what I favoured, and it was clear that business (and in particular, marketing) was an area I felt I could forge a career in.'

After successfully completing his degree Gavin began moving up the career ladder, working at many well respected companies such as Coral, BT Sport and currently Norwich City Football Club. Gavin puts a lot of his success down to the degree he studied and the support provided by the university.

He comments, 'The variety of modules and the exposure to different disciplines within my course were extremely useful. This was crucial in helping me determine my path. After year one, I knew I liked marketing, so I worked with the ERASMUS team to find a pathway to help me study this abroad. I then studied business in Valencia for a year and it was an experience I’ll never forget.'

Aspirations for the future

Gavin is still really enjoying his career in leading the Marketing team at Norwich City Football Club. He says, 'It’s an incredibly varied role; one day I could be leading the campaign to promote the new kit, the next it’ll be marketing the Take That gig at Carrow Road!'

Gavin is hopeful for the future and says 'Given my experience, my future roles will continue to be in marketing, hopefully I will help Norwich to become an established Premier League team. Then who knows!'