Program Overview

Work with athletes, players and teams; refine their performance; boost their training, enable development. On our BSc Sports Performance and Coaching, you learn how science and practice underpins performance sport, and how you can use the skills you will learn to help improve it. Having a comprehensive knowledge of scientific theory and practical application is ideal for those who want to coach people of a variety of levels and ages.

Our excellent links with national governing bodies, such as the Football Association, Volleyball England, Basketball England, Rugby Football Union and the Lawn Tennis Association, give you real practical experience to enhance your learning. Our links also open up opportunities to gain experience working as a sports coach, and access coach education courses and workshops. You also have the option to work towards various, externally accredited, National Governing Body Sport and Coaching awards.

As well as gaining practical experience, you expand your knowledge and skills through studying topics including:

• Strength and conditioning
• Performance analysis
• Training and coaching techniques and methods
• Exercise programming
• Methods of assessing the fitness and training loads of sports teams and athletes 

You can get professionally certified whilst studying as many of our modules have embedded qualifications incorporated in them. This means that you are equipped with the qualifications needed to work in the field. For example, we have embedded a Level 2 Gym instructors qualification into the first year Anatomy and Physiology module, so after term 1, if you have enrolled on this module, you will be a qualified gym instructor. You’ll also have the opportunity to take a personal trainer course in the summer.

You can also work with our Human Performance Unit based on campus, supporting our sports scholarship students and national league teams.

Being part of our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences you will join a community focused on sports and exercise science, sports therapy and physiotherapy. We bring together our internationally recognised research, share knowledge, and enhance placement and vocational opportunities for our students and graduates.

We offer you one of the best student experiences around. You experience a lively, informal environment with many possibilities to pursue your own interests.

Placement year

Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement year with an external sporting organisation. These yearly placements allow students to gain much needed hands on experience that will set them apart in the job market.

We have close associations with many sporting clubs, examples of placement opportunities include:

• Essex Cricket. Our students have been involved in remote coding of the 2nd team and academy games from the ground at Chelmsford, live coding Women's XI and live coding some premier league cricket on Saturdays to assist the scouting department and identify local talent for the academy and EPP programme.
• Tottenham Hotspur. Our students have worked with the club as part of its academy sports science staff. Tottenham's staff also provide invited lectures to our students.
• Ipswich Town FC. Our students have had opportunities working with video analysis and GPS tracking data.

If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. Please check with the placement organiser as some of these placements can be arranged in 12 week blocks, allowing non-placement year students the same opportunities.