Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Football Coaching and Performance with Foundation Year

at University of Wolverhampton - Walsall Campus United Kingdom

This exciting Sports Coaching programme has been developed alongside industry partners and endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).

The course has been mapped against the Professional Standards of a Coach, meaning that you will be equipped with the competencies and skills needed to meet the requirements of potential employers.

You will have the opportunity to transfer to a sandwich placement year in a physical education and school sport context. Our sandwich placement option allows you to take a full-year work placement, which can be undertaken abroad. A number of students in our department have been successful in securing places on these schemes in countries such as Spain, France, Canada and the US.

This exciting and applied course has been endorsed through the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences Undergraduate Endorsement Scheme (BUES), which awards endorsement to sport and exercise science degree courses that provide undergraduates with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills essential to enter into the profession. 

The course covers the physiological, biomechanical and psychological influences on human performance and health. You will examine how individuals respond and adapt to sport and exercise in a variety of settings, and learn how to design interventions to maximise performance and promote health for a range of people. This may include elite athletes or clinical populations such as those with obesity or cardiac rehabilitation patients.

You will also explore local, national and international public health and sport initiatives that aim to encourage a physically active population. This course is therefore ideal if you wish to work in applied settings such as professional sport, exercise referral schemes, community physical activity programmes and professional environments that promote active lifestyles and well-being.

The BMus (Hons) Popular Music degree at the University of Wolverhampton prepares you for a career in the music industry. 

A popular music degree opens the door to a fulfilling and varied career that enables you to follow your interests and talents. Performing professionally as a solo artist, a member of a band or as a session player is a natural progression for many students. Careers as a songwriter, arranger, transcriber, programmer, instrumental teacher or musical director are other pathways you can pursue as a graduate. A sustained career in popular music however, will most often be a portfolio of these roles and a degree in popular music from the University of Wolverhampton will provide you with the range of skills you need for an established career in a field that you already love.

You will engage with a range of workshops, lectures and seminars that develop instrumental skills, performance and stagecraft, songwriting and music production. An experienced staff of performers, composers and producers will encourage and stimulate your interest and passion for popular music and will help sharpen your musical development over three years of study.

The BA Musical Theatre course at Wolverhampton offers a unique opportunity to develop performance skills in a department at the cutting edge of international musical theatre research. Our staff members have professional industry experience as musical directors, choreographers, performers, dramaturgs and writers, and this is reflected in the breadth of the course. 

The course is vocationally-led and aims to enhance your future employability so that by the end of the course, you will have the know-how to develop your professional skills further.  The balance of practical and academic work in the programme allows for a wide range of career choices upon graduation.

The BA (Hons) Music Technology is aimed at aspiring, creative users and developers of audio technologies.

This course is accredited by Joint Audio Media Education Services (JAMES) on Behalf of Audio Technology,Music, Recording, Music Production, Games, Media and Audio Post Production Industries.

The course offers a unique insight into the expanded field of music technology, giving you a blend of creative practice in music with a technical perspective critical for success within the rapidly developing music events business. This course stimulates your innate love of music, music production and music technologies, explores and identifies what music is, what music does, and what music means and provides a structured approach to your career progression as technologist, producer, performer, composer, teacher, or academic.

The BSc (Hons.) Football Coaching and Performance degree will give you the skills and experience to help gain employment in the football industry as a coach within an academy, performance, community or grassroots setting, as a football performance specialist. You will also be well prepared for a range of coaching and related roles within the wider sport and physical activity sector. 
The course has been designed through consultation with West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Walsall FC, as well as The Football Association (FA) Coach Educators to identify the skills and qualities needed to work in the football industry. Our unique coaching course combines a football specific degree with the opportunity to apply your knowledge in industry through our excellent placements with our partner clubs, at home or abroad. 

You will study all disciplines of football coaching, covering modules in; pedagogy, coaching science, and performance analysis, all of which are taught both theoretically and in a range of practical contexts.

What happens on the course?

• Placement modules allow you to gain hand on experience and receive mentorship within professional environments, including opportunities with some of our key partners such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, Walsall FC, West Bromwich Albion and WLV Sport FC.
• The first two years of our football coaching degree will prepare you to complete the Football Association (FA) Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications (although completion of these qualifications will require additional tasks outside of the degree programme).
• This degree is delivered by academic staff who are Union of European Football Association (UEFA) qualified coaches, coach educators, and who have extensive applied knowledge and experience from grassroots to international level.
• Our employability modules enable you to explore careers in football coaching and engage in career development planning that prepares you for graduate-level employment in the football industry or elsewhere.
• Each year you will have opportunities to participate in career development activities and network with employers from sports businesses, sport development and performance sport.
• The course has been designed in line with The International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) coaching degree standards. On completion of this course you should, therefore, have the knowledge and skills required to meet the sector standards for employment in certain specific roles, as well as a range of other related roles.
• You will have the opportunity to transfer to a sandwich placement year in a coaching or football related context, with a partner club or organisation. Our sandwich placement option allows you to take a full-year work placement, which can be undertaken abroad. A number of students in our department have been successful in securing places on these schemes in countries such as Spain, France, Canada and the US.

