This is one of our broadest ranging sports degrees. You can tailor you experience towards your career aspirations and keep your options open. You'll learn how sport is used to develop communities, inspire young people and fulfil potential, from grassroots up to elite athlete levels.
Three A-levels at grades CCC or above
Or BTEC triple grades MMM or above
Or Access 23-45 D/M with min 6D
T level P (C+)
And GCSE English Language at grade 4 or grade C or above
Applicants with other qualifications and/or experience will be considered on an individual basis
UCAS points 96
UCAS code SDC2
UCAS institution code P63
Duration Three years full time or up to six years part time
Contact Tara Godber, our Applicant Support Coordinator, if you have any questions. Email applicantsupport@marjon.ac.uk and Tara will get back to you.
You'll learn how sport can be used to develop communities and fulfil the potential of all individuals. with a focus on mass participation and community sport which offers the most employment opportunities. BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching offers a high degree of transferability across sport as it considers many elements of the sports industry.
You'll develop skills for working in the UK sport industry or further afield, these include the skills to coach, run sport development programmes, organise events and a critical understanding of how sport works. You鈥檒l gain the skills needed to improve your communication, leadership, and teamwork, along with developing research and evaluation skills.
By your second year you will have an achieved the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA)'s Coaching Assistant award and by Year 3 you'll achieve Coach, which means you have an industry recognised professional qualification built into your degree.
We鈥檒l ensure that you receive the right balance of academic and practical experience in a broad range of sport development topics. You鈥檒l have the chance to interact with seasoned industry professionals through guest speakers, practical projects, work placements and inspiring study trips.
There are opportunities to undertake additional qualifications such as SCUK鈥檚 Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshops and students are engaged in career planning from the first year.
Our students tell us this course broadens their horizons in terms of the careers available in the sport sector
We have exceptional industry links keeping you up to date with both academic and industry developments
We are well connected through local sports organisations and through national networks such as the UK Sport Development Network (UKSDN) and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA)
Deepen your understanding of sport and enhance your employability - check out our graduate case studies below
We have small classes and therefore we’ll get to know you as an individual
A balance of academic and practical experience
“ In your first year you will learn about sport in the community and develop an understanding of core coaching techniques used in sport. You will also learn about how sport is managed at a local level. In the second year you will learn about inclusion in sport, how sports marketing operates and how the national curriculum is linked to sport outside the classroom. During the third year you will learn about sporting excellence and develop an understanding of the governance of sport at elite level, as well as doing a dissertation project”
"The course has supported me to develop academically and professionally as I have been introduced to a broad range of modules, such as event management, sport coaching and inclusion in sport, and given opportunities to put the learnt theory into practice. As a coach and practitioner as I have been able to receive part-time employment from these opportunities. A major highlight is working with organisations which are advocates for sport development, such as Argyle Community Trust."
鈥淚 enjoy the flexibility in what we learn via the specialist pathways we choose. My goal is to become a PE teacher so the PE pathway is guiding me. Personally, I have gained a lot of confidence from the course. The placement module in my second year gave me the opportunity to work in a school and get first-hand experience in the field which I choose to continue in. Academically, I feel I have have improved massively. It is very rewarding to watch myself and my grades grow.鈥
"I enjoy the diversity of the course, for one lesson we could be having a debate in a classroom and the next we could have a practical lesson in the sports hall. Working with external companies and people that really need your help to ensure that projects are delivered successfully means that you get quality hands on experience. It is also rewarding working with projects around the local area that are really making a difference to people鈥檚 lives and seeing what a difference you are making."
How can I run amazing sports events? What lessons can I take from the Olympic Games?
How does the sports industry work? And how can I get into it?
Why are some countries more successful at the Olympics than others?
Why do some groups in society do less sport? What can we do to increase the access for women and girls, the inactive, disabled, those on low incomes?
How does the government use sport to improve wider society?
What can sport do to tackle the obesity crisis?
“ This is a mature, confident and high quality programme with some innovative modules…and clear content and structure that goes beyond the expectations of the industry and academia... Learning outcomes are clearly met, teaching and assessment is of high quality and I am confident that standards are thorough and rigorous. Of 11 programmes I have examined… this is one of the very best. It is a credit to the teaching team and students that co-produce work as peers.”
