BA (Hons) Sports Coaching with Community Health and Physical Activity

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

By studying this course at BNU, you’ll have the opportunity to spend time in our state-of-the-art Human Performance Laboratory. You’ll also be supported in gaining externally recognised coaching qualifications in a variety of sports as well as work experience within local schools, colleges, and sports clubs subject to a successful DBS check.

At BNU, we always encourage you to get as much industry experience as possible. Our strong links with industry partners will enable you to seek volunteering and paid work opportunities. This, along with our practical approach to the course, will give you a deeper understanding of the professional environment and type of career that awaits you beyond graduation.

We also pride ourselves on the amazing opportunities we offer our students to start forming their own networks within industry. This means not only will you have access to first-hand accounts from those on the ‘front-line’ while you study, but you’ll also make priceless connections for when the time comes to jump into your first job.

We work with some incredible partners like the National Sports Centre at Bisham Abbey which is home to several governing bodies in sport, Leap (County Sports Partnership), Stoke Mandeville Hospital (the famous birthplace of the Paralympics), Reading Women’s Football Club and the National League basketball team, London United, to name just a few.

We also have a fantastic and lively student community for you to join, Our Students' Union offers a way to get involved in free societies, trips, social events, sports competitions and guest visits. We are only 30 minutes from London so perfect if you are planning to commute from home.

Our specialisms

We believe in giving you the freedom to make your career your own. That's why we introduce you to various different subjects in your first year, and then allow you to choose a course after you've got a taste of them all, if your goals change. You can stay on BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching with Community Health and Physical activity or choose between BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching with Business, BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching with Physical Education, and BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching with Performance Sport.

These specialisms are also offered as four-year programmes, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme and are available if you didn't meet the entry requirements.

What facilities can I use?

Our Human Performance, Exercise and Wellbeing Centre includes our Human Performance Lab (HPL) and our Sports and Wellbeing Clinic.

Equipped for assessing the function and performance of a wide range of human physiological, biomechanical and psychological parameters, the HPL gives you the tools you need to understand how our research can help local communities and people become more engaged in physical activity and sport.

Our facilities include an indoor three-lane running track, incorporating 3D motion-capture technology as well as advanced body and performance measurement devices.

With the knowledge you need to enhance athletes’ performance through improved techniques and assist with injury prevention and rehabilitation, we will give you a key understanding of what an athlete in the field expects in their training regime, recovery and competition phases.

We also have our Gateway gym, on our High Wycombe Campus, where you can benefit from great student rates. You’ll be able to get personalised help and advice from gym trainers, use a range of fitness equipment and choose from a wide range of exercise classes.

What will I study?

This course introduces you to ways in which you can engage with hard-to-reach populations, evaluate government policies and strategies related to health and wellbeing, and the organisations which deliver sport and physical activity at the non-elite, participatory levels. 

If you have ambitions of engaging your local community in sport, supporting vulnerable people, working in or helping to set up local community clubs and engaging with your local sports teams this course is perfect for you. 

By studying this programme at BNU, you will be given the opportunity to gain externally recognised coaching qualifications in a variety of sports as well as gain work experience within local schools, colleges, sports clubs, and other community sport organisations, subject to a successful DBS check.

Our sport coaching with physical education course shares its first year with the other sport courses. This means we can introduce you to various courses at the start, and if you want to study a different course you can choose to switch to another sport coaching course. 

How will I be taught and assessed?

Our programme combines a theoretical and practical approach to teaching to meet your learning objectives. You will learn how to engage with the sports coaching industry in a variety of capacities at both the elite and grass-roots levels. Team working is incorporated into the programme to help you engage in more complex projects, getting you familiar with how you’ll work with colleagues in your future career.

Assessments are a mix of coursework, including essays and reports, and practical and authentic modes of showing your knowledge, including presentations, portfolios, team projects, lab practical’s, and the production and delivery of coaching plans. 

Some of the ways you will be assessed include:

• essays
• reports
• case study analysis
• presentations
• reflective writing and portfolios
• team projects
• lab sessions
• production and delivery of coaching plans

Why study this subject?

You could be teaching or mentoring young people, inspiring people to engage in physical activity or polishing the performance of top-level athletes. Our sports coaching programme at BNU is unique to us and offers you the chance to gain exciting career opportunities both locally and nationally.

We make full use of combined industry and academic knowledge and the experience of our dedicated staff and partnerships within the public and private sectors to give you a cutting-edge and future-proof learning experience.