Studying our Sport and Physical Education BA (Hons) course aims to equip you with in-depth knowledge and skills around physical education, youth sport and health. Physiology is a key area of study in physical education, and this is where our Foundations of Physiology and Health unit aims to introduce you to the fundamentals of exercise psychology. You will examine scientific evidence related to young people, physical activity and health to identify exercise physiology concepts and principles in health recommendation policies. This is examined further in our Anatomy and Biomechanics unit, where you will learn the principles of human movement, biomechanics and the role of anatomy in sport and exercise science. This can then be related to our Critical Sport Pedagogy unit where you will identify social justice issues in physical education and youth sport. In practice, you will be introduced to the Foundations in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy to develop your knowledge of basic teaching skills and styles, and then apply this to your own sessions. You will then develop these approaches through net and fielding games and subsequently plan, deliver and evaluate your own sessions in our Developing Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy unit.

As concerns around the physical inactivity and health of young people persist, our Pedagogies for Physical Literacy and Health unit will equip you with the skills to promote physical education and youth sport in a school setting. You will then expand this approach to improve physical activity across the lifespan in our Physical Activity and Health Interventions unit. Here, you will examine the benefits of physical activity on health and disease causation including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and obesity. More importantly, you will also have the option in your third year to continue this pathway of study and consider the role of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Health in the prevention, management and treatment of disease. From a cultural perspective, you will have the option to examine the anatomical, social and cultural construction of bodies in our Narratives of Bodies and Health unit. At the same time, you will question the contemporary issues in sport and physical activity faced by people with disabilities in our Sport, Physical Activity and Disability unit. Moreover, you will examine key theories and concepts in Sport, Physical Activity and Social Inclusion centred around gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity and disability. Using social theories from feminist to post-culturalist, you will explore the meaning of physical activity, sport and exercise in people’s lives and how this links to culture, identity and participation. With a critical approach, you will also explore Contemporary Issues and Social Practices in Sport and Physical Activity to understand the relationship between sports, coaching and development in a social context.

In areas of the mind, you will be given an Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology and how it contributes to performance enhancement and athlete wellbeing. Through examining human behaviour, you will also look at the Social Psychology of Sport by analysing theories, principles and concepts to understand behaviour and its effects on performance and participation in sport and physical activity. Furthermore, you will analyse the Psychology of Physical Activity, how it affects participation and psychological wellbeing. Finally, you will have the opportunity to complete a Dissertation for Sport and Physical Activity where you will identify a key issue relevant to your study and examine it using the skills and knowledge gained from your academic study. To help you with this, our units in Dissertation Preparation, Research Methods for Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity, and an Introduction to Research Methods will support you in reading and understanding research, and to complete a proposal with ethical documentation.

To prepare you for your career, our Working in Sport unit will introduce you to multiple career pathways available within the sport & physical activity industry. Furthermore, you will be provided with skills for the job application and interview processes throughout the course. Similarly, you will engage in project management to design a school or community-based intervention based on your knowledge of government policy, partnership and grant applications in our Professional Development (Sport Policy Enactment) unit.