Sport Studies BA(Hons)

Intro

The Sport Studies BA(Hons) enables you to explore critical issues in the world of contemporary sport, and will provide you with a broad set of skills and knowledge relevant and transferable for careers in many different sectors and industries.

The course takes an interdisciplinary approach and is taught by a course team who combine teaching with practice and research in diverse areas, providing you with a variety of perspectives through which to learn about and reflect on the role sport plays in society.

You’ll benefit from field trips, which have included the world’s largest underground skate park, and our visiting guest lecturer programme with speakers from organisations that have included England Boxing. A placement will add to your learning experience and employability with opportunities in schools, colleges, sport clubs, as well as working with coaching and development officers on projects such as widening girls’ participation and tackling homophobia in sport.

You’ll also have the opportunity to shape the degree according to your own interests and to take part in the university’s award-winning Football 4 Peace programme, achieving a standalone qualification in Sports and International Development alongside your degree. You can also study abroad for a semester with one of our partner institutions in Belgium, Germany, Poland or Spain.

This course offers a specialist pathway:

Sport Studies with Physical Education BA(Hons)

You can choose to follow this pathway at the end of your first year. Alternatively, you can continue to study for the single-honours award.

We are one of just 10 institutions nationally, selected by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), to become a CIMSPA Higher Education Partner. We are part of their pilot programme to develop CIMSPA endorsed and quality assured degree programmes to improve students’ employment prospects. The partnership also offers many benefits for students studying this course.

Key facts

Location Eastbourne

UCAS code C603

Full-time 3 years

Book your open day place

Apply now with UCAS for 2019 entry

Course content

Course structure

On the first year of your degree, you’ll chose two practical sports modules, develop vital study skills and learn how to enhance your employability within various sport-related areas. You’ll also be introduced to the academic study of sport politics and culture.

During the second year, you will further develop your skills through core modules and gain a standalone qualification in Sports and International Development through the university’s award-winning Football for Peace programme. At the halfway point of your degree you’ll explore employment through a 10-week work placement with a sport-related organisation.

At the beginning of year 2 you can opt to study for a Sport Studies with Physical Education. This prepares you to apply for the PGCE PE course – an additional year of study that leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Choosing this route opens up opportunities in teaching as well as coaching and sport development.

During your final year you'll explore a topic of your choice through the dissertation module. Many students use this time to develop ideas from their placement or simply to delve into an area of personal interest. The year is complemented by a wide range of optional modules which will allow you to tailor the degree to suit your interests, along with the opportunities and challenges presented by the current job market.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, we will inform you of any improvements or innovations to the curriculum through our admissions portal.

Year 1

Topics include the role of sport and leisure in people's lives, debates over the purpose and roles of sport in society, the ethics of sport, questions of governance and media representation, and how politics, economics, legal and social issues influence sport.

Modules

Adventurous Activities and Games

In this module you will develop your performance within two elements of physical education. You will develop an appreciation of the distinctive nature of each specific activity and in addition to performance will engage with creative and analytical principles allied to each activity area. You will be introduced to, and develop knowledge and conceptual understanding of performance in selected adventurous activities and selected games activities. You’ll also develop the necessary technical skills to perform.
Who Runs Sport?

Understanding why sport is structured and organised in the way it is has become the most important factor for anyone thinking of developing a career in sport. This module will introduce you to issues of governance, government, policy initiatives, funding and media coverage. Content includes a view of the relationships between sport and sports coaching, sport and health/physical activity, sport and physical education, the sources of funding for sport and why sport is such 'big business'.
The Global Sport Industry and the Media

This module will introduce you to globalisation with specific focus on sports media and the global sports industry. Key concepts will be explored via globally mediated flows of sport events, sport commodities, and sport agencies and organisations. You will learn about how the media drives the sports economy and the consequences of this dynamic, such as shifts in the roles of fans from citizens to consumers, the rise of sports mega-events, gambling, corruption and performance-enhancing drug taking.
Preparing for the World of Sport

This module will support you in the transition to academic study at university. You will be encouraged to take responsibility for, and reflect upon your own learning, development and employability. You will be given support to develop the skills needed to produce high quality academic work. This module will also introduce you to research skills and practices used to investigate sport as well as raising awareness of careers information and services.
Sport and Social Issues

This module will provide you with an overview of historical and contemporary social issues affecting the world of sport. You will be encouraged to view sport as interconnected with a range of wider problems which impact upon experiences of participation, shape the provision of sport in communities, and affect the place of sport in popular culture.
Sport, the Body and Society

This module will give you an insight into a range of social issues connected to the sporting body. It will introduce you to socio-cultural theories and concepts about the body and sport. This is done through a variety of case studies and topic areas that you will explore through an active and engaged problem-solving pedagogy. You will be encouraged to reflect on taken-for-granted behaviours and experiences in sport to enable you to develop your own social scientific approach to understanding the sporting body.

