Physical Education and Sports Coaching

Physical education and sports coaching is a degree for people who believe that sport and physical activity matter, and who want to build professional careers around that belief. Whether you are drawn to working with children and young people in schools, coaching athletes in club settings, developing community sport programmes, or working in the growing field of physical activity and public health, this degree equips you with the knowledge, skills and professional development to pursue those paths.

At the University of Chichester, the three-year full-time BA is designed to be genuinely versatile, recognising that many graduates enter not knowing exactly which direction they will take. You will study the science of physical education and sport, including physiology, psychology, biomechanics and motor learning, alongside the pedagogical principles of physical education and the practical and theoretical foundations of coaching. The curriculum is built around developing a strong set of transferable skills alongside the specialist knowledge of both teaching and coaching, so that you graduate well positioned to move in different directions depending on where your interests and opportunities lead you.

Chichester's sport and education programmes are well resourced, and the university's south-coast location provides good access to a range of schools, clubs and community sport organisations that support placement and professional development opportunities during the degree.

Graduates enter careers in physical education teaching in schools, sports coaching in clubs and community settings, sport development, health and physical activity promotion, and sports management. For those who want to teach PE in state schools, a PGCE or School Direct programme provides the required qualification. Postgraduate study in sport coaching, sport science or physical education is also a well-established path.