Want to champion sport and physical activity? One of the largest sectors of the sport and leisure industry, sport development and coaching engages people to take part in sport and physical activity. Our BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching degree offers you the professional skills and knowledge required for a career encouraging and enabling people to get active.

Key information

Award:

BA (Hons)

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

3 years

Location:

The University of Bolton

UCAS points:

UCAS code:

C606

Start date:

20/09/2021

Course Details

Sport isn’t just for elite athletes – it’s for everyone. Passionate, effective and inspiring sport and physical activity development professionals and community coaches are needed to get people moving, help them gain skills and confidence in their physical abilities, develop their sporting potential and adopt active lifestyle habits.

Our BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching is ideal if your ambition is to become an advanced sport, physical activity and coaching development professional.

Expertly combining theory and practice, our dedicated team will guide you as you explore the principles, theories, and methods of sport and physical activity development and coaching, as well as social, economic, and political factors affecting the industry. You’ll learn about the ways in which organisations work together to provide opportunities for sport, and different approaches used to engage and sustain physical activity among different inactive groups of the population.

You’ll have opportunities to support and deliver practical coaching sessions and sport and physical activity projects with community groups, gaining the skills, knowledge and confidence to organise your own coaching projects, sports and activity events.

We’ll also encourage you to gain nationally-recognised governing body coaching and activity instructor certificates. Our ambition is to help you become a skilled sport and physical activity professional, ready for a career helping disadvantaged groups enjoy physical activity and wellbeing benefits.

Highlights

Some of our modules are taught in partnership with sector-leading sport and leisure venues such as Bolton One and Bolton Arena, so you can gain experience in a 'real-world' sports and activity environment.
We offer a highly qualified and experienced team of sport, physical activity and coaching practitioners and academic staff with links to global sport and physical activity employers in the public, private and commercial, and voluntary community sectors.
Your second-year work placement will be with one of our broad network of partners. These include professional sports clubs, private and public sector health and physical activity providers, community sport and activity clubs, education providers and national governing bodies.
You’ll be encouraged to attend our insightful guest lectures from renowned sports professionals and field trip visits. These will enhance your learning, help you make contacts in the industry and contribute to your professional development.

Key Features

Our on-campus facilities are based in the £31 million Bolton One building, including a multi-use gym, climbing wall, swimming pool, fully-equipped sports science laboratories, strength and conditioning suite, rehabilitation suite, and specialist classrooms.
We prefer to keep lecture and practical classes relatively small so that you have plenty of opportunities to ask our friendly, supportive staff for help, as well as benefit from the ideas and support offered by your classmates.
Your second-year work placement gives you the opportunity to put what you have learned into practice, providing valuable hands-on experience. Recently our students have enjoyed placements with Bolton Council, Bolton Arena, GreaterSport (Greater Manchester County Sport Partnership), Bolton Lads and Girls Club, and Bolton Wanderers' FC Community Trust.
You’ll have the chance to gain further applied experience within the university’s vibrant sports culture, volunteering opportunities and links with community sport and physical activity programmes.
We’ll support you to develop valuable transferable skills such as communication, independent and group working, research and critical evaluation, and project management that are highly sought after by employers.
The course has a strong vocational underpinning and is designed to ensure you have extensive opportunities to engage in designing, delivering, monitoring and evaluating work-based learning, managing live projects and gain real-life experience of the industry, thus developing and enhancing your employability skills.
In groups, you'll design, deliver, monitor and evaluate a sport-for-social-change intervention that meets the needs of a specific audience or group in the local community.

Professional recognition

The University of Bolton is a leading HE Partner and seeking endorsement of this course with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).

96 UCAS points. Please see our guide to the UCAS Tariff for examples of how to achieve these points.
Your Level 3 subjects should preferably include physical education or a related sport, health or sociology subject; for instance, A-level PE or BTEC Extended Diploma in Sport.
You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English, and preferably, PE and Science.
You'll be required to attend an interview as part of the application process.
This course involves working unsupervised with children and/or vulnerable adults and all students must gain an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Disclosure certificate for a Child Workforce including Child Barred List checks, before starting their studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
It will be mandatory for you attend and complete an accredited First Aid and Safeguarding course within your first year, as these subsidised minimum standards for deployment are a University requirement of Fitness to Practice.
If English isn’t your first language you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Want some reassurance or advice? Speak to one of our advisors. Email us at enquiries@bolton.ac.uk or call us on +44 (0)1204 903 903.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

Sport development and coaching is one of the largest sectors of the sport and active leisure industry. Sports development and coaching careers involve making sure that people have the chance to take part in sport and ensure that all sections of the community are aware of available activities and where they can go to get involved.

