Introduction to Critical Thinking for Sports Research covers the conventions of studying in higher education. You will be expected to reflect upon your previous experiences of education while also thinking strategically about your future study and work in sport and physical activity. This will facilitate a new and more critical approach to thinking about and studying sport and physical activity. You will develop the ability to use academic literature, research, concepts and arguments to provide a more critical and reasoned assessment of sport and physical activity related issues and topics. The aim is to learn to communicate your new critical thoughts about sport and physical activity using appropriate academic referencing and citation styles.

Introduction to Leadership in Sport Management engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Entry Manager and Health Navigator professional standards. The module outlines the key theories and concepts in the study of leadership in the public, commercial and non-profit sectors for sport. It will raise your awareness of the key leadership practices in sport management contexts, with a particular focus on managing people and performance, while also examining how leadership theories connect to practice. In addition to this, you will explore the key principles of effective team dynamics and working relationships between leaders, managers and other employees.

Introduction to Organisation and Administration of Sport and Physical Activity engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Entry Manager, Working in the Community Environment and Working with Inactive People professional standards. The module equips you with an understanding of the policy process and the realities that emerge from it in sport and physical activity. You will be introduced to how sport is organised and administered in the UK using examples from community and elite sport and physical activity provision. The role of volunteers and volunteer managers will be examined in relation to policy implementation and the provision of sport and physical activity. The module also introduces you to the ways in which sporting programmes address wider government objectives and considers how sporting events might be leveraged to achieve broader social outcomes.

Introduction to Sport Management engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Entry Manager professional standard. The module outlines the key concepts in sport management, including marketing, sales, sponsorship, and corporate social responsibility in national and global settings. You will also explore the historical and contemporary contexts in which these concepts emerged and now exist. The module will develop your awareness of managing small sports business projects, hone your decision making and communication skills, and explore how these attributes are connected to the key principles of marketing, networking and financial reporting.

Introduction to Sport, Physical Activity and Healthy Lifestyles engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Health Navigator, Working in the Community Environment and Working with Inactive People professional standards. The module outlines the complex relationships between sport, physical activity and health. Initial focus will be on developing your understanding of health-related behaviours and markers of health (such as mental wellbeing, physical fitness and body composition) and how these can be measured. The remainder of the module will develop your knowledge of the potential contribution of sport and physical activity to all domains of health (physical, psychological and social) and specific health conditions. You will also reflect on how those working in the sport sector may seek to deliver sport and physical activity in a way that is inclusive and encourages participation among new and inactive groups.

Introduction to Sports Coaching engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Coach, Coaching Assistant, Entry Manager, Health Navigator and Working with Inactive People professional standards. The module equips you with an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of sports coaches in different contexts. You will apply basic sports coaching principles in developing your ability to plan, organise and deliver sports coaching sessions in safe, effective and ethical ways. You will develop an understanding of the theoretical and practical underpinnings of delivering sports coaching sessions and apply this knowledge by leading and supporting practical situations with peers and, where appropriate, with non-peer groups.

Event Management 1 engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Entry Manager and Health Navigator professional standards. The module introduces you to the key planning processes and procedures required in event management. These include human resource management, marketing and sales, finance and budgeting, health and safety, logistics and evaluation. Working as part of a group, you will obtain valuable experience of planning and delivering events for local communities and develop knowledge and skills relevant for a range of sports-related careers. You will also gain experience of examining the effectiveness of planning a sporting event and the key management processes involved.

Managing Health Behaviour Change Through Sport and Physical Activity engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Health Navigator, Working in the Community Environment, and Working with Inactive People professional standards. Introducing you to health promotion theory in sport and physical activity,  the module considers the complex biological, social and environmental factors that influence and explain participation in sport and physical activity. You will examine theoretical approaches to understanding behaviour, explore the effectiveness of these theories and approaches in sport and physical activity contexts, and begin to apply them to real-world settings.

Managing People and Organisational Change engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Entry Manager and Health Navigator professional standards. The module applies the knowledge you have gained of management and leadership in the sport and physical activity industry and uses this to develop your competence in leadership. It will also enhance your knowledge of human resource management processes and focus on how sport and physical activity industry professionals manage change in the complex and challenging public, commercial and non-profit sector environments.

Research Methods provides the opportunity to develop the research skills necessary for producing a dissertation, progressing to postgraduate study, and preparing for many jobs in the sport and physical activity sector. You will develop skills in critically evaluating scientific literature, developing research questions, planning and designing meaningful and valid qualitative and quantitative research, and analysing data. Research ethics for human participants are also covered.

Sport Management and Marketing engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Entry Manager professional standard. The module explores the strategic opportunities and challenges of designing and running a sports business, focusing on the key concepts, theories and trends in sports marketing, sales and customer service. You will also develop skills in sports entrepreneurship, business design and brand management in ways that will enable you to develop strategic business plans and apply new business skills in real world settings.

Working with Diverse Populations engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Coach, Coaching Assistant, Health Navigator, Working in the Community Environment, and Working with Inactive People professional standards. You will look at how sports organisations are managed and how practitioners effectively engage with the populations they seek to develop. The module enhances your understanding of, and ability to analyse, approaches to facilitating the development of differentiated coaching practice with individuals and groups in a range of delivery contexts. It also prepares you to work in community and performance sport contexts in schools and national governing bodies, as well as club environments. You will be provided with opportunities to engage in real world coaching settings with participants. In doing so, you will become familiar with the existing policy context of community and performance (sport) development, and the relationships that exist between sports workers, other workers in the public, private and third sectors, as well as those working elsewhere in the sports industry.

Dissertation allows you to engage in an in-depth independent research project, specialising your focus on a relevant area of interest.

Event Management 2  engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Entry Manager, Health Navigator, and Working in the Community Environment professional standards. The module enables you to obtain ‘real life’ experience to enhance your awareness and understanding of the needs of sport-related sectors. You will gain in-depth experience of event planning and delivery on a larger scale and engage in further financial planning. Following the design and delivery of a large-scale sports event, you will reflect upon the effectiveness of the event, with particular attention being paid to your own development and future employment prospects.

Managing Health-Based Programmes in Sport and Physical Activity engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Health Navigator, Working in the Community Environment, and Working with Inactive People professional standards. The module enables you to obtain ‘real life’ experience to enhance your awareness and understanding of the needs of sport-related sectors. It explores how to design, deliver, evaluate and manage health-based programmes in sport and physical activity. You will conduct your own independent research to assess the need for, and expected outcomes of, a health-based sport and physical activity programme of your choice. You will also construct a theory for how your programme would seek to improve health, with this theory informing your design of a health-based sport and physical activity programme. The remainder of the module focuses on the issues associated with programme delivery and management, while also seeking to determine the effectiveness of sport and physical activity health promotion programmes.

Professional Practice and Work Placement enables you to