The BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching degree at Cardiff Metropolitan University aims to develop critical individuals who appreciate the social, relational and dynamic nature of sport coaching. In doing so, the degree course challenges students through a variety of learning activities, including seminars, practical coaching sessions, and work related opportunities. The purpose is to move beyond merely the technical and tactical content of coaching in order to explore how coaches shape the learning and development of others. As such, the indicative content includes practice design, power, care, identity, ethics and micro-politics. At Cardiff Metropolitan University, we challenge assumptions to develop knowledge and understanding of how coaching is fundamentally people work. In this regard, our student-coaches are encouraged to examine how coaches negotiate, manage and orchestrate the sport performances of others.
The BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching degree provides you with a range of practical and theoretical sessions to help you develop an understanding of how to construct and deliver creative, innovative and caring learning environments for a variety of different sport performers. You’ll be provided with opportunities to coach peers and external partners to help refine your coaching knowledge and practice in a range of contexts. The staff supporting you throughout your degree have extensive experience working across a range of settings, such as community and participation sport, professional sport, and world-class competitions. In addition to being active researchers at the cutting edge of the field, a number of staff work closely with National Governing Bodies as consultants, coaches, and/or coach educators. Our staff are a major strength of the programme at Cardiff Met and they will help guide you during your degree as you wrestle and get to grips with the complex nature of coaching.
The overriding aim of the programme is to develop your knowledge and understanding, challenge the way you think, and how you act as a sport coaching student. We want to equip you with the skills and support your aspirations to make meaningful contributions in your future roles and careers.
Course Content
Year One
In the first year of study you will undertake six compulsory modules. Throughout these modules you will develop your understanding of key concepts and theories within the field of sport coaching. During the first year you will also be offered a number of opportunities to gain recognised vocational coaching and professional industry relevant qualifications.
Through engaging in and with a variety of seminars, coaching sessions and independent learning activities you'll improve your knowledge and practical application of different coaching theories within your practice. You will also undertake modules to help recognise important issues within the sporting landscape as well studying one module related to the traditional sport and exercise science disciplines.
Compulsory:
- Research and scholarship
- Applied Sports Pedagogy
- Issues in Sport, Society and Education
- Physical Education, Sport Coaching and Pedagogy
- Foundations of Sport and Exercise Science
- Introducing Coaching and Teaching as Social and Relational Activities
Year Two
The second year modules help you develop a deeper understanding of coaching related theories and how you can apply this knowledge in practice. The modules you'll study in the second year are designed to help you begin to shape your coaching identity more purposefully in connection with your future goals. They broaden your knowledge of what coaching is and give you opportunities to coach and work with others to help refine your understanding of the social and relational nature of coaching.
There are additional modules that you can choose to study which aim to foster greater interdisciplinary knowledge of sport development, ethics, sociology, performance analysis and sport and exercise science concepts. There are also further opportunities in the second year to gain vocational coaching and professional qualifications as well as the associated knowledge to develop entrepreneurial skills and attributes that are vital within the industries related to sport coaching. Importantly, the second year also integrates work based learning opportunities to ensure you gain experience within the industry.
Compulsory:
- Research Design and Practice
- Applied Sports Pedagogy
- Professional Placement
- Pedagogy and Communication in Sport Coaching
- Understanding Coaching Practice
Option modules:
- Multidisciplinary Approaches to Sport and Health
- Enterprise in Sport and Health
- Sport and Physical Activity Participation
- Sport Performance Analysis
- Sociologies of Sport, Exercise and Health
- Sport Ethics
Year Three
The final year of study enables you to use your knowledge that you have gained and revised throughout your degree to be more critical of coaching theory in relation to your context to help generate knowledge for action. In this way, you will become more of a practical theorist where you can use coaching theories, concepts and the research to make better informed and more skilful decisions as a coach.
Your final year focuses upon developing you as a more independent and driven student that can take control of your learning and ensure that this aligns with your first steps into graduate employment or further study. You have a series of modules to choose from which can be tailored to support your future career. These options may stay specifically within coaching such as coach education based modules or you might extend your study to other areas such as sociology, ethics or managing high performance. Finally, during your last year of study you engage in a major project in your chosen field of study. This project will provide you with additional opportunities to explore something meaningful to you in a challenging and supportive way.
Compulsory:
- Final Project
- Applying and Understanding Sport Coaching Theory in Action
Option modules:
- Contemporary Issues in Policy Development
- Applied Sport Coaching and Performance Analysis Problems
- Ethical Issues in Sport
- Managing High Performance Sport
- Sociology of Sports and Physical Cultures
- Coaching the Coach: Professional Development and Education
Learning & Teaching
Effective learning, teaching and assessment methods underpin the educational aims and the learning outcomes of all of our programmes and modules. Learning and teaching methods may include lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and practical sessions. Our Virtual Learning Environment is also an integral aspect of the learning package that supports the needs of our students.
Lead lectures introduce key topics and concepts, whilst seminars, tutorials, workshops and practical sessions focus on the application of key concepts with the aim of enhancing the student experience and engagement. You will also meet tutors on a one to one basis. As a school, we work hard to provide student-centred learning opportunities that deliver a high quality and flexible learning environment.
Learning and teaching methods emphasise and facilitate the development of your critical reasoning, and encourage the integration of practice and theory. Throughout your programme, you will experience both tutor-led learning and self-directed methods of learning, increasing independence and reflection and encouraging you to develop a positive attitude toward lifelong learning.
