Sport Coaching
Award
BSc (Hons)
Duration & study mode
4 years full-time
School
Health & Life Sciences
Location
Lanarkshire
Ucas code
CX6C
Course starting dates
-
Lanarkshire: September
UWS’s BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching will help you develop the skills and expertise required to become a professional sports coach.
This degree has been developed in partnership with sports governing bodies, sporting organisations and coaching professionals to ensure that you develop knowledge and hands-on practical experience relevant to the modern sports, health and fitness industries.
Excellent industry connections provide work-based learning opportunities and offer links to attain coaching qualifications.
Hear more from current students, academics and industry partners (Video)
UWS offers opportunities for our students to study abroad via our exchange programmes.
Study abroad is extremely beneficial to personal and professional development and research has shown that worldwide employers value graduates with intercultural awareness and global competences.
There is a strong emphasis on placement learning and developing the practical coaching skills. We have excellent links with a number of clubs and organisations, including St Mirren Football Club, South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Trust and the Scottish Football Association, which provide work-based learning opportunities and offer you the opportunity to pick up professional coaching qualifications. We also encourage you to identify organisations that you are interested in working with.
UWS have worked with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to achieve endorsement against industry professional standards for its undergraduate degree programmes in sport.
UWS joined CIMSPA as a higher education partner in June 2022 to further enhance students' employability. This programme has been endorsed against several professional standards:
of students are satisfied with the teaching on the course (National Student Survey 2024))
of BSc Sport Coaching students are in work or study 6 months after completing their degree
We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
During Clearing our entry requirements remain flexible, and we are committed to providing opportunities to study with us based on a range of qualifications. Please get in touch, and we can discuss your specific circumstances.
If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Undergraduate Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.
For Life Science and Sport degrees, unless stated otherwise, suitable science subjects include: Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Psychology, Sociology, and Geography, Modern Studies (Sports Coaching will also accept Politics as a Science) unless stated otherwise.
* for more information on standard and minimum entry requirements, see our Undergraduate Entry Requirements webpage
For Life Science and Sport degrees, unless stated otherwise, suitable science subjects include: Biology, Human Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Psychology, Sociology, and Geography, Modern Studies (Sports Coaching will also accept Politics as a Science).
Successful applicants who gain a place on this course will need to register on the PVG Scheme, managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland. An application form will be sent from the University once you have accepted your offer. The fee for joining the scheme is £59.
Visit the Disclosure Scotland website for more information on the PVG scheme.
All academic degrees/awards at UWS are taught in English. For applicants whose first language is not English*, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. All English language qualifications must have been gained within two years of the start of your UWS course.
* applicants who are exempt from english language requirements include:
In general terms, if you are applying to study a course at, or above, Year 1 (SCQF Level 7) bachelor’s degree level, then the UKVI’s minimum level of English proficiency is Common European Framework for References of Languages (CEFR) at B2 (Upper Intermediate).
At UWS, we define our general English language requirements using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training) as follows:
These are minimum requirements and some courses may require a higher standard for admission†.
† Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see IELTS Score Exceptions section below for more information).
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (BSc Adult Nursing, MSc Adult Nursing, BSc Mental Health Nursing, MSc Mental Health Nursing, BSc Midwifery and MSc Midwifery), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BSc Paramedic Science degree leads to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); it has different IELTS requirements than other Health-related courses. Although it is not possible to apply for this degree directly as an international student, for applicants who meet SAAS residency requirements and for whom English is not their first language, then the following IELTS scores are required:
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science degrees, which may lead to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work degrees are professionally recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council and applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
In additional to IELTS, we also accept a number of alternative English language for application and admission to our courses for both home/EU and international students at bachelor's degree study at Year 3 (SCQF Level 9), and above. From Cambridge to TOFEL iBT qualifications the number of these qualifications is extensive.
Find out about non-IELTS English Language Tests
UWS has also reviewed a range of High / Secondary School qualifications studied by non-EU applicants that can be used as a basis of entry to a UWS. These range from Botswana GCSEs to USA High School Graduation Diplomas, the number of these qualifications is extensive.
Find out more about international English Language high-hchool qualifications
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
The programme is a structured, four-year full-time degree. This degree has been developed to deliver up-to-date practical and professional skills, underpinned by appropriate academic theory and research skills, and to produce graduates that are prepared for employment or, if desired, further education (e.g., postgraduate study or industry training). With its vocational and academic focus, the programme can provide a range of transferable skills that will not only prepare students for sport-specific employment, but also develop essential personal qualities and understanding necessary for modern, fast-moving, and diverse 21st century living and working environments.