Year 2

Core modules

Power and Politics in Sport
Conducting Research in Sport
Reading Sport Media
Sport for Development and Peace
Applied Professional Practice**

Options*

Globalisation in Sport
Young People and Youth Subcultures
Outdoor Adventurous Activities
Marketing, Communications and Advertising

Opportunity at the start of year 2 to choose specialist pathway and graduate with Sport Studies with Physical Education BA(Hons). Options for the specialist pathway are:

Pedagogy and Practice
Learning and Teaching Through Games and Dance
Learning and Teaching Through Athletic and Adventurous Activities
Learning and Teaching Through Gymnastics and Swimming
Creating a Positive Teaching and Learning Environment
Primary Physical Education: Theory and Practice of Teaching KS1 and KS2 PE
Games
Outdoor Adventurous Activities

**Not Sport Studies with PE pathway

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Source Park provides placement opportunities and hosts field trips for our students.

Final year

Core modules

Dissertation
Theorising Critical Issues in Sport
Contemporary Issues in Physical Education and Sport (PE pathway only)

Options* – Sport Studies

Community Sport Development: Policy and Practice
Applied Sport Psychology
Personal and Professional Development in Sport and Exercise Science
Martial Arts and Combat Sports: Theory and Practice
Sport, Deviance and the Law
Gender, Sexuality and Physical Culture
Football and its Communities
Racism in Sport and Popular Culture
Sport for International Development and Peace
Watching the Olympics
Advanced Coaching

Options* – Sport Studies with PE

Education Studies 3: Inclusive Practice
Physical Education and the National Agenda
Physical Education in the 14–19 Curriculum
Martial Arts and Combat Sports: Theory and Practice
Gender, Sexuality and Physical Culture
Football and its Communities
Racism in Sport and Popular Culture
Sport for International Development and Peace
Watching the Olympics
Physical Practical Activity
Primary Physical Education: Active Learning in the Primary Setting

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Examples of dissertation projects

Young people and surfing in Bournemouth
Golf Xtreme in secondary schools
Disability sport in East Sussex
Drugs and the body building community
Muslim girls and physical education
Why boys don’t dance
Racism on the terraces

Placements

During your second year you’ll explore employment opportunities through a 10-week work placement with a sport-related organisation.

Placements can be in all sectors (public, private and voluntary) and might include schools or colleges, sport clubs, and working with coaching and development officers on projects such as widening girls’ participation and tackling homophobia in sport.

This hands-on experience will include advice and support from industry professionals and help you gain valuable contacts.

Work placements

Enhance your CV
Can aid with final year projects
Allow you to explore a potential specialism
Give an opportunity to make professional contacts
Give you practical experience, increasingly vital in today's competitive graduate jobs market
Some students are offered a job in their placement company after graduation, or find that their applications are prioritised.

If you choose the Sport Studies with PE pathway you will gain your work experience with the award winning Football for Peace programme as part of the Sport for Development and Peace module.

Features

We offer a range of course features to enhance your learning experience.

Field trips
Throughout your course we include field trips that take your classroom learning into the real world. Previous students have visited:

Source Park
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Eastbourne Boxing Club.

Guest speakers
Our modules include visiting guest speakers from industry who share their experience, present on current topics and discuss the skills needed within the wider sector.

Past speakers have included:

England Boxing
Mark Steele, comic, broadcaster and author
Clive Efford, Shadow Minister for Sport and Tourism
Lucy Mills, Grassroot Soccer UK.

Careers

The Sport Studies BA(Hons) will provide you with a broad set of skills and knowledge that is relevant and transferable for careers in many different sectors and industries.

