Performance Analysis and Coaching Science

Performance analysis and coaching science is a discipline that applies scientific principles to the understanding and improvement of elite athletic performance. Performance analysis examines the patterns and trends in sports performance through video and data analysis, helping coaches and athletes understand what is happening in competition and training and how it can be improved. Coaching science draws on exercise physiology, sports psychology, biomechanics, and pedagogy to develop effective coaching methodologies and to understand how athletes learn and develop.

Together, these fields provide the scientific and technical tools that support athletes at every level.

At the University of Derby, this programme is available part-time and includes a foundation year for students who would benefit from additional preparation before the main degree. The programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement provision, giving you extensive professional experience in performance sport and coaching environments. You will develop specialist skills in analysis, coaching, and athlete support, and engage with the evidence base that informs best practice in high-performance sport.

The practical dimension of the degree is central to its design, and you will work with real athletes and in real coaching and analysis contexts as part of your formation.

Graduates work as performance analysts, strength and conditioning coaches, talent development coaches, and sports scientists in professional and elite sport, national governing bodies, and high-performance academies. University sport, community sport development, and physical education are also common destinations. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in sports science, coaching, or strength and conditioning, building the specialist expertise needed for roles at the highest levels of performance sport.