Year 1 introduces students to core areas that inform coaching practice and follows a common structure with BSc (Hons) Sport Development; BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science; and BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching and Development undergraduate programmes. Modules include Fundamentals of Sport & Exercise, Coaching: Theory & Practice 1, and Physical Activity, Health & Fitness.
In Year 2 students undertake additional coaching modules with accompanying science-based modules to develop their understanding of the coaching process. Modules include Sport and Exercise Experience (Placement), Coaching: Theory & Practice 2, Principles of Human Movement, Personal Training, and Psychosocial Aspects of Sport & Exercise.
In Year 3 students specialise in the sciences that underpin coaching and further their understanding of the broader context of coaching environments and interdisciplinary practice. Core modules include Being a Sport Professional (Placement), Sport Research & Evaluation, Coaching: Theory & Practice 3, and Sports Conditioning & Biomechanics. Optional modules include The Psychology of Sport, Social Issues in Sport, and Sport Performance Analysis.
In Year 4 students can tailor their learning to their interests and career options, with a range of optional modules, including Talent Development in Sport, Strength & Conditioning, Group Dynamics in Sport, The Female Athlete, Mental Health, Sport and Exercise, Field Trip, Injury Prevention & Reconditioning, and Applied Sport Psychology. Students will also study core modules Coaching: Theory & Practice 4, and Sport and Exercise Dissertation.
This degree will be taught through a combination of learning methods including tutor-led lectures, tutorials and seminars, practical workshops and exercises in a simulated work environment, small group teaching and group project work. Independent, online and peer-to-peer learning is an important element of this course.
Our Sport Coaching degree uses a variety of assessment methods. The below list provides a guide to the types of assessment methods you can expect:
Programme Specification and Module Descriptors for Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses are available to download (PDFs). These provide you with core information concerning your chosen subject.
“Studying at UWS, I felt like a confident practitioner, even before I was a practitioner.”
Jeffrey Webster, BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching graduate, now a Sport Psychology Consultant
This programme will prepare you for a career in Sport Coaching. UWS graduates are currently working with local authorities, sports clubs, sports centres, health promotion initiatives, and sports governing bodies such as Netball Scotland or the Scottish Football Association.
Many UWS graduates have found employment in roles and activities, including:
Graduates will be able to pursue opportunities such as UWS's MSc in Sport Coaching, Physical Education teaching, and PhDs.
UWS Sport Coaching graduate, Eric Horsburgh, has secured a top soccer coaching job in Canada.
Eric, 23, who graduated in 2016 from the University’s Hamilton Campus has immigrated to Canada and has taken-up the post of Head Coach of the Northwest Academy Centres for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Before moving to Canada in 2017, Eric volunteered as a coach at the Scottish Football Association and whilst at UWS, as part of his fourth year dissertation, worked as a football analyst for Motherwell FC’s U17 academy team.
£1,820 cost per year of study (usually paid by the Scottish Government via SAAS*)
£9,250 Cost per year of study, but not more than £27,750
£9,250 Cost per year of study, but not more than £27,750
£18,000 per year of study
£305 per module (20 credits)
£1,550 per module (20 credits)
£1,550 per module (20 credits)
£3,000 per module (20 credits)
Ready to apply? All UK & EU Undergraduate applications should be made through UCAS. Further information for international, part-time and exchange applications can be found below.
Apply through UCASAll UK and EU applicants for undergraduate study, not applying through an agent or partner, should apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service)
The on-time application deadline for 2025/26 entry is 29 January 2025, 18:00 (UK time). For some courses it may still be possible to apply beyond this period, subject to suitable vacancies remaining. The final deadline for late applications via UCAS is 30 June 2025. Beyond this deadline, you may be able to apply via ‘UCAS Clearing’ if the course you are interested in has remaining places.
Please refer to our Undergraduate Application Guide for domestic & EU/EEA to find more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS.
You can find out more about applying for this undergraduate course on UCAS.
Students from non-EU/non-EEA countries can apply directly to UWS via our dedicated online application system. The latest we can process your application is 6 weeks before the course start date to allow for visa processing times. For more information on when and how to apply to study at UWS please refer to our International Undergraduate Application Guide.
For part-time & online study, you should apply directly to the University through our online application system, not through UCAS. Please select the part-time mode of study when submitting your application. Before you begin your application, it is important to read the part-time application step-by-step guide for a smooth process.
To come to UWS as a visiting student on a study abroad or exchange programme, you must apply entirely through our online system.
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.