Our teaching and learning methods embed the Cardiff Met 'EDGE' (Ethical, Global, Digital & Entrepreneurial) skills and you will be well equipped to demonstrate graduate attributes expected of you in an increasingly competitive world of work. We aim to help you to develop into reflective professionals and critical scholars. In your sport programme at Cardiff Met, you will encounter a learning experience from induction to graduation that is coherent and develops your identity within your programme of study.
Specific features of the learning experience on the Sport Coaching degree include:
• The sport coaching degree is widely recognised as one of the leading sport coaching programmes in the UK. We blend practical elements and contemporary coaching related theories that moves beyond the traditional sport science based approach to understand and appreciate sport coaching as a dynamic, social and relational activity.
• Staff are internationally renowned researchers and coaches that are integral to the learning experience offered to our students.
• The sport coaching degree integrates contemporary research to ensure our teaching practices are research-informed.
• All aspects of Learning and Teaching utilise the most recent research literature and National Occupational Standards (e.g., CIMSPA and National Governing Body coaching qualifications).
Assessment
The assessment strategies for each module vary to ensure that most appropriate method is implemented for your area of study. Modes of assessment are designed to both enhance your learning experience and to acknowledge that you have fulfilled the learning outcomes linked to each module. Assessment also ensures that you have achieved the standard required to progress to the next stage or to qualify for an award (as articulated by the FHEQ and CQFW). Assessments support your learning experience by providing opportunities for you to engage in formative and summative assessments to test your knowledge, ability, skill, and critical understanding. The undergraduate modules are assessed by a combination of assessment types. For example:
- written coursework
- poster presentations
- oral presentations
- portfolios
- seen and unseen exams
- practical skills
- other activities designed to assess, develop, and enhance academic and employability skills.
You will be expected to complete a final project as part of the assessment of your honours degree. Final projects are major pieces of work that may be a research, innovation, consultancy or community project.
Employability & Careers
The Cardiff Met EDGE supports you to thrive in the modern world. Throughout your degree you will experience a range of opportunities to develop your ethical, digital, global and entrepreneurial competencies through problem-based learning, real-world industry case studies, integrated work experiences on campus and opportunities for work-based learning placements off campus. We will ensure that you get a range of opportunities to develop transferable skills such as communication, team work and leadership.
During your first year of study you will get the opportunity to undertake technical qualifications in a range of industry relevant areas including sport coaching, exercise training & health and safety. These opportunities will ensure that you have the appropriate qualifications and experience to apply for one of the many work placement opportunities on offer both on and off campus. We will also support you to seek opportunities to work or study abroad. Work placements can give you a critical EDGE in gaining professional employment on graduation. Students who have graduated from the Sport Coaching programme have gone on to work in careers both within and beyond the Sport Industry.
Recent graduates from Sport Coaching are now working in professional sports teams, academy sports teams as well as with national governing bodies of sport. Many students also pursue opportunities in fitness and the leisure industry and other students have continued onto Master’s programmes such as the
Sport Coaching and Pedagogy degree, a PGCE and further progressed to doctoral level studies including the
Taught Doctorate in Coaching.
Entry Requirements & How to Apply
Applicants should normally have five GCSEs including English Language (or Welsh First Language) and Maths* at grade C / 4 or above (grade 4 or above for applicants holding newly reformed GCSEs in England), plus 112 - 120 points from 3 A levels (or equivalent). Typical offers may include:
- A Levels: 112 - 120 points to include grades BB. Welsh Baccalaureate – Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate will be considered as a third subject
- RQF BTEC National Extended Diploma / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: DMM - DDM within a relevant subject
- VTCT Extended Diploma in Sports Studies grade DMM - DDM overall
- Irish Leaving Certificate: 112 - 120 points from Highers to include 3 x H2 grades (minimum grade considered at Higher is H4)
- Scottish Advanced Highers: 112 - 120 points to include grades CC
- Access to Higher Education Diploma: Pass with 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit
- Successful completion of the
Cardiff School of Management Foundation programme**
Applicants should preferably have a strong sporting profile.
*For Welsh applicants sitting the reformed Mathematics GCSE, we will accept either GCSE
Mathematics or
Mathematics – Numeracy.
**The Cardiff School of Management Foundation is based on the Llandaff campus
Applicants are normally made an offer based on the details above. Typical offers will be made within the tariff range detailed above and will be based on the strength of your overall application, including your academic and sporting profile. For applicants who are only undertaking 2 A levels (or equivalent) or are not predicted to meet the standard tariff offer above, applications will be considered based on the strength of the whole academic profile and we may issue a graded offer in lieu of an offer using the UCAS Tariff.
If you are studying combinations of the above, or if your qualification isn't listed, please either contact Admissions or refer to
UCAS Course Search for the entry requirements. Further information on our entry requirements, including qualifications from the EU can be found by clicking
here.
International Applicants
Students whose first language is not English will need to provide evidence of fluency to at least an IELTS 6.0 standard or equivalent. For full details about how to apply and English Language qualifications please visit the
International pages on the website.
How to Apply:
Applications for this course should be made online to UCAS at
www.ucas.com. For further information please visit our How to Apply pages at
www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/howtoapply.
Part-time applications should be made direct to the University at:
www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/selfservice
Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Transfer into year 2 & 3
If you are interested in transferring credit from another institution to study at Cardiff Met for a course which accepts entry for year 2 and/or 3, you can find further information on this and information on how to apply on the
RPL page. Please contact
Admissions for any queries that you have on RPL.
Mature students
A mature applicant is anyone over the age of 21 who didn't go to university after school or college. Cardiff Met welcomes applications from mature applicants and further advice and information can be found
here.
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