Make a positive difference in the world of sport.
(NSS, 2020)
Three A-levels at grades CCC or above.
Or BTEC triple grades MMM or above.
Or Access 23-45 D/M with min 6D.
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
Duration Three years full time or up to six years part time
How to apply for this courseBA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching offers a high degree of transferability across sport as it considers many elements of the sports industry. You'll learn how sport can be used to develop communities, to inspire young people and fulfil the potential of all individuals, with a focus on mass participation and community sport where there are the most employment opportunities. This is the perfect course for students who want to make a positive difference in sport. You will study the dynamic and varied nature of sport while we prepare you for working in the UK sport industry or further afield.
By your second year you will have an achieved the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA) Coaching Assistant and by Year 3 you'll achieve Coach, which means you have an industry recognised professional qualification built into your degree. You'll also develop the skills to coach, run sport development programmes, organise events and develop a critical understanding of how sport works. You’ll gain the skills needed to improve your communication, leadership, and teamwork, along with developing research and evaluation skills.
Throughout the course, we’ll ensure that you receive the right balance of academic and practical experience in a broad range of sport development topics. You’ll have the chance to interact with seasoned industry professionals through lectures from guest speakers, practical projects, work placements and inspiring study trips and you’ll pick up ample hands-on skills in sport development throughout the programme. There are opportunities to undertake additional qualifications such as SCUK’s Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshops and students are engaged in career planning from the first year.
BA (Hons) Sport Development and Coaching is a popular course with on average 40 students studying per year group across the three sport development programmes. This ensures dynamic class sizes for lectures and smaller seminar groupings for seminars and practical sessions.
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.
100% student satisfaction (National Student Survey, 2020).
“I 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.”
"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’s lives and seeing what a difference you are making."
"The content is interesting. The way the lecturers deliver the lectures is also a main reason that I enjoy my course so much as it is made engaging and interesting. Overall the people I met on the course and the lecturers made the first year of my study so enjoyable, and made every lecture and practical session worthwhile. My course has developed me academically and as a person more than I could have imagined."
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.””
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.
"I thoroughly enjoy working with disabled young people. The lecturers put a lot of emphasis on the importance of volunteering, without this, I don’t think I would have volunteered. The lectures had various contacts in many organisations and helped make that important first link. Having this experience definitely helped me get my job. At 23, I never expected to be where I am today, managing a department and responsible for the biggest disability club in Plymouth."
Stacey is a Youth and Inclusion Manager at YMCA Plymouth.
“My role is about organisation, planning fixtures for our four academy teams and the Development Squad and making sure everything runs smoothly on match day. Helping with the first team’s WSL home matches is really rewarding and further develops my experience. The modules I did at Marjon support what I do now and I got great help with CV writing. Our lecturers emphasised that it’s not just about having a degree and I completely agree because volunteering undoubtedly developed my skills too.”
Daisy is Academy Administrator for Bristol City WFC.
“Having a job in football, something I am passionate about, makes every day at work enjoyable. In sport development, no day is the same as the previous one, it is challenging and also very rewarding. The range of lectures, seminars, practical sessions and voluntary opportunities at university helped me to improve my transferrable skills which employers look for. The contacts I made on placement and the support I gained from the lecturers also contributed to me succeeding in finding a role.”
now works as a Football Development Officer for Devon FA.
“ "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."”
Fees UK students: £9,250 per annum
Fees for International students: £12,000 per annum
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.
Phil has over 20 years’ experience working in the sports industry. He’s led and delivered a number of community and school based sports development projects and events. He ran a national free swimming pilot for Sport England and the NHS based in Plymouth. Sport development is about working in partnership to develop sport and Phil has an excellent network in the sports section working nationally with the UK Sport Development Network (UKSDN) and the Chartered Institution for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). Locally he works with Active Devon, Plymouth YMCA, Plymouth City Council Sports Development Unit, Plymouth Argyle Community Trust, Devon FA, and Plymouth Schools Sport Partnership.
View full profileLee is an experienced sports coaching lecturer. He was formerly an academy coach for Bristol City FC and also worked for the Football Association on girls' football and grassroots football initiatives. He holds the UEFA B coaching licence.
Aaron's research interests in the areas of sport and international development, sport policy and disability sports.
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 Marjon. 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 reserach interests are in primary PE and the increasing use of modern technology in enhancing PE.
Ian was an apprentice at Tottenham Hotspur, and played professionally for Plymouth Argyle and Wycombe Wanderers, representing England at Under 18 level. He retired through injury and now coaches at Plymouth Argyle’s Youth Academy. With a UEFA ‘B’ Licence and FA Youth Award coaching qualifications he understands the football-specific knowledge required to coach in a range of different environments, from ‘grassroots’ to the elite game. He teaches coaching process, coaching philosophy and behaviour, and the coach-player relationship.
Ryan is personal tutor to many students on this programme. His primary interest is talent identification in youth football and he also enjoys teaching both coaching and event management as he likes seeing academic topics from the classroom being delivered in real-life practice. He is an active Centre of Excellence Coach at Plymouth Argyle Football Club and an FA Licenced Coach Educator, which involves the delivery of the FA Level 1, the FA Youth Award Module 1 and various workshops across the county.