Sports Studies (Joint Honours) BA/BSc (Hons) at University of Northampton

Studying our Sports Studies Joint Honours course will give you the opportunity to combine your passion for sport with another subject as part of our Joint Honours programme. Popular Joint Honours combinations in recent years have included Sport Studies with Education, Business, Management, Psychology, Health Studies and Sociology.

Our Sport Studies course aims to help you understand and evaluate sport using a variety of social science disciplines. A strong emphasis is placed on the application of theory to practical issues in sport, such as barriers to sport participation, managing sport events, and sport coaching. A focus on these key subject areas enables you to prepare for a career in sport, including PE teachers, sport coaches and sport development officers.

We will support you to achieve your career and study ambitions, which is why if you complete our Employability Plus Gold programme or Changemaker Gold certificate alongside your studies and if you haven’t secured full-time employment 12 months after graduating* we will secure a three – six month paid internship for you, or support you into postgraduate study.

Course Details

Studying our Sports Studies Joint Honours course will give you the opportunity to combine your passion for sport with another subject as part of our Joint Honours programme. Popular Joint Honours combinations in recent years have included Sport Studies with Education, Business, Management, Psychology, Health Studies and Sociology.

You will study the key social science disciplines in sport studies including sport teaching and coaching, sport management and sociology. You will be introduced to the following topics:

• the principles of sport coaching with a particular emphasis on teaching methods in sport
• the social context of sport including the impact of social inequalities on participation
• the principles of sport management including the organisation of British sport and principles of sport event management

The majority of our staff hold, or are near to completing, PhDs and are active researchers and consultants in their specialist fields, including Sport Management, Coaching and the Sociology of Sport. As you progress through your studies, you will have the flexibility to choose which of your two subjects you would like to major or minor in, or you can maintain an equal, joint programme.

This structure lends itself particularly well to the Joint Honours programme where you can develop your areas of interest by selecting from a range of modules in both subject areas.

The course focuses particularly on issues in grassroots, community sport which is tied in with our local sport partners Northampton Town FC, Northampton Saints Rugby, Northants County Cricket Club and Northamptonshire Sport. You are encouraged to take up voluntary and paid opportunities in various local sport organisations to develop your skills and experience outside of your course. This experience, combined with the knowledge that you will gain from the degree, will help you become attractive to employers upon graduation.

Methods of Learning

The Sport Studies course is delivered by a programme of well-designed, coherent and recently updated modules that cover a wide range of topics. Our tutors are all active researchers in their specialist areas, some having extensive industry experience, and this feeds into the content of the modules. We aim to provide an environment that maximises your engagement, involvement and enjoyment. You have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities and encounter new challenges that support your learning, often through applied ‘real-world’ assessments like organisational reports, funding bids and running sport events. Throughout the course, you will be exposed to different project designs and will develop your ability to apply both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research questions.

Assessments

A wide range of assessments are used including essays, reports, practical assessments, movie documentaries, group work and examinations. The aim of the assignment programme is not only to test knowledge and skills but also to develop these skills (for instance, the ability to present to a group of people or deliver a practical sport session). You can expect about two or three items of assessment per module and these are spread evenly throughout the academic year.

Scholarships

EU and International Scholarships

We’re committed to offering the opportunity to study in the UK to the best and brightest students from around the world.

Sir Thomas White Scholarship

The Sir Thomas White scholarship will support and acknowledge an academically gifted student, with the proviso that the selection panel is confident that there is…

TD Lewis Scholarship

The T D Lewis Scholarship provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students with financial awards of up to £1,000.  This scholarship is awarded on educational excellence…

The Chancellor's Fund

The Chancellor’s Fund is a bi-annual fund providing students with awards of between £100 and £1,000. You must be a current student to apply.  The…

Wilson Endowment Scholarship

The Wilson Endowment Scholarship provides a £1,500 scholarship to undergraduate students from the Northamptonshire area. The endowed scholarship was donated in memory of Mr Lynn Wilson,…