University of Portsmouth
Sports Coaching (Top-up) BSc (Hons)
University of Portsmouth

Key Course Facts

Salary

Salary of all UK Graduates of

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £22481 £20177 £23660
25-75 percentile range £20119 - £25653 £15142 - £24804 £17699 - £30158

Course Description

Sports coaches support, inspire and motivate athletes to reimagine what's possible.

If you can see yourself helping people fulfil their sporting potential and coaching professional athletes, sports teams, school or community groups, this BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching top-up degree will help you achieve it.

You'll turn your Level 5 qualification – such as an HND or foundation degree in a subject related to sports or business – into a full Bachelor's degree, ready for a career in high performance coaching environments, multi-sport coaching, coach education or within your own sports coaching business.

  • Use specialist gym and fitness testing equipment to explore training techniques and injury prevention and assessment, including portable EMG technology and infrared motion analysis
  • Gain sports coaching skills in technology, strategic management, digital innovation and analytics, and sports entrepreneurship – giving you the tools and skills to set yourself up as an independent sports coach
  • Enhance your CV and professional network, and share your sporting skill in the local community through our coaching, mentoring and volunteering scheme
  • Have the chance to take part in research programmes run by institutions such as UEFA, the FA and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
  • Train and coach within our extensive sports facilities, including a 100-station gym, fitness studios, and a new sports centre featuring a ski simulator, climbing wall and 8-lane swimming pool

Careers and opportunities

On this BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching top-up degree, you'll explore contemporary, conceptual and theoretical research around the evolving nature of the modern sport coach practitioner and their role in the sports industry.

You'll learn strength and conditioning techniques, how to empower athletes to develop and retain new skills, and how to identify training needs and develop training programmes that optimise sporting performance.

Once you graduate, you'll be ready to enter the world of sports coaching in the community and at elite sport level.

What areas can you work in with a sports coaching top-up degree?

When you graduate, you'll be ready to enter a variety of commercial and non-commercial organisations such as:

  • national governing bodies
  • professional sports clubs
  • the Armed Forces
  • local authorities
  • health and fitness centres
  • charities and not-for-profit organisations
  • schools
  • community centres
  • prisons

You could also go into areas outside of the sports coaching industry in roles such as sports journalism, finance or accounting.

What jobs can you do with a sports coaching top-up degree?

Roles you could take on include:

  • community coach coordinator
  • coach educator
  • skills coach
  • strength and conditioning advisor
  • PE teacher
  • sport development officer
  • sports marketing executive
  • sports agent
  • stadium manager

Work experience and professional development

This sports coaching top-up course includes a core Professional Development module, providing the opportunity to work on your own career aims alongside industry experts. You'll complete a range of professional development activities, including work-based opportunities across a range of industry sectors related to sports coaching.

You'll be mentored by academic members of staff and take part in a masterclass series (workshops with academics and industry experts) focusing on the themes and challenges you'll encounter as a sports coach.

The masterclass series covers:

  • Coaching contexts and methodologies for practice
  • Coaching pedagogy
  • Sports psychology
  • Performance analysis
  • Talent identification and development
  • Governance and match officials
  • Mental health awareness in sport
  • Sports nutrition and coaching practice
  • Sport for development (coaching focus)
  • Current issues in sport coaching

****You'll be assessed through:**** **Practical assessments** **Client reports** **Video submissions** **Blog submissions** **Infographic submissions** **Essays** **Portfolios** **Presentation slides** You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark. You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

Qualification requirements

Relevant HE study leading to a Level 5 qualification, for example an appropriate HND, foundation degree or Advanced Diploma or 240 credits from year 1 and year 2 of an undergraduate degree (BA/BSc), in a Sport related subject. Applications from individuals with non-standard qualifications, industry professional qualifications, relevant work or life experience and who can demonstrate the ability to cope with and benefit from degree-level studies are welcome and considered on an individual basis.

English language requirements

test Grade Additional Details
IELTS (Academic) 6

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.

PTE Academic 54

An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill.

TOEFL (iBT) 79

79 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.

Cambridge English Advanced

Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.

Cambridge English Proficiency

Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.

Trinity ISE

Trinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Sports Coaching (Top-up), BSc (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of University of Portsmouth in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of University of Portsmouth in related subject specific rankings.

Sports Science

    • #11 
    • #15 
    Sports Science
    CUG The Complete University Guide - By Subject
    [Published 08 June, 2023]

See all 29 university rankings of University of Portsmouth

About University of Portsmouth

The University of Portsmouth is located on the United Kingdom’s only island city, Portsmouth. This public university, which was previously known as Portsmouth Polytechnic, forms part of the University Alliance, an organisation whose aim is to promote growth and innovation in the UK by putting an emphasis on links with business and industry.

List of 234 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Portsmouth - Course Catalogue

Student composition of University of Portsmouth

undergraduates:
18085
postgraduates:
5005
Total:
23090
  • Societies - Student Life #5
  • Dental Nursing, Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy - University of Portsmouth
  • Why our graduates love the University of Portsmouth.
  • Modern Languages at the University of Portsmouth
  • Psychology BSc - Students - University of Portsmouth
  • Business and Management at the University of Portsmouth

Where is this programme taught

Main Site
map marker Show on map

Similar courses

Program University Student satis­faction Unem­ployed Drop­out Tuition (UK) Tuition (Inter­national) UCAS Tariff City
Physical Education and Sports Coaching with Foundation Year BSc (Hons) York St John University - 0% 15% £9250 £14000 118 York On campus Full-time
Sport Coaching and Physical Education BA (Hons) Plymouth Marjon University 92% 0% 5% £9250 £14500 123 Plymouth On campus Full-time
Equestrian Sports Coaching BSc (Hons) Hartpury University and Hartpury College 58% 3% 6% £9250 £16500 130 Gloucester On campus Full-time
Sport Conditioning, Rehabilitation and Massage (SCRAM) BSc (Hons) Cardiff Metropolitan University - - - £9000 £15000 £16000 - Cardiff On campus Full-time
Sport Science, Coaching and Physical Education BSc (Hons) Loughborough University of Technology - - - £9250 £27250 - Loughborough On campus Full-time
Strength and Conditioning (With Foundation Year) BSc (Hons) Hartpury University and Hartpury College - - - £9250 £16500 - Gloucester On campus Full-time
Sport Coaching BSc (Hons) University of Chichester - - - £9250 £15840 - Chichester On campus Full-time
Sports Performance and Coaching (Including Year Abroad) BSc (Hons) University of Essex - - - £9250 £20500 - Colchester On campus Full-time
Sport Coaching with Placement BSc (Hons) Southampton Solent University - 2% 7% £9250 £15000 £16125 110 Southampton On campus Full-time
Sports Coaching Science BSc (Hons) St Mary's University, Twickenham 100% 0% 15% £9250 £16320 116 Twickenham On campus Full-time