Our graduates have gone on to successful careers in a variety of roles which include:

events and sponsorship officer, Cooperative SE Region
research officer, Sports Market Analysis
women's participation officer, THFC Trust
disability coordinator, University of Brighton
club and coach development officer, SE London Sport Partnership
cultural policy officer, Medway District Council
development officer, Sport Brighton
fitness trainer
sport facility manager.

Other students have opted to continue their studies through masters, PhD and PGCE programmes, leading to other professional and academic employment opportunities.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

A-levels
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BCC–CCC (104–96 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. Our conditional offers typically fall within this range.

We will generally make you an offer if your predicted grades are at the top of this range. If your predicted grades are towards the lower end of this range we may still make you an offer if you have a good GCSE (or equivalent) profile or relevant non-academic achievements.

International Baccalaureate
27 points, including English at Standard level 5 or Higher level 4, and maths at Standard level 4.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. Level 3 units in humanities, history or politics preferred. At least 45 credits at Level 3, with 18 credits at merit or above.

Foundation degree/HND
May enable you to start the course in year 2.

Studied before or got relevant experience?
A qualification, HE credits or relevant experience may count towards your course at Brighton, and could mean that you do not have to take some elements of the course or can start in year 2 or 3.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.

International requirements

International requirements by country

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language institute

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Fees

Course fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 14,460 GBP

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2019–20.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location

Local area

Easy-going Eastbourne

The South Downs National Park, the bustling town centre and the beach with the pier, prom and bandstand are all within a 15-minute walk of our Eastbourne campus. Officially the sunniest place in the UK, Eastbourne has loads on offer: a year-round calendar of sporting events, the independent shops and cafes of Little Chelsea, music and arts festivals, theatres, galleries, great restaurants and high street shopping.

Every June, leading tennis players descend on Eastbourne for one of the main warm-up tournaments for Wimbledon. One of the UK's biggest free extreme sports festivals, Beach Life, takes place on the seafront in July, bringing hi-octane action on land and sea. The international airshow Airbourne is another summer highlight.

Every autumn our students and staff participate in and support the Beachy Head Marathon, one of the UK's largest off-road marathons with challenging climbs and descents along the Seven Sisters.

The beach and the South Downs provide sports opportunities including horse riding, mountain biking, paragliding, sailing, canoeing, body boarding, kayaking, windsurfing and kite surfing.

The Towner Art Gallery has world-class exhibitions of modern and contemporary art and entry is free. Eastbourne also has four theatres, two cinemas and hosts a varied programme of arts and music events throughout the year.

Campus where this course is taught

Eastbourne campus

Our campus is within 15 minutes' walk of the beach, South Downs National Park and the Eastbourne's busy town centre. There are excellent sport and exercise facilities, social sites and on-site halls of residence.

Sport and exercise, events, hospitality, journalism, nursing and midwifery, physical education, physiotherapy, podiatry and tourism students are all based here.

Specialist learning facilities include accredited exercise physiology laboratories, a newsroom, clinical simulation suites, culinary arts studio, and the Leaf Hospital podiatric clinic and occupational health studios. Campus learning facilities include the Queenwood library, computer rooms, a media centre and a learning and technology suite.

Sports facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool, sports hall and gym, artificial outdoor pitch, dance studio and climbing wall.

Eastbourne Student Centre provides services including careers, volunteering, counselling and wellbeing, student advice, disability and dyslexia support and chaplaincy.

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Accommodation

Eastbourne

All eligible 2019-entry firm and insurance offer holders are guaranteed an offer of university-managed accommodation.

Welkin halls
Located in the Meads area of Eastbourne, right next to the Students' Union and Student Services, Welkin halls are a short walk or bike ride to other areas of the campus.

Ensuite halls with a choice of room and flat sizes.
Breakfast and an evening meal are provided from Monday to Friday during term-time, this is included in your rent. You have access to shared, fully equipped kitchen facilities.
Rent also includes all utilities, 24/7 staff cover, contents insurance, cleaning of communal areas and off-peak access to university fitness facilities including a 25m pool.

Find out more about our accommodation in Eastbourne.

Unihomes
A unihome is a student house which the university manages on behalf of a private landlord. This option can work particularly well when you’re balancing learning with placements and other life commitments.

Rent includes all utilities, broadband, contents insurance, cleaning of communal areas.
Generally shared bathroom with a variety of locations, room and house sizes. Some unihomes offer off-road parking.

Find out more about unihomes.

Private renting
Eastbourne offers good choice when it comes to student accommodation.

