Sport & Physical Education BSc (Hons) (with Foundation Year)
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UCAS Code: C603|Duration: 4 years|Full Time|Hope Park
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Our Sport and Physical Education degree gives you deep knowledge of how sport, physical education, and activity affect individuals and society. You will explore the impact of sport at various levels, from grassroots to elite. This includes individual, team, organisational, and community aspects. You’ll explore these topics using both practical and theoretical methods. Areas include:
- Sport psychology
- Performance and technique
- Sport analysis
- Sport management
- Sociology
- History
- Coaching science
At Liverpool Hope University, you gain practical and theoretical skills based on solid research. You will explore various principles and practices in different sports. The Sport and Physical Education degree covers important topics. These include applied and theoretical sport psychology, performance, technique, and management. It also touches on sociology and coaching science.
Throughout your studies, you’ll examine how sport, physical education, and activity influence individuals and society. You’ll also discuss ethical issues related to competition, participation, health, and well-being. Your instructors are experts in their fields and published academics. You will have full access to our advanced Health Science Building and Sports Complex, featuring research spaces, teaching labs, a strength and conditioning suite, and a fitness centre.
Course structure
Teaching on the Sport and Physical Education course is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, and tutorials. Lectures bring all students together, while seminars are held in smaller groups of around 15–20 students, and tutorials typically involve no more than 10 students. The course also includes practical sessions both on campus and at Plas Caerdeon, the University’s Field Centre in Snowdonia National Park, Wales. Students have the opportunity for one-to-one meetings with their tutor each week.
Students pursuing a Sport and Physical Education degree as a single honours programme will have approximately 12 hours of face-to-face teaching per week. For those studying as a combined honours degree, first-year students have around 6 teaching hours per week.
In addition to scheduled teaching, students are expected to dedicate time to independent study each week, including group work to prepare for collaborative assessments.
Assessment and feedback
Assessment on the Sport and Physical Education course is designed to give all learners the opportunity to succeed. Coursework forms the majority of assessment and includes essays, reports, laboratory logs and diaries, portfolios, literature reviews, case studies, and presentations.
In the final year of the Sport and Physical Education degree, students complete a research dissertation, allowing them to demonstrate their knowledge and skills on a topic of their choice. Combined honours students have the option to complete two smaller projects—one in each area of study—or a combined project spanning both degree subjects, co-supervised across departments.
Taught sessions outline the requirements and marking criteria for all assessments and are supported by dedicated drop-in sessions, ensuring students receive comprehensive guidance. After submission, written feedback is provided for every assessment, and students can discuss this feedback in detail with a tutor to enhance understanding and support future work.
Curriculum overview
The course is structured in a manner that allows the subdisciplines of sport to be studied in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary manner.
Single honours students will study ‘Core Studies in Sport and Physical Education’ alongside ‘Human Science for Sport’. Combined honours students will study ‘Core Studies in Sport and Physical Education’ alongside core studies in their other academic discipline.
The single honours course comprises of four 30-credit modules.
Foundation Year
Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree.
Year One
You will study the following:
Core Studies in Sport and Exercise
This module provides a solid foundation in research skills and sport psychology for students on the Sport and Physical Education course. You will learn the basics of study design, data collection and analysis, and presenting findings. Key sport psychology theories, including motivation, confidence, and personality, are examined in relation to their impact on participation and performance.
Fundamentals in Sport Management and Teaching
Students will explore the coaching, teaching, sociological, and management aspects of sport. The module covers the four main principles of coaching—talent identification, development, children and young people, and community—approached from both coaching and teaching perspectives, using learning methods such as Teaching Games for Understanding.
Practical sessions allow students to apply coaching and teaching principles in real-world settings. The sport sociology and management component addresses the codification and history of sport, the development of community sport, and the business and marketing aspects of the industry.
Fundamentals in Sport and Exercise Anatomy and Physiology
(single honours only)
This module introduces students to the fundamentals of anatomy, physiology, and movement science using a systems-based approach. Topics include lungs and gas exchange, cardiac function, and muscle physiology. Laboratory classes provide opportunities to develop practical skills and apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings.
