Sports Business and Coaching

Course Overview

This course is designed to train you for a career in sports business management. From coaching and managing athletes themselves, to overseeing operational aspects of commercial sports enterprises, we’ll give you a broad understanding of the industry. You’ll explore different techniques for analysing performance and sharpen your athlete development and business skills. Many coaches in this industry are self-employed and through this course you’ll learn entrepreneurship and business planning too.

A rapidly changing industry

As traditional job roles within the sports business are changing, so too have the lines between coaching and management. This degree will give you experience and a deep understanding of the industry and help you to develop specific management skills relative to sports.

You’ll learn the fundamentals of coaching, looking into health and safety, risk assessment, and get to know the ‘coaches toolkit’. You’ll spend time focusing on how different organisations in sport are structured and explore consumer behaviour in this industry.

Athlete analysis and development

We’ll look at athlete development and analysis, spending time in our human performance laboratory. You’ll explore both traditional and advanced technologies in your approach and become well versed in the various tools that are available in this field.

Key modules in event planning and operations management will be studied alongside those in funding and economics. This broad approach ensures you are ready for today's diverse and ever growing sports industry.

More placements, more choices

Bucks is a Placements Plus university. So, whatever degree you do, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of industry-relevant opportunities on offer, to help you get into your chosen field.

We’ll also prepare you for work beforehand, with special skills for work training, further boosting your CV, and building skills employers will value. In recognition of the value we place on these skills we have incorporated this experience into your study time.

Placements Plus is all about helping you get some valuable experience under your belt while you’re a student. To increase your choices later, and help you get the graduate-level job you want.

Course Details

UCAS CODE: SPBC

We have strong links with a number of sports organisations, many of which sit on the University’s doorstep. These include the National Sports Centre at Bisham Abbey, home to several governing bodies of sport, and Stoke Mandeville Hospital, birthplace of the Paralympics.

You’ll have the opportunity to blend academic study with a professional sports environment. The University hosts the Reading Ladies Football Club Senior Academy and also the pro basketball team, London United.

Human performance laboratory

Our Human Performance, Exercise and Wellbeing Centre includes an indoor three-lane running track that incorporates 3D motion-capture technology. This facility helps to enhance athletes’ performance through improved technique, and also assists with injury prevention and rehabilitation. The human performance laboratory is also equipped for assessing a range of physiological, biomechanical and psychological parameters. We are one of the only universities in the UK to focus on disability sport, an area of increasing importance.

What are the course entry requirements?

A typical offer will be a UCAS Tariff score of 80. A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis.

For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year; find out more.

How do I apply?

For application details please visit bucks.ac.uk/applying-to-bucks