BA (Hons) Outdoor and Adventure Education Bachelor's degree at the University of Chichester
BA (Hons) Outdoor and Adventure Education at University of Chichester. You'll explore core educational concepts, develop skills in programme design and delivery, and undertake specialist study in areas tailored to your interests.
About this course
BA (Hons) Outdoor and Adventure Education is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at the University of Chichester, based in Bishop Otter Campus. 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, 75% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £27,000. (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: 80; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 90% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 100% (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 One 6 modules
- Understanding Participant Performance in Adventure Sport
Module details
This module will give you an understanding of the skilled performance of typical adventure sports and the physical environmental characteristics that influence performance. You will also study key safety principles and current best practices.
- Understanding Participant Performance in Sport
Module details
This module will give you an understanding of the skilled performance of key sports and their social and performance-based context. You will also learn key safety principles and sport-specific frameworks for assessing performance.
- Investigating Sport, Exercise and Coaching
Module details
This module will provide you with the research skills necessary to support your learning within sport and exercise. It will introduce you to the philosophies that underpin different types of research, and you will learn basic techniques of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
- Anatomy and Physiology
Module details
This module introduces you to the fundamental concepts of anatomy and human physiology, focusing on their application to human movement and performance in sport and physical activity. You will explore the structure and function of key body systems, including the musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, and understand how they influence physical performance. Specific attention is given to energy metabolism, examining how the body utilises energy during exercise acro
- Sport and Exercise Psychology in Action
Module details
This module will help you understand how psychological principles can improve physical activity participation, well-being, and performance. You will study a range of cognitive and behavioural psychological factors in the context of sport and exercise. You will also investigate a range of key issues related to physical activity, exercise, sport performance, and well-being and learn strategies to build psychological attributes and improve performance in sport and exercise.
- Professional Skills
Module details
The Professional Skills module is designed to support your transition to university study and help you develop key academic, personal and professional skills in your area of study. Throughout the module, you will enhance your communication skills, digital literacy and academic skills to ensure you have the tools to succeed at university and beyond. Emphasis will be placed on developing skills relevant to your future career, including interpersonal skills, problem-solving and self-reflection. The
Year Two 10 modules
- Adventures in Education 2 (Developing Pedagogy)
Module details
This module builds on the key principles developed in year one and centres on the planning, delivery, evaluation and justification of teaching and/or facilitation methods applied to small group, micro-teaching contexts in outdoor and adventure education.
- Applied Meteorology
Module details
Many students can organise outdoor and adventure activities in simple contexts but few have the ability to do so in light of complex environmental factors. This module aims to provide you with a basic knowledge of the earth's atmosphere, the principles underlying its behaviour and the effects of weather on adventure environments. There is also the opportunity to develop your pedagogical decision-making process in outdoor and adventure environments.
- Applied Techniques for Performance Enhancement in the Adventure Environment
Module details
This module explores the role of applied sports science in the enhancement of performance as well as in quality delivery within the adventure environment. You will examine the use of analysis and assessment tools to provide an introduction to mental skills training and development within participation and performance environments, and consider the implications for coaches and leaders to enhance performance and experience within the outdoors.
- Diving
Module details
Explore the complex interaction between the hyperbaric aquatic environment and the physiological coping mechanisms of the human. Environmental issues will be discussed, as will medical emergencies and progression opportunities in diving. This module will also provide you with the opportunity to gain the SSI Open Water Dive award.
- Forest Schools Principles and Practices
Module details
A forest school is a journey of self-discovery and awareness in the outdoors in which participants are given the freedom to explore their surroundings, themselves and others through their curiosity and imagination. The approach is heralded by some as inspirational but described by others as re-branding of old ideas giving questionable impact. This module explores principles that underpin the forest school approach and reflects on evidence for its effectiveness.
- Management Issues in Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning
Module details
This module examines the legislation and logistics that govern the management of adventure providers, facilitative centres and environment agencies. Through your studies you will generate an understanding of the operational environment that you will find yourself working and participating in.
- Outdoor Environments 1
Module details
This module aims to introduce physical and biological processes that have shaped environments in the past and continue to affect them in the present. Through this, you will examine the broad environmental context of outdoor and adventure activities for your own personal benefit and to provide awareness and excitement you will share with other participants.
- Outdoor Environments 2 – Asking and Answering Environmental Questions
Module details
This week of fieldwork provides you with experience of unknown environments and provides an opportunity for you to develop problem-solving skills through short, intensive practical investigations of the unfamiliar. The culmination of the fieldwork will be a short independent research project, which you will devise and undertake in the field. Subsequently, you will work in small teams to propose and plan a more significant overseas research project.
- Research & Enquiry in Outdoor and Adventure Education
Module details
This module aims to raise and explore research methods and issues within adventure education and introduces you to the notion of research paradigms. You will consider a range of traditions and gain a solid foundation of research design. You will also develop your critical awareness of a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods and data analysis techniques.