Fundamentals in Movement, Health, and Performance
(single honours only)
Students study the relationship between human movement and sports performance, including motor control and the production, learning, and development of skilled movement. Biomechanics is used to quantify human movement through kinematic and kinetic approaches, covering work, power, force, speed, and velocity. Laboratory and field work support learning, while physical activity, inactivity, and health indicators such as body composition are also examined.
Year Two
In your second year, you will broaden your knowledge of sport and physical education through the sub disciplines.
In sport sociology, students on the Sport and Physical Education course will assess key contemporary issues such as the globalisation and commercialisation of sport. There is also a focus on the role of outside agencies, including the media, as well as the management and governance of sport.
In coaching and teaching, guidelines and strategies for promoting physical activity are investigated, with specific emphasis on the National Curriculum and school sport. The coaching element examines approaches to training for specific sports. Students will also take part in practical sessions focusing on athletics and health and fitness training to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings.
Sport psychology covers themes centred on health and wellbeing and their impact on sport performance, participation, and overall wellbeing. This includes theories of exercise behaviour, body image, and motivation and barriers to exercise. The motor control unit focuses on attention and its effect on both performance and learning.
In addition to the above, single honours students will study notational analysis, exercise physiology, and training and testing methods. Epidemiology of disease and exercise psychology are also covered to provide a deeper understanding of the scientific and applied aspects of Sport and Physical Education.
Year Three
In your final year of the Sport and Physical Education degree, you will refine your subject-specific research interests by completing a dissertation in one of the sub-discipline areas. This project is closely supervised by an expert, research-active member of the teaching team.
The taught component of the course places an increased emphasis on critical analysis. In sport psychology, you will study psychological skills training and how it can enhance preparation and sport performance. This is supplemented with a focus on mental health and wellbeing, including social support, effective career transitions, and perfectionism.
The sociology element examines contemporary issues in sport, including anti-doping within the context of sporting and government policies. Students will also assess key sporting events, such as the hosting and impact of mega events.
The coaching block explores diverse populations and the roles of the coach in supporting athletes, clubs, and sport governing bodies. Teaching-focused content is also covered, including behaviour management and the impact of effective progression, continuity, and differentiation on classroom practice.
Single honours students additionally study applied coaching science, including recovery and injury rehabilitation. Emphasis is also placed on the physiology of health, exercise testing and prescription, and advanced motor control.
Entry requirements
There may be some flexibility for mature students offering non-tariff qualifications and students meeting particular widening participation criteria.
Careers
Graduates have gone on to achieve success in many different roles such as teaching (both primary and secondary), coaching, and sport science support. Each of these options paves the way for an exciting career, supported by the knowledge and skills gained from the degree.
The interdisciplinary nature of the course exposes students to the varied sub-disciplines of sport. As such, a large number of graduates go on to complete specialised postgraduate study such as Masters or PhD in sport psychology, sport sociology or coaching science, paving the way for accelerated employment opportunities or careers in academia.
You are supported throughout your degree through tutor and self-directed learning, allowing you to become self-aware, proactive and motivated in your academic and life goals. The Sport and Physical Education degree offers many opportunities for the development of personal and professional skills including such skills as communication, organisation, time management, analysis and reflection. The skills developed through the course will be transferable to many professions and areas of future employment and equip students for careers in business and management, with many graduates going on to carve very successful careers in these sectors.
Enhancement opportunities
Work Placement Opportunities
You will have the opportunity to work with staff and partners of the University in a variety of sport and exercise settings with local and/or national organisations to develop their skills. Extra curricular opportunities include placement opportunities at primary or secondary schools. Students who have demonstrated a particular interest in elite sport have also previously been offered internships at local football and sports clubs.
Previous students reported that engaging in these authentic opportunities enhanced their employability and assisted in developing teacher training applications.
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2026/27 academic year are £9,535* for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,535*.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
*subject to Council approval.
Additional costs
On top of your tuition fees, you will need approximately £200 to cover the cost of any fieldtrips and to buy core textbooks for the degree.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2026/27 are £14,500.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is also available with Foundation Year as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: