PE and Sports Coaching

Physical education and sports coaching is the study and practice of how people learn, develop and perform in physical activity, and of how skilled coaches and teachers can facilitate that development most effectively. It draws on exercise physiology, sports psychology, pedagogy, skill acquisition theory and sports science to build an understanding of the human body in motion and of the educational and coaching processes through which physical capability is developed. The discipline matters because physical activity is central to health, wellbeing and human flourishing, and because the quality of PE teaching and sports coaching has a lasting effect on the people who experience it.

At the University of Chester this four-year programme begins with a foundation year that builds the academic and scientific grounding you need before the degree proper begins, making the programme accessible to students who may not have studied the relevant sciences formally before. Across the full programme you will study the scientific foundations of sport and exercise, developing your understanding of physiology, biomechanics, psychology and nutrition and their application to performance and coaching. You will develop practical coaching skills across a range of sports and physical activities, and you will engage with educational theory and pedagogy as it applies to physical education in schools.

The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to experience sports coaching and PE in a different cultural and institutional context.

Graduates go on to work as PE teachers in schools (often following a further PGCE qualification), as coaches in professional and amateur sport, as sports development officers, as fitness professionals, and in leisure management and community sport roles. Others move into sports science support, rehabilitation, national governing body work or sports administration. The combination of scientific knowledge, practical coaching skills and educational understanding makes graduates versatile and well equipped for a range of careers in sport and physical activity.