- The Outdoor Experience: Emotions and Wellbeing
Module details
The aim of the module is for you to explore the experience of being in the outdoors from an emotional and wellbeing perspective. The restorative and therapeutic benefits of immersive experience will be examined and these will include creative activities, understanding of place and connectedness to the environment and others.
Year Three 2 modules
- Adventure Education Experience (A)
Module details
The placement experience will enable you to observe and be involved in work in areas of outdoors, adventure, and/or education. This will provide the opportunity to consider the varying approaches adopted by different providers. It will provide you with the opportunity to reflect upon that provision and/or provide access to further improvement in personal performance. The placement can be anywhere in the world that you choose. Previous students have worked in Norway, Sri Lanka and China.
- Adventure Education Experience (B)
Module details
The placement experience will enable you to observe and be involved in work in areas of outdoors, adventure, and/or education. This will provide the opportunity to consider the varying approaches adopted by different providers. It will provide you with the opportunity to reflect upon that provision and/or provide access to further improvement in personal performance. The placement can be anywhere in the world that you choose. Previous students have worked in Norway, Sri Lanka and China.
Year Four 3 modules
- Adventures in Coaching
Module details
You will explore current issues within the coaching process and consider their application within specific adventure sport activities. You will examine the practical scientific assessment tools to identify performer needs.
- Adventures in Education 3 (Advanced Pedagogical Skills)
Module details
This module asks you to go beyond the traditional pedagogical strategies as directed by organisations that fellow teachers, coaches and facilitators would employ in delivering outdoor and adventure education. You will challenge conventional wisdom and critically appraise the basis for your teaching approach. The long-term aim is for you to have a critical edge over competitors in your ability to reflect on your teaching, coaching and facilitation practices throughout your professional careers.
- Dissertation – Adventure Education
Module details
This module aims to be the major element of your independent research enquiry. It is designed to extend your intellectual capacity by encouraging you to find and explore your own area of interest assisted by supervision from a tutor. This module is based on the conviction that outdoor and adventure facilitators need to be highly effective in communicating with a range of professional agencies and be able to integrate and apply research to their professional practice as appropriate.
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
You'll study the science of outdoor and adventure activities and how they develop people physically and mentally. A course like this typically begins with foundations in anatomy, exercise physiology and sport psychology, alongside practical coaching in outdoor skills. You'll usually progress through Year 2 to analyse technique using biomechanics, explore how the body responds to training, and learn research methods. In Year 3, you'll often specialise in areas such as strength & conditioning, sport psychology, nutrition, rehabilitation, coaching or PE teaching routes, while undertaking practical placement work and completing an independent research project that applies what you've learned to real outdoor and adventure settings.
Who it's for
You should be someone drawn to education and the outdoors, with curiosity about how people learn and grow through adventure-based experiences. You'll thrive if you're comfortable combining analytical thinking, reading research, designing curricula, evaluating outcomes, with hands-on work in natural environments. The study will appeal to you if you want a career educating others, whether in schools, youth work, outdoor centres or community settings. You'll need resilience, both intellectual (for research and theory) and physical (for outdoor delivery), and genuine interest in how outdoor experience shapes personal development.
Careers & job market
Across Sport & Exercise Science courses nationally, 90% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months of leaving, according to Graduate Outcomes data. Of those working, 62% are in highly skilled roles or undertaking further study. Graduate earnings nationally range from £22,000–£30,000 in the first year after graduation, £19,125–£27,000 after three years, and £23,375–£33,000 after five years. Pathways typically lead to teaching, outdoor education management, youth leadership, leisure and sports development, or further postgraduate study. The university holds Gold for teaching quality from the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
University & format
This is a full-time Bachelor's degree (BA Hons) lasting 3 years, delivered in English at the University of Chichester, a University located at Bishop Otter Campus. The course is taught by a recognised UK degree-awarding body and holds Gold teaching quality status from 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.
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Work placement. 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 | 95% |
| Other | 5% |
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. 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 University of Chichester →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 | £27,000 | £21,000 – £30,000 | 80 |
| 3 years after | £23,500 | £18,000 – £27,500 | 425 |
| 5 years after | £29,000 | £23,000 – £33,000 | 435 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 80; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2021-23.
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. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 80; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2021-23. 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 · 23% of published destinations · ASHE median £42,660
- Sports and fitness occupationsSOC 2020 343 · 19% of published destinations · ASHE median £13,819
- Therapy professionalsSOC 2020 222 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £37,338
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: 345; response rate: 52%. 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 £27,000. 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 9.2 out of 10: NSS 87% · in work or study 90% · continued 100%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Chichester
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 Bishop Otter Campus
1,336 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 University of Chichester from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by University of Chichester; 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 University of Chichester’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 University of Chichester and gov.uk before you apply.
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What will it cost me?
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