BA (Hons) Sport, Coaching and Physical Education Bachelor's degree at Plymouth Marjon University
BA (Hons) Sport, Coaching and Physical Education at PMU. You'll engage with core theory, research and methods, applied practice, specialist options, and an independent project, alongside professional skills development.
About this course
BA (Hons) Sport Coaching and Physical Education gives students broad knowledge and critical understanding of sports coaching, the teaching of physical education and how sport is developed. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Sport, Coaching and Physical Education is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at PMU, based in Main Site. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Sport and exercise sciences graduates from this provider, 95% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 50% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £23,000. (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)
Limited evidence Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 95% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2021-23. Continuation 85% (2021-23; 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.
1st Year 6 modules
- Becoming a Sports Coach or PE Teacher
Module details
Introduces students to the role of the sports coach and physical education teacher as a professional. It also develops students' engagement with their own personal and academic development in order to support them as they make the step up to degree-level study within the university environment.
- Coaching and Teaching: Process & Practice
Module details
Introduces the foundations of planning, conducting and evaluating coaching and teaching sessions through theory and practice.
- Fundamental Movement Skills: Skill Acquisition, Mechanics & Analysis
Module details
Introduces the fundamental principles of movement and explores skill acquisition and motor control.
- Foundations of Sport Development
Module details
Seeks to develop students' subject knowledge, skills and understanding of the organisation and structure of sport and physical education in the UK.
- International studies in sport & PE
Module details
An introduction to an international perspective on Sport and Physical Education. An exploration of alternative approaches to the Physical Education Curriculum.
- Sport Science Principles of Growth & Development
Module details
Explores the growth and maturation process from an anatomical and physiological perspective and considers the effects on capacity for participation in physical activity, exercise and sports.
2nd Year 6 modules
- Work based learning (placement)
Module details
Students will complete a serial or placement period of experiential learning in an 'approved' programme related environment. Often a school or sports club.
- Research methods in Sport & PE
Module details
Aims to develop students as critical consumers and generators of research.
- Learning theory & the learner
Module details
Explores and assesses a variety of learning theories and paradigms, and applies them to a practical situation for critical analysis.
- Coaching theory and practice
Module details
Further develops the students understanding of the role of the coach and the distinctions between participation and performance coaching. It also analyses coaching models and key principles of coaching practice including coaching philosophy, coaching behaviours, styles and ethics.
- Sport and education
Module details
Develops student understanding of the sport development and physical education/school sport interface from primary school through to higher education. Students will also experience a range of alternative activities which could be applied to PE curriculum.
- Practical Aspects of Performance Analysis in Sport
Module details
An introduction to the relevant skills required for performance analysis, specific to sports notation, including system design and data analysis. It develops the concepts and principles of optimising sports performance through analysis.
3rd Year 7 modules
- Honours Project (Dissertation)
Module details
Students are supported through an extended research project in an area of specific interest to them.
- Pedagogy in practiceOptional
Module details
Is an exploration of the science of PE teaching, and takes theories such as Behaviour for Learning and applies them in both a primary and secondary practical teaching environment.
- Coaching children in sport
Module details
An examination of the role of the coach or teacher in terms of the physiological and psychological development of children, and then applies this to the general principles involved in planning, executing and evaluating practical sessions tailored for the individual child.
- Achieving High Quality Provision in Sport Coaching and Education
Module details
Aims to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of how high quality provision within Sport Coaching and Education is developed and assessed.
- Performance coachingOptional
Module details
Investigates the environment and climate required to develop expertise in oneself and in others, and explores career planning and development for performance coaches.
- Sport and excellenceOptional
Module details
Explores the various organisations and individuals involved in the development and practice of elite sport within an international context, and includes an opportunity to see excellence in practice through visits to high performance coaching centres.
- Leadership & Management in Sport & PEOptional
Module details
Encourages the student to develop a critical understanding of the links between individual characteristics, leadership styles and organisational performance. This enables the student to utilise and evaluate a systematic understanding of personal characteristics and how they relate to leading others.
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 gives you broad knowledge and critical understanding of sports coaching, the teaching of physical education, and how sport is developed. You'll usually start with foundations in anatomy, exercise physiology and introductory sport psychology, alongside practical coaching and training skills. In Year 2, you'll progress to biomechanics, physiology of training and research methods. Year 3 draws these together through specialist options, such as strength & conditioning, sport psychology, nutrition, rehabilitation or PE teaching routes, an applied placement working with teams, clients or schools, and an independent research dissertation. This arc moves from core concepts to applied practice to independent inquiry.
Who it's for
This course suits you if you're drawn to sport and physical education and want to understand both the theory and practice behind coaching and teaching. You'll thrive if you're curious about how people learn movement skills, how sport develops in communities and organisations, and how to translate that knowledge into real-world settings. You'll balance classroom learning with practical application, and work independently as well as collaboratively.
Careers & job market
Across Sport & Exercise Science graduates nationally, 90% are in work or further study 15 months after graduating. Starting salaries typically range from £22,000 to £30,000; after five years, this rises to £23,375–£33,000. Around 62% of working graduates move into highly skilled roles or continue studying. Opportunities exist in coaching, education, sports development, and related sectors, though career paths and earnings vary by role and region.
University & format
This is a 3-year full-time Bachelor's degree (BA Hons) studied at Plymouth Marjon University, a University located at the Main Site. Teaching is in English. The University is a recognised UK degree-awarding body; degrees are nationally recognised. The course received Gold for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
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.
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 | 85% |
| another higher-education qualification | 11% |
| an Access course | 2% |
| No / unknown prior qualifications | 2% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Accepted students came in with a broad spread of qualifications and UCAS points. If you're worried about grades, this course has historically taken a wide range, and contextual offers may apply.
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 (code SCP1). 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 PMU →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 | £23,000 | £22,000 – £29,000 | 10 |
| 3 years after | £21,000 | £16,000 – £25,000 | 290 |
| 5 years after | £26,000 | £21,000 – £31,000 | 300 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. 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: 2021-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 10; treat comparisons cautiously. 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 · 30% of published destinations · ASHE median £42,660
- Process, plant and machine operativesDiscover Uni category · 15% of published destinations
- Secretarial and related occupationsDiscover Uni category · 15% of published destinations
- Managers, directors and senior officialsSOC 2020 1 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £51,733
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: 25; 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.
Sport CoachAspire PeopleSport Science LeadBiolyz FlexCoBTEC Tech Awards Sept 22 - Sport - ExaminerPearsonEquine Vet: Independent Clinic for Leisure & Sport HorsesBritish Veterinary LGBT+Learning Mentor (PE/Sport)Prospero TeachingCasual Youth Worker: Sport, Community Growth & BelongingActive Herefordshire & WorcestershireIs 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
95% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £23,000. 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 8.9 out of 10: NSS 87.7% · in work or study 95% · continued 85%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
University of St Mark and St John
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 Main Site
400 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 PMU from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by PMU; 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 PMU’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 PMU and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at PMU
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
What are the entry requirements?
What do graduates go on to do?
What will it cost me?
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