Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science with Foundation Year

at University of Wolverhampton - Walsall Campus United Kingdom

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.

This unique course been developed alongside industry partners and endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity

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

The course covers aspects of football coaching such as pedagogy, coaching science, and performance analysis in combination with opportunities to apply your knowledge in industry.

Placement modules are a leading feature of the course allowing you to gain hands-on experience and mentoring in an applied setting. These settings include the option to work with our partner clubs such as Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Walsall FC, AFC Telford and our University team, WLV Sport FC.

Many of our music education degree graduates progress to careers in teaching or community music. Our music education degree offers a unique balance of scholarly research and practical musicianship to produce an all-round teacher, musician or practitioner. Our aim is to facilitate and stimulate your personal musical growth and to help you to develop confidence in your ability through both practical and theoretical elements of the course.

We are partners with the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) who help to inform our curriculum. As part of this music education degree, you will also be awarded the ABRSM’s prestigious Certificate for Music Educators.

You will study practical performance modules where you will develop your skills as both a soloist and an ensemble performer, as well as conducting, composition and arranging. You will also have the opportunity to study music in education and the community by exploring pedagogical processes and undertaking a series of placements in schools, colleges or community venues. You will use the latest technology and software for scoring, recording and engineering live music.

The course incorporates a variety of learning and teaching experiences including seminars, discussion groups, lectures, presentations, guest speakers and performers, visits to sites of musical importance and concert attendances. Placement opportunities are available within modules in the second and third year of this degree.

Members of staff are all actively involved in research, music education, performance and composition at a regional, national and international level and their expertise and enthusiasm will assist you in becoming a professional musician.

What happens on the course?
You will experience a wide variety of learning activities in our music education degree and they will contribute to the development of your graduate attributes.

Teaching and learning will normally take place in a variety of continually evolving contexts, including an appropriate balance of the following kinds of activity:

• Workshops, rehearsals, productions, practical classes, laboratory or studio-based practice, screenings, lectures, discussions (both online and in class), seminars, and tutorials. You will be encouraged to apply your knowledge and understanding of critical theory to case studies within regional, national and international contexts;
• Group and individual learning;
• Professional placements of varying types (which will be of especial relevance in enhancing your employability and ability to be enterprising);
• Tutor-led, (peer-group) student-led, and self-directed study;
• Use of subject-specific and generic technologies (these will be particularly helpful in the development of your digital literacy);
• Resource-based learning, including library work and attendance at performances.

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.

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.

This course will allow you the opportunity to develop key competencies in Strength and Conditioning coaching, and challenge you to develop your theoretical knowledge, applied experiences and research skills towards becoming an evidence-based S&C practitioner.

We have longstanding partnerships with a number of sporting organisations which add value to our educational programmes, including guest lectures from experienced applied practitioners and opportunities for students to gain applied experience.

This course has been developed in consultation with The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity and aligned to the professional standards developed by CIMSPA in collaboration with the UK Strength and Conditioning Association. Graduates of this course will have met the professional standards for the Strength and Conditioning Trainer and the Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach roles.

This innovative, hands-on sport and exercise therapy course is accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists. The course involves the prevention of injury and rehabilitation back to optimum levels of functional, occupational and sports specific fitness for a wide range of patients. The course uses the principles of sport and exercise sciences, and the study of health, injury, and disease, to prepare patients for training, competition, or work.

The course is endorsed by the Charted Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA), ensuring that you meet the requirements of potential employers. Course content aligns with the employer-set proffesional standards of a gym instructor, and will equip you with all the skills and comptencies you'll need to stand out from the crowd.

Throughout the course, you will develop the skills required to provide the immediate care of injuries and basic life support in recreational, training and competitive environments. You will learn how to assess and treat musculoskeletal injuries, and, where appropriate, refer on for specialist advice and intervention. Working as part of a professional team in a real-world environment, you will gain applied practical skills in sport and remedial massage, and plan and implement appropriate rehabilitation programmes.

You will have opportunities to work with some of our key partners such as British Judo, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Walsall FC, to develop industry skills relevant to a career in sport and exercise therapy.

Placement and employability modules allow you to gain hands-on experience in an applied context, including a clinical placement at Level 6. Employability modules enable you to explore sport and exercise therapy career pathways and engage in career development planning that prepares you for graduate-level employment in a competitive industry.

What happens on the course?
The course is accredited by the leading professional body for this subject in the UK, The Society of Sports Therapists (SST), with the course being built upon the society’s five pillars of competency:

• Prevention
• Recognition & Evaluation
• Management, Treatment and Referral
• Rehabilitation
• Education and Professional Issues.

Upon successful completion of the course, graduates will be eligible to apply for full insured membership with The Society of Sports Therapists.

You will have access to our sport therapy/physiotherapy suite, sport and exercise science laboratories that include cutting edge technology such as our 3D motion capture system, and our environment chamber.
You will have opportunities to work with some of our key partners such as British Judo, Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. and Walsall F.C, as well as university sports teams to develop industry skills relevant to a career in sport and exercise therapy. In addition we have close links with local organisations such as cardiac rehabilitation centres.
Our ‘Career Development Week’ will allow you to gain additional employment-related skills and qualifications as you progress through the course.

Our employability modules enable you to explore Sport and Exercise Therapy related career pathways and engage in career development planning that prepares you for graduate-level employment in a competitive industry.
A placement module will provide the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and mentoring in an applied sports and exercise therapy context.
You will also have the opportunity to transfer to an optional sandwich placement year. 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.

The Education, Childhood and Youth degree is a course title change of our popular BA (Hons) Childhood & Family Studies and Education Studies degree and will develop the skills and knowledge required for a range of careers working with children, their families and the services that support them, in both education and social contexts.This degree aims to provide invaluable insights into learning, teaching and education systems. Although it does not lead to qualified teacher status, it introduces students to a variety of educational concepts and fields of enquiry.The course is suitable for people new to this area or experienced staff searching for career development.Work experience placements are an integral part of the course and can be negotiated in a variety of settings such as schools, nurseries, community care centres, hospitals, social services, libraries and other relevant settings.- This course involves work placements at every level of study.- The teaching team are from a range of professional backgrounds including education, social work and youth work and are all actively involved in research.- Student support is a priority with systems of pastoral and academic support provided from the start by personal and module tutors.- This is a unique course which offers both academic rigour and professional relevance.

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.

This innovative, hands-on sport and exercise therapy course is accredited by the Society of Sports Therapists.

The course involves the prevention of injury and rehabilitation back to optimum levels of functional, occupational and sports specific fitness for a wide range of patients. The course uses the principles of sport and exercise sciences, and the study of health, injury, and disease, to prepare patients for training, competition, or work.

The course is endorsed by the Charted Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA), ensuring that you meet the requirements of potential employers. Course content aligns with the employer-set proffesional standards of a gym instructor, and will equip you with all the skills and comptencies you'll need to stand out from the crowd.

Throughout the course, you will develop the skills required to provide the immediate care of injuries and basic life support in recreational, training and competitive environments. You will learn how to assess and treat musculoskeletal injuries, and, where appropriate, refer on for specialist advice and intervention. Working as part of a professional team in a real-world environment, you will gain applied practical skills in sport and remedial massage, and plan and implement appropriate rehabilitation programmes.

You will have opportunities to work with some of our key partners such as British Judo, Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Walsall FC, to develop industry skills relevant to a career in sport and exercise therapy.

Placement and employability modules allow you to gain hands-on experience in an applied context, including a clinical placement at Level 6. Employability modules enable you to explore sport and exercise therapy career pathways and engage in career development planning that prepares you for graduate-level employment in a competitive industry.