Sport, Physical Activity and Health Development (part-time)

Key features

• Employability skills enhanced through varied community engagement projects
• A range of exciting placement opportunities facilitated
• Small class sizes and regular access to facilities
• Free Walk to Health Leader Qualification
• Access to a full range of National Governing Body and short course awards (incentives available)
• High quality teaching, industry experts and research output
• Quality Nike University of Cumbria Sports Kit for use on and off campus
• Exciting career exit routes

Why study with us?

If you're looking for a degree with excellent career horizons, then this is the one for you! This exciting course reflects the increasingly strong alliance between the sport and health sectors, where significant numbers of future jobs are being developed. The course blends academic rigour with practical and vocational skills, with a variety of opportunities integrated into key modules across all levels to engage with local community sport development projects and activities.

The ‘Golden Decade of Sport’ within the UK is stimulating significant opportunities in sport and physical activity development, and continuing governmental concerns over the health of the nation have placed a growing importance on improving levels of physical activity and promoting active lifestyles. Studying this programme will therefore put you in the front line of a broad and exciting range of future employment opportunities across the sport and health sectors.

The programme seeks to promote new knowledge and skills that will help you pursue a career in these growth areas, alongside an enjoyment of studying sport and gaining key transferable skills to set you on your chosen career path in this dynamic industry.

What can this course lead to?

Many of our graduates find the networking facilitated by vocational work connected to the programme has helped them quickly find an exciting job in the industry.

A wide range of sport occupations await graduates of this course, including health promotion, local authority or national governing body sport development, facility management, event management, youth and community and working on specific community based projects and initiatives. You can also use this as a stepping stone to teaching via a top-up degree.

Resources and facilities

The university’s Sports Complex boasts a large, multi-purpose sports hall, astro turf pitch, a specialist gymnastics area and an air conditioned fitness suite with cardiovascular stations, fixed weight stations and a free weights area. The facility is run by Register of Exercise Professionals accredited staff.

Entry requirements

240 UCAS tariff points.

GCSEs at grade C or above in English.

Find out more about qualification options from the UCAS tariff table.

Please check selection criteria for any additional entry requirements.

Credit and UCAS requirements UCAS code: C601 UCAS points: 240 Selection criteria

All places are offered subject to successful CRB clearance.

Modules

Level four

• Practitioner Skills in Sport and Physical Activity Development
• Sport, Physical Activity and Physical Education Policy
• Research and Study Skills
• Introduction to the Sociology of Sport
• Introduction to Physical Activity and Health
• Social Psychological Approaches to Sport and Physical Activity

Level five

• Modern Sport and Power
• Sport Development: Policies and Practices
• Physical Activity and Health Promotion
• Advanced Research Methods and Investigation
• Community Development
• Sport Equality and Social Justice

Level six

• Contemporary Issues in Sport and Physical Activity
• Applied Vocational Project*
• Research Dissertation*
• Managing Sports Events
• Community Physical Activity and Health Interventions
• Culture, Media and Sport

*option modules
Course summary

This course looks at sport in context, from its position in society past and present to its role in campaigns to make the nation more physically active, and has a strong vocational flavour as a result of being designed with the support of employers within the industry. The study programme is split into three levels so you can progress in steps towards the honours degree on a part-time basis.

At level four, you will study six compulsory modules that give you a broad underpinning of sport, physical activity and health policy, sociological theories, historical influences, practitioner skills for leading community-based activity interventions, approaches to motivating and retaining sport participants and an introduction to research skills.

At levels five and six, you will enhance your knowledge and apply sociological and philosophical theory to the study of sport and physical activity development, become involved in module-related sport and physical activity development community engagement projects, understand the fundamental principles behind community development work, and appreciate approaches to promote health and physical activity within communities.

The vocational opportunities are facilitated through our strong links with local partner organisations such as schools, local authorities, County Sport Partnerships, the NHS, voluntary groups, clubs and football in the community schemes. Level six allows you to be part of a team organising a community sports event with an industry partner, undertake a community-based physical activity intervention project and conduct an independent work-based investigation or a dissertation project.

This course therefore provides you with the opportunity to enhance your employment profile, by developing professional skills and competencies while also enhancing your academic studies via a range of learning and assessment modes. It also reflects central government’s priorities in promoting physical activity within communities, and the growing links between the sport and leisure sector and the health sector within the UK.

Case studies

"The course gave me a wide insight in different areas of sport, most of which, I’d probably never have known about had I not studied this degree. The choice of modules available is excellent - the content of the individual modules is broad and really opens up your insight into how sport has affected society in the past, and how it continues to do so in the present." - Luke

Jack England helped to establish an 80-school primary school football league for Bolton, designing the website for the league. He set up his placement by contacting the Bolton Health and Inclusion Team and felt that his course at the University of Cumbria really helped with his goal of a career in sports development after graduation:

"The course helped me understand the issues at hand and gave me ideas on how to improve the scheme. The university have been there to give me chances to gain experience in a wide range of fields and in the end gave me the chance to take part in the project.” - Jack

Gordon Roger, a Sport, Physical Activity and Health Development (formally Sport Studies) graduate (2008) who went on to become the 5x60 Sports Development Officer at Flintshire County Council said:

“The course offers a variety of placement options which allow students to gain ‘hands on’ experiences in sport. The experiences gathered from placements became useful when applying for jobs, and was highlighted by my employers as to why I was chosen - the experience gathered was priceless and I am grateful to all the staff for providing me with the support and opportunities to progress and develop my career in sport.” - Gordon

“Lancaster City Council’s Community Engagement Service (Wellbeing) has been delighted to support student community engagement projects around the city in the last few years. The partnership has proven effective in delivering events and opportunities to young people across the city, as well as supporting students in acquiring important job-specific skills to enhance their employment prospects in an increasingly difficult job marketplace." - Stuart Glover, Sport and Physical Activity Development Officer