BSc (Hons) Sport Science, Coaching and Physical Education Bachelor's degree at Loughborough University
BSc (Hons) Sport Science, Coaching and Physical Education at Loughborough University. Sport Science, Coaching and Physical Education at Loughborough benefits from the university's world-leading research and teaching in sport-related subjects.
About this course
We’re 1st in the world for sport-related subjects. Interested? Take a look at our Sport, Coaching and Physical Education BSc (Hons) course and explore what you could be learning here. From the provider’s course page.
BSc (Hons) Sport Science, Coaching and Physical Education is a Bachelor's degree (BSc (Hons)) at Loughborough University. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Sport and exercise sciences graduates from this provider, 90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 95% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £29,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Sport & Exercise Science, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 65; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 90% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 96% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 6 modules
- Academic, Research and Vocational SkillsCompulsory
Module details
To support students' transition into and progression through university education by developing the core academic and vocational knowledge and skills required for their programme and future careers. To introduce the use of basic research methods relevant to students' disciplines. To enable students to become aware of and develop their academic, professional, social and personal skills.
- Sport and the Social SciencesCompulsory
Module details
Students develop knowledge and understanding of the underlying social science theories and topical debates that relate to sport, coaching and pedagogy and to acquire the necessary level of understanding to progress to more sociologically specific modules at Parts B and C.
- Kinesiology, Growth and DevelopmentCompulsory
Module details
To examine the anatomical structures of the body and the ways that the muscular and skeletal systems interact during human movement, exercise and sport. In addition, the module will examine the physical changes that occur during the growth period in children. The implications of these changes on structure and function as they relate to sport, exercise and physical activity will also be discussed.
- Fundamentals of Sport and Exercise ScienceCompulsory
Module details
Students develop foundational knowledge and understanding of the core sport and exercise science disciplines of psychology, biomechanics and physiology.
- Fundamentals of Sport CoachingCompulsory
Module details
Students develop a holistic understanding of coaching and coaching practice, and to introduce students to evidence-based research and research-informed practice.
- Fundamentals of Teaching Physical EducationCompulsory
Module details
Students develop fundamental teaching skills and the basic pedagogical knowledge needed to develop an understanding of the principles underpinning effective PE teaching in selected practical activities.
Year 2 8 modules
- Research Skills and MethodologiesCompulsory
Module details
Students develop an understanding of the philosophical and methodological underpinnings of the research process and to gain experience of formulating appropriate research questions, research designs, proposals and analytic techniques for conducting research in sport, coaching, physical education and management.
- Coaching Process and PracticeCompulsory
Module details
Students examine coaching effectiveness and the complexity of the coaching process and to be able to apply and demonstrate this theoretical knowledge in practice in authentic coaching contexts.
- The Reflective Practitioner in Physical EducationCompulsory
Module details
Students develop as reflective practitioners exploring more advanced teaching skills and identifying aspects of high quality PE, furthering their pedagogical knowledge and applying this to a range of practical activities.
- Fitness Training and AnalysisOptional
Module details
Students develop knowledge and understanding of the science of physical fitness, training and performance analysis.
- Sport, Diversity and Social JusticeOptional
Module details
Students develop a critical understanding of the relationships between sport, diversity and social justice as they relate to contexts within and around sport, coaching and pedagogy.
- Acquiring Movement SkillsOptional
Module details
To examine both theoretically and in practice, the key factors governing the acquisition and performance of human movement skills.
- Conceptualising SportOptional
Module details
To develop a critical understanding of more advanced social scientific concepts which combine to form the basis of social theories and perspectives used in the analysis of sport and physical cultures in modern societies across the world.
- Physical Activity and HealthOptional
Module details
Students develop knowledge, critical understanding and skills relating to physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health.
Final Year 10 modules
- Final Year ProjectCompulsory
Module details
To provide students with the knowledge, understanding, skills and opportunity to select, organise and conduct an enquiry-based project in a topic relevant to their development and programme.
- Advanced Sport CoachingOptional
Module details
Students develop a critical understanding of coaches' development and life-long learning and to be able to specialise in specific coaching domains. The module aims to develop greater self-awareness and critical thinking skills.
- Critical Pedagogies in Physical EducationOptional
Module details
Students critically reflect on contemporary policy, curriculum and pedagogical issues relevant to a school physical education (PE) context and how these impact on teaching and learning with PE practice.
- Physical Activity and Health of ChildrenOptional
Module details
Understand the implications that physical changes which occur during the growth period in children and adolescents have for their physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health. Understand the patterns and trends of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children and adolescents, the factors that influence these patterns and trends, and their relationship with children and adolescents' health.