Currently I am the Competition Team Coach of 25 athletes aged from 14-17 in Dubai (UAE). My role includes creating macro & meso plans throughout a swimming season, delivering nine training sessions a week and the individual goals of each athlete in the squad. The positive environment MarjonUniversity provided allowed me to channel my passion for sport and coaching into career in this profession that I can continuously develop my delivery and overall performance as a coach.
Tom Rudd is Competition Team Swimming Coach for Speedo Swim Squads
"The university was able to provide me with many opportunities to get first-hand experience of what being a teacher would feel like during my time on my course. I feel very passionate about being a PE teacher as its something that I have always dreamt of doing since I was young. I really enjoy being able to educate the young people in the South West and hopefully provide some students with an opportunity to achieve a career in sports, as well as encouraging the next generation of PE teachers."
Cameron Webb is a Student PGCE Secondary PE Teacher for Kinetic Sports Group
"University life allowed me to be my own person and to creating opportunities in sport outside the classroom. The placement module in Year 2 allowed me to get experience within a professional environment, setting me up for my current role. I love being able to support student-athletes making their transition into university whilst balancing their elite level sporting commitments. It gives me real pride to be a part of their support team and watching them flourish on the world stage."
Luke is BUCS & Performance Sport Coordinator at Plymouth MarjonUniversity.
You will find our BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching graduates in a variety of roles including development officers for national governing bodies, local authorities, school sport partnerships, community trusts, commercial sports centres, and as coaches and teachers. We have superb links with the sport development sector locally, nationally, and overseas and the quality of our graduates is well recognised both locally and nationally.
This is a broad ranging degree and this ensures that you are employable when you leave us and that your degree remains relevant no matter which area of sport you work in in the future.
CIMSPA certify that this course meets the professional standards set by employers in the physical activity and fitness sector. CIMSPA's Coaching Assistant and Coach awards are included.
Includes lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical coaching experience. You’ll study 6 modules per year. You will also embark on a 100 hour placement in year 2 or run sports events with an industry partner.
You’ll write essays, give presentations, produce reports and there is the odd exam. As you’d expect you’ll be assessed on your delivery skills, in coaching, at events, and on placement.
Fees UK students: 拢9,535 per annum
Fees for International students: 拢14,600 per annum
This fee covers your tuition and access to course-specific equipment and facilities, as well associated services including access to the library, study skills support, IT support, student support and wellbeing services and membership of the Student Union. There may be additional costs by course.
Our Student Funding Advisors offer confidential and impartial advice about your funding options.
Learn moreLee is an experienced Sports Coaching lecturer who has worked in Higher and Further Education. Lee also works for the FA as a coach developer across their coach education programmes and a coach at the Women's High Performance Centre. Lee is a Director at the Somerset FA and the Chairperson of their Inclusion Advisory Group. Lee is a Talent Reporter for the FA's England Girls programme and an Associate Coach Developer for UK Coaching. Lee is also undertaking a Doctorate programme through Loughborough University aiming to reposition the role of Coach Developer towards Learning Designer. Lee is also a Co-Convenor of our CAPE Research and Knowledge Exchange Group.
Aaron is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Coaching & Physical Education and is also the Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Sport Coaching. He teaches predominately across the Sport Coaching & Physical Education degree programmes focusing specifically on practice design, skill acquisition, performance analysis, participation coaching and performance coaching.
Kass is a qualified PE teacher who has taught in schools, colleges, and universities in New Zealand, Japan, Canada, and the UK. He is a member of the University of Toronto’s Suffering, Pain and Ethics Lab Scientific Team. His research examines experiences and practices in physical activity health promotion, sport, and physical education.
Kelvin Kirk is a qualified PE teacher who now teaches sports coaching at 美姬阁. He has risen through the coaching ranks of volleyball to enable him to award coaching qualifications; he has also more recently coached junior football for several years. His research interests are in primary PE and the increasing use of modern technology in enhancing PE.
Ian is a Lecturer in Sport Coaching and PE, teaching across a range of topics including coach behaviour, coaching philosophy and the coaching process. With experience as an Academy football coach, he holds the UEFA 'B' Licence and FA Youth Award qualifications. Ian's research interests relate to coach learning and coaching behaviours. He completed his PhD, 'Who is a coach? Understanding coach subjectivities in professional youth football', under the supervision of Professor Christopher Cushion at Loughborough University. Ian previously enjoyed a successful career as a professional footballer, making over 250 first team appearances and representing England at Under 18 level.
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