How you learn

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive. 

This course provides ample opportunities for specialisation – from community and children’s coaching to elite performance. You will learn through teaching, working and doing – developing the skills and knowledge you need for a variety of careers while aligning your learning to your career aspirations.

You are taught by experts who are active in coaching, research and consultation with industry. You benefit from their expertise, connections, and networking opportunities with leading sports organisations.

You learn through:

• Lectures, seminars and workshops
• Practical activities in both simulated and in-situ environments 
• Placements
• Work-based learning experiences 
• A virtual learning environment (VLE) 
• Independent study 

Key themes

On this course, you will develop the skills to prepare you for a range of potential careers in sport coaching, whether in performance or participation-focused roles. You will learn the behaviours expected and needed for working in schools, sport governing bodies, and professional or commercial sport and physical activity settings

• Learn how to coach children, adolescents, adults – or all three. Gain the knowledge you need to coach a range of participants, evaluating their progress and adapting your coaching to achieve their goals.
• Apply your knowledge and understanding of coaching theories and concepts across different contexts and populations
• Demonstrate professional inter and intra-personal skills that enable your independent effective delivery
• Articulate a personal and professional philosophy to be an effective practitioner
• Interact with a range of audiences using appropriate forms of communication
• Engage and collaborate with the industry through alumni and professional networks, challenging and championing best practice

The course offers theoretical, philosophical, and practical foundations for sport coaching, covering topics like innovative coaching practice, coach-athlete relationships, physical literacy, and more. 

Course support

The course is designed to help you demonstrate your learning outcomes – with authentic assessment activities relating to real-world scenarios, your specific goals and your skills development. Throughout your studies, various individuals will support your learning and target setting – guiding you towards resources for academic, professional and personal development. 

These support roles include: 

• Course and Module Leaders
• Your Academic Adviser 
• Your Student Support Adviser
• Your Employability Adviser 
• Central services like counselling, Library and IT

Course leaders and tutors

Andy Gair

Senior Lecturer

Originally a Carnegie PE graduate, Andy has spent 30 years working within GB, National sports organisations and education across the country, as well as developing h … Read more

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Applied learning

Work placements 

There’s a mandatory short placement at the end of your second year. Over a minimum of 120 hours, you will be learning while you work and preparing to progress into employment after you graduate.

You will also have the opportunity to undertake a year-long work placement (25 weeks minimum) or multiple placements between your second and final years. This gives you further valuable work experience to prepare you for your future career and allows you to graduate with an Applied Professional Diploma to add to your CV. 

Your course is designed to give you the knowledge, skills, confidence, and readiness to secure and succeed on your placements – supported by our careers and employability teams. 

Practical Experience

You will develop your learning in applied first-hand, real-world situations, gaining valuable insight into working practice.

Guest lectures 

You will hear from specialist industry experts who share context-specific examples of the knowledge, skills and behaviours you will need for your career ahead.

For example, we host a unique lecture series entitled ‘That Coaching Life’, where professional coaches from a range of backgrounds are invited to share their experiences of working in industry. 

Networking opportunities 

By joining this course you become a member of the Academy of Sport and Physical Activity at Sheffield Hallam University. The Academy is a diverse department, which offers you the opportunity to build networks at careers fairs and workshops. The Academy has close links to a large range of organisations and facilities locally, nationally and internationally which will give you superb opportunities to gain connections as you prepare for your career.

Future careers

This course offers a broad range of future paths for you to explore, which you will be introduced to as part of your degree. For example, you will have the chance to collaborate with our enterprise team, both during and after your course, to experience what it is like to establish your own business. Similarly, option modules allow you to tailor your learning towards your career aspirations. Recent students have successfully developed various software and apps related to sports and coaching. 

This course prepares you for a career in: 

• Professional sports coaching 
• Community sport provision
• Coach education and development 
• Education
• Health and the physical activity sector 
• National governing bodies 
• Policy and sport strategy development 

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for:

• Professional sport clubs 
• Governing bodies and federations of sport 
• Schools sport provision 
• PE teaching (primary, secondary and further education) 
• Coach education environments 
• Strength and conditioning  
• Further study (masters and PGCE) 
• The charity sector

Where will I study?

You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Collegiate campus

Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.

Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities 

Location

Collegiate Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2BP

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Collegiate library

Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

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Entry requirements

Fees and funding

• Home students
• International students

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. These fees are regulated by the UK government and are therefore subject to changes in government policy. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International students

Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2024/25 is £16,655 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.

Financial support for home/EU students

How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.

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Additional course costs

This link allows you to view estimated costs associated with the main activities on specific courses. These are estimates and, as such, are only an indication of additional course costs. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

Additional costs for Sport and physical activity courses (PDF, 337.6KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.