If you have an interest in young people, families and communities then this course will develop your skills and knowledge required for a range of careers working with young people, families and the communities where they live.

Whether you are new to this area or you have experience and you are looking for career development then this course will suit you. There is an increasing need for graduates to work in the field of family support and community work as well as increasing opportunities to work directly with young people and this course is designed to prepare you for these roles.

As a dance student at the University of Wolverhampton, you will develop your technical and performance skills, explore your creativity, and deepen you understanding of dance in a wider cultural context.  We offer one of the most varied dance degree courses in the UK and you will have unique opportunities to enrich and expand your experience in dance.

Reasons to study with us:

• You will have daily technique classes, training in contemporary, jazz, ballet, musical theatre, street, body conditioning and improvisation throughout the course
• All our staff are practitioners with international performance and research experience
• Our Performance Hub offers outstanding facilities with Harlequin floors and lighting rigs in the dance studios, a fully equipped theatre, recording studios, and a superb library
• We have excellent links with national and international dance organisations in nearby Birmingham and this will enhance your employability and experience in the current industry
• Our world-leading research in dance science informs our teaching and supports your health and well-being as a dancer

The course content includes dance technique and repertoire, choreography, film-making, dance science, dance history, cultural studies, dance education and workshop leadership, work placements, and research projects. You will have the following practical opportunities: performances in our theatres (Walsall and Wolverhampton), performing in local and national arts events, joining Le Loup Dance Company (our student company), front of house and backstage training, and participating in work placements of your choice.

National Student Survey 2018: We achieved an outstanding 100% for overall satisfaction for the course, and 100% for good teaching, 100% for academic support, and 100% for learning opportunities. These excellent results are well above the sector wide scores.

Can't decide which course you love the most? Why not look at our joint option... BA (Hons) Dance and Drama.

Music Technology and Popular Music is a unique course, ideal for dedicated performers and aspiring, creative users of audio technologies. It will provide you with an impressive breadth of knowledge and experience in enhancing your employability potential in an ever-changing music industry. The course aims to develop your versatility as a practising musician, as well as giving you an advanced range of music technology and production skills for the creation and manipulation of sound. You will have the opportunity to work with industry-standard analogue and digital technologies, as well as the opportunity to perform in established and nationally recognised gig venues, such as The Jamhouse and Robin 2.

The course aims to develop your versatility as a practising musician, as well as giving you an advanced range of music technology and production skills for the creation and manipulation of sound. If you choose to study at music technology and popular music at the University of Wolverhampton you will receive one-to-one instrumental tuition as part of your course and you can see some of our acclaimed tutors below. 

What happens on the course?
This is a course that caters for those who are interested in performing and producing, behind both a microphone and a mixing desk. As a performer, you will focus on practical performance-based work, creating and recreating music. As a technologist you will look at the production of sound in a variety of contexts; this includes live sound engineering, studio recording and production and music for multimedia. Our experienced staff of performers, composers and producers will encourage and stimulate your interest and passion for popular music and music production, and will help sharpen your musical development over three years of study.

The BA (Hons) Education Studies provides you with the knowledge and skills to work in a range of educational settings, either as a teacher or if you also want to have other career options open to you. The course is suitable for people new to this area or experienced staff searching for career development. If you are considering becoming a teacher, we offer the guarantee of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Primary Education interview upon completion of this degree (providing you are on track to achieve a 2:2 or above and meet the course entry requirements). We also have excellent progression opportunities on to our Master’s in Education.

During your course, you, as an Education Studies student, will have opportunities to consider a range of issues and perspectives relevant to educational contexts. You will consider contemporary issues in relation to education and children’s lives, including exploring issues around climate change, Black Lives Matter, mental health, social media, the impact of Covid-19 on education, and LBGT student experiences. You will also explore the role of education in relation to social justice, education policy, curriculum, and the types of education provided in the UK and internationally, as well as much more. You will draw upon a range of perspectives and disciplines to develop your familiarity with the complex and varied nature of teaching and learning and will examine diversity and inclusion in relation to education. We work with our students to explore and challenge a wide range of educational ideas and developments, and we value learners’ own perspectives and diverse experiences of education. We encourage independent thought and curiosity, and a belief in the potential of education as a tool for improving people’s lives.

Work experience placements are an integral part of the course and can be negotiated in a variety of settings such as schools, colleges, children’s centres, charities, pupil referral units, prisons, youth centres, and other relevant settings.

We recognise that you will have a unique learning journey and we will maximise your potential through a wide variety of optional assessment choices such as presentations, written assessments, reflective journals, report writing, peer mentoring and written plans. Our course does not include any exams and we work hard to make our assessments inclusive and relevant to your career goals.  We usually teach in smaller classroom-based student groups, as opposed to larger lecture theatres, to give you a supportive and personalised learning experience, and our staff work hard to help develop the confidence of our students.