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 you can lead, manage and coach sport to develop communities, inspire young people and fulfil potential, from grassroots up to elite athlete levels.
Three A-levels at grades CCC - BBC
Or BTEC triple grades MMM - DMM
Access to HE Diploma accepted with credits in line with UCAS tariff point range
T level P (C+)
GCSE Grade C or 4 English Language or an acceptable equivalent qualification.
Applicants with other qualifications and/or experience will be considered on an individual basis
UCAS points 96 - 112
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.
The BSc (Hons) Sport Management and Coaching at Marjon prepares you for a dynamic career in sport by combining coaching excellence with industry-focused leadership and management training. Developed in collaboration with leading organisations such as Plymouth Argyle Community Trust and Devon FA, this degree gives you the skills, experiences, and connections to thrive in the sport sector.
In your first year, you’ll build a strong foundation in coaching, sport development, and management. You’ll explore the structure of sport in the UK, learn the fundamentals of marketing and communication, and begin to understand how to deliver inclusive coaching and physical activity sessions that have real impact.
In your second year, the focus shifts to applying what you’ve learned in real-world settings. You’ll take part in a work-based placement, develop your understanding of people and volunteer management, and gain experience delivering sport events. Optional modules allow you to tailor your learning – whether that’s through coaching children, supporting player care, or exploring performance analysis. This year is all about connecting theory to practice and growing your confidence as a sport professional.
The third year is designed to help you lead and influence. You’ll learn how to manage projects, lead inclusive coaching and education initiatives, and complete an applied research project focused on an area of your professional interest. You’ll also deepen your understanding of sport’s social and cultural impact, giving you the tools to design meaningful programmes that can change lives.
Students can choose to study this degree with a Professional Practice Year, taking place between second and third year. This gives you extended industry experience with a range of partner organisations, including the chance to coach in the USA with Challenger Sports, or work locally with Plymouth Argyle Community Trust, Devon FA, or other sport and community organisations across the UK. This additional year builds your confidence, enhances your CV, and expands your professional network before you graduate.
Endorsed by CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity) and CMI (Chartered Management Institute), the programme equips you with recognised credentials at no extra cost, boosting your employability and supporting your transition into the sport workforce.
With small class sizes, supportive lecturers, and a strong focus on personal development, this course will empower you to make a real difference through sport.
Real industry experience from day one You’ll work directly with organisations like Plymouth Argyle Community Trust, Devon FA, and local community partners to gain hands-on experience and build a professional portfolio while you study.
Optional Professional Practice Year, including international coaching Take your learning global with the opportunity to coach in the USA through our partnership with Challenger Sports, or gain extended experience with UK-based sport organisations to boost your CV.
Dual industry endorsement Stand out to employers with professional recognition from both CIMSPA and CMI, demonstrating your skills in both coaching and management at no additional cost.
Career-focused modules shaped by employers From managing events and leading volunteers to delivering inclusive coaching sessions, your learning is built around the skills employers told us they need right now.
Small class sizes and personalised support Learn in a close-knit environment where your lecturers know your name and are committed to your personal and professional growth.
Be part of something bigger Join a university with a strong reputation for inclusion, community engagement, and student support, where you’re encouraged to use sport to make a real difference.
“ “This degree is all about giving you real experience and real connections. You’ll learn how to lead, coach, and manage in sport, with hands-on projects, supportive staff, and partners who open doors. If you want to make a real impact in sport, this is your platform.””
"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."
“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."
How to manage people, projects, and events in a fast-paced sport environment
What makes a coaching session genuinely impactful, and how to measure it
How sport organisations can tackle inequality and drive social change
Whether it’s better to lead with strategy or with passion in community sport
How to support and develop volunteers to sustain grassroots sport
What it takes to run sport programmes that change lives, not just fill timetables
“ 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 Marjon University 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
Studying at Marjon was great! Over the three years, the modules allowed me to explore different avenues in the sport development sector and equipped me with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed after graduation. Throughout my time at university, I had the opportunity to network with various organisations, which ultimately led to me being hired as a data and impact officer at Argyle Community Trust
Data and Impact Officer at Plymouth Argyle Community Trust
The support I received from the staff has been invaluable. They not only assisted me with my academic studies but also provided guidance beyond the modules, serving as mentors to help shape my career—even after graduating!
Community Sport and Physical Activity Development Officer at Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership
Graduates of this course are equipped to take on a wide range of roles across the sport sector, in the UK and internationally. You might lead community sport programmes, manage events, develop coaching pathways, or drive inclusion initiatives.
Career destinations include:
You’ll be ready to work with national governing bodies, schools, professional clubs, community trusts, charities, and commercial sport providers. Graduates can also progress to postgraduate study in coaching, sport management, or education.
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.
You’ll learn through a mix of interactive lectures, practical workshops, seminars, fieldwork, and work-based learning. Real-world experience is central, whether you’re planning a community event, coaching on placement, or analysing performance data.
You’ll collaborate in small groups, engage in live projects with partners like Plymouth Argyle Community Trust and Devon FA, and receive personalised support from lecturers who know you by name.
You’ll be assessed through a variety of practical and applied tasks that reflect the real-world demands of the sport industry. These include coaching sessions, event planning projects, marketing campaigns, reflective journals, presentations, and research reports.
There are no formal written exams. Instead, your assessments are designed to help you demonstrate what you can do, from leading a coaching session to pitching a sport development idea or analysing performance data. This approach builds your confidence and prepares you for professional roles in coaching, management, and development.
Lee is as a Senior Lecturer and experienced Coach Developer. He has a wealth of experience in coach education, delivering on the FA Introduction to Coaching Football, UEFA C, UEFA B and National GK Coaching Courses, and supporting high-performance coaches with UK Coaching. Lee has coached in a variety of grassroots and performance settings, including at Bristol City FC Academy, with the FA Women's Talent Programme, and in Disability Talent Hubs. Lee has also been a Non-Executive Director in Regional Governing Bodies and therefore has an excellent understanding of the UK sport sector.
Fees UK students: £9,535 per annum
Fees for International students: £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.
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.
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 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 identity, learning and 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.
Discover Uni collects data about university courses in the UK. All universities publish Discover Uni data on their online course pages enabling you to compare similar courses at different universities.