There’s a good supply of affordable, high quality private rented accommodation and plenty of support and advice from us if you choose this option. Your first stop should be our studenthomes database. This lists accommodation offered by landlords who have signed up to our code of standards.

Every summer we provide online events and resources, as well as other advice services, for students looking for a place to live and people to share with.

Student accommodation in Eastbourne

Student bedroom in Welkin halls

Modern kitchen in Welkin Halls

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Eastbourne campus map

Student views

Amanda Bailey

"What I love about this course is its versatility. You can choose the PE route if you're interested in teaching, and also take the theory route and specialise in different topics. I enjoyed the sociology-based elements of the course myself and went this way with my options.

"Best of all is when you arrive at the dissertation stage and choose whatever area you'd like to research and write about. When I finished my dissertation, I felt like I’d lost a friend – I had put my heart and soul into it for eight months. I loved doing the dissertation and was supported all the way.

"The degree helped me get the role I am in now, supporting students with learning difficulties and disabilities in the Student Services department of the university. It made me understand how minority groups can be marginalised in society and need support in accessing the everyday things that you and I can take for granted. It’s the best job I’ve ever had and I have been doing it now for six years."

Faye Easton

"I studied Sport Studies with Physical Education and graduated in July 2015. I chose the degree at the University of Brighton because of the wide range of modules it offered."

"Soon after graduating I started a job at Bexhill College as their Sports Maker and Student Events Officer. I offer sport activities to all students but one of my aims is to target non-participating students as a way to help reduce the post-16 dropout rate."

"I’ll also be building and sustaining effective partnerships with NGBs, the local county sports partnership and other community sports providers. In order to do this I will be using Sport England’s Strategy such as Sportivate to provide the sporting opportunities."

"I use many of the skills that I learnt on my degree such as analysing Sport England reports, using This Girl Can campaign, and researching and analysing results to enrich students’ experience at college."

William Grey

"After reading the prospectus and finding out what this course had to offer, the choice to attend the University of Brighton was an easy one.

"With a wide array of modules to choose from, you really are in control of your learning and can create the degree that best suits you, your interests, and your future aspirations.

"This course offers the added bonus of having lecturers who are active in research, meaning they have firsthand experience of the topics, which benefits students massively."

Lexi Hibberd

"When I first started this course I wanted to have new experiences in sport and PE because I felt passionate about these things and wanted to know more. I felt that I hadn’t had a full enough experience of them growing up and that I could be really good if given the right opportunity and really believed these experiences would make me a better person. I hoped by studying it I could help others get involved in spite of their disabilities and had ideas of becoming a PE teacher.

"The course has not disappointed me in these respects. I have been allowed to try with varying degrees of success a number of sports and activities at a high level and find out exactly what was involved in them. I know that I’m no Paralympian, and that I’m not the best person to be teaching PE, but knowing that has indeed improved me as a person, and I’ve had some of the most exciting times of my life taking on the challenges. I’m now aiming for a career as a researcher and hope to help improve inclusion for disabled students in PE.

"My favourite physical experience was surfing in Bude. I had the chance to lie on a board and feel the waves crashing over my back. It felt incredible! The most exciting and life-changing discovery I made was not physical though – it was sociology. Sociology has given me ways to articulate my own lived experiences of being blind in a sighted world and helped me understand the reasons why things are how they are when others have only been able to tell me what to do or how to think.

"We’ve had exemplary training in research as a core component of the course, so I feel well equipped to handle my dissertation. Past experiences had knocked my confidence with regard to interacting with others for research and I’m not the most organised person, so this training may mean the difference between success and failure for my future in research."

Stay in touch

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Statistics

These charts give an indication of how much time you will spend on different activities at each level of the course, and an indication of the balance of assessment by coursework, and written and practical exams. For courses with option modules, actual proportions will depend on the modules you choose.

Find out more about how the academic year and degree courses are organised, and about learning and assessment activities you might get to grips with at Brighton. More specific information about this course is detailed in the programme specification (linked above). You can find out also about the range of support we offer to help you adjust to university life.

Overall workload

Assessments

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats enable you to compare information when choosing a UK university course. All UK universities publish Unistats data on their website.

Programme specification

The programme specification is the approved description of each course. They are updated following course changes, and give a detailed breakdown of the content and structure of the course.

Programme specification