- Contemporary Issues in Sporting CulturesOptional
Module details
Students develop a critical understanding of the practice and policy of contemporary sport cultures. There is an explicit link with the multi-disciplinary approach to social sciences taken at part A and the more sociologically driven modules in part B.
- Leadership and Managing ChangeOptional
Module details
Students develop a critical understanding of different theoretical perspectives on leadership and how leadership styles shape organisational practice. Students will also develop and evaluate their own preferred leadership approach and skills.
- Sport, Climate Action and NatureOptional
Module details
To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the multi-disciplinary intersection between sport, climate action, and nature. It explores the impact of climate change on sport, the impact of sport on climate change, and the interdisciplinary approaches required to address the challenges stemming from these impacts.
- Applied Sports Science: Analysis and ConditioningOptional
Module details
Students advance their knowledge, understanding and application of the applied sports science disciplines of strength and conditioning and performance analysis.
- Sport Policy and GovernanceOptional
Module details
Students develop a critical understanding of the policy-making process, policy analysis and associated tools, concepts and models in sport; and to develop a critical understanding of of sports governance and governance principles, structures and standards in local and global sports organisations.
- Psychology for Physical EducatorsOptional
Module details
Students gain an in-depth understanding of psychological issues relating to the experiences of children and young people in physical education and youth sport.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course combines sport science, coaching practice and physical education in a single qualification. You'll typically move from foundations in your first year, anatomy, exercise physiology, sport psychology and applied coaching skills, through intermediate study of biomechanics, training physiology and research methods. In your final year, you'll choose specialist pathways such as strength & conditioning, nutrition, rehabilitation, coaching or PE teaching, complete an applied placement with a team, school or training facility, and conduct an independent research project. The progression bridges scientific understanding with real-world coaching and teaching experience.
Who it's for
This course suits you if you're fascinated by how bodies perform, how training shapes athletic development, and how coaching and teaching transfer knowledge to others. You'll thrive if you combine analytical thinking with practical curiosity, equally comfortable discussing exercise physiology or biomechanics as you are designing coaching sessions. You value evidence-based practice and want to understand the science beneath technique. Whether you're drawn to elite sport, school teaching, strength and conditioning, or health promotion, you'll find scope to pursue those interests whilst grounding them in rigorous study.
Careers & job market
Across Sport & Exercise Science courses nationally, 90% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months; 62% of those working are in highly skilled roles or continuing study. Starting salaries typically fall between £22,000 and £30,000. After five years, graduates in the field earn £23,375 to £33,000 on average. Loughborough's location and industry connections support routes into university sports departments, secondary schools, sports development organisations, private coaching, strength and conditioning roles, and sports science support for athletes.
University & format
Loughborough University is a public university founded in 1909. The BSc (Hons) Sport Science, Coaching and Physical Education is a full-time, 3-year Bachelor's degree taught in English. The university holds Gold recognition for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023 and is a recognised UK degree-awarding body. Most accepted students in recent years held A-levels or equivalent, with the most common UCAS tariff band being 160–175 points.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
Access Loughborough Contextual Offer. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Names detected beside accreditation or recognition copy on the provider course page; verify the route and intake.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 99% |
| another higher-education qualification | 1% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at Loughborough University →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Sport & Exercise Science graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £29,000 | £24,500 – £32,000 | 65 |
| 3 years after | £26,500 | £22,500 – £35,000 | 345 |
| 5 years after | £33,500 | £27,000 – £45,500 | 370 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 65; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in sport & exercise science · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Sport & Exercise Science nationally
National figures for Sport & Exercise Science graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 65; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Sport & Exercise Science courses at the same study level.
Compared with 915 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Teaching ProfessionalsSOC 2020 231 · 45% of published destinations · ASHE median £42,660
- Natural and social science professionalsSOC 2020 211 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £44,243
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 40; response rate: 65%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Sport & Exercise Science graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Sport & Exercise Science graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Sports clubs & NGBs
- Leisure providers
- Schools
- The NHS
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Sport & Exercise Science graduates.
Is this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
90% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £29,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.8 out of 10: NSS 79% · in work or study 90% · continued 96%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Loughborough University
Biological and sport sciences across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Loughborough University
1,024 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Sport & Exercise Science right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Loughborough University from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Loughborough University; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Loughborough University’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Loughborough University and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Loughborough University
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
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What will it cost me?
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