This degree offers you the skills, knowledge, and ability to run your own coaching sessions, activity programmes and sports events. You’ll have the opportunity to develop a range of key employability skills, such as making decisions under pressure, written and oral communication skills, the ability to work with individuals and groups, self-motivation and the ability to motivate others, leadership, teamwork and planning.

What can I do with this qualification?

Graduates seek employment in local authority sport and physical activity development units, schools, FE colleges, universities, fitness centres, county sport partnerships, and private sector organisations. You may choose to work with athletes on an individual basis or analyse team performance. Some of the more typical roles include teacher, sports development officer, sports coach, sports activity coordinator, sport events manager and fitness centre manager. Some graduates also go into self-employment by establishing their own coaching business.

If you're interested in teaching, this course allows you to move into primary or secondary education-based courses. Many graduates also undertake a PGCE and master’s qualification in sport management disciplines, developing specialist skills and experience.

Alternative career options

Many sport development and coaching graduates pursue opportunities outside the sport sector in industries such as business, finance, marketing, education and sales. Some roles require further study and work experience. Possible alternative roles include:

Sports centre management
Active leisure amenities management
Teaching and education
Youth work
Research and analysis
Community engagement
Public health promotion
Behaviour change and active lifestyle
Public relations/consultancy
Sports promotion and sponsorship
Elite and high-performance sport
Parks and recreation

Course fees

Home EU Fees	Year of study				Total
Entry year	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
2020	£9,250	£9,250	£9,250	-	£27,750

International	Year of study				Total
Entry year	2020/21	2021/22	2022/23	2023/24
2020	£12,450	£12,450	£12,450	-	£37,350

The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

The university is currently awaiting government guidelines as to EU fee charges for students commencing study in 2021/2022.

For 2021/2022 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2021/2022 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton undergraduate students.

For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

September start

Please apply through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) for September entry.

The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.

You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £24. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £13 is applicable.

You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:

Institution Code Name: BOLTN
Institution Code Number: B44

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com

The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.

How you apply is determined by your current location and what you are choosing to study:

Apply direct to the University. Links for the next available intakes of this course are shown below. Please click the link which will direct you to the online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this.
Apply via one of our approved in-country referral partners. A list of our partners may be found on the International pages of this website.
Apply via UCAS for courses starting in September only – visit www.ucas.com.

Should you have any queries please contact the International Team on +44 (0) 1204 903110 or email international@bolton.ac.uk

Apply online: University of Bolton BA(Hons) Sports Development & Coaching - 20 September 2021

University of Bolton Group Partners

Bolton College
University Technical College
University of Bolton

The University welcomes applications from our group partners and progressing students so we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible. By selecting the link for your chosen course from the list shown below you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.

Please ensure when you are asked to add a contact email address you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address we will be unable to identify you as a partner and you will be referred to apply via UCAS, which incurs a cost.

Apply online: University of Bolton BA(Hons) Sports Development & Coaching - 20 September 2021

We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!

We use a combination of face-to-face teaching and directed and independent study. Knowledge, skills, and understanding are developed through a wide range of teaching methods including lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, work placement, live projects, coaching practicals and tutorials. You’ll also have access to our virtual learning environment, with online learning resources.

Presentations and masterclasses by guest speakers are used throughout the programme to enhance employability and to make the link between theory and practice. Similarly, work experience forms an important part of the programme and will help you to develop your skills in a practical environment.

In terms of assessment, you can expect coursework (usually essays and reports), written examinations, practical assessments (particularly for coaching modules), skills portfolios, oral or poster presentations, a final year dissertation, and others. Some of these will contribute to your final marks and allow you to demonstrate that you’ve met the learning outcomes for the course. Other assessments will help you learn, provide you with feedback and inform your development, though these will not count towards your final marks.

You’ll also receive feedback on assessment drafts. These will help to identify any areas which would benefit from extra attention on your part, or where you need extra support from your tutor.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

Principles of Academic and Professional Skills Development
Principles of Sport, Society and Culture
Principles of Physical Activity for Health
Principles of the Sports Coaching Process
Work Experience and Applied Research
Contemporary Issues in Sport
Applied Physical Activity and Health
Investigating Effective Sports Coaching
Sport and Physical Activity Dissertation
International Sport for Development
Enhancing Physical Health and Wellbeing in Local Populations
Physical Education and School Sport

Assessment methods

Level	Assesment method
Level one	Coursework 55%, Practical exams 45%
Level two	Coursework 69%, Practical exams 31%
Level three	Coursework 70%, Practical exams 20%, Written exams 10%

Learning activities

Level	Learning activity
Level one	Guided independent study 66%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34%
Level two	Guided independent study 66%, Placement/study abroad 8%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 26%
Level three	Guided independent study 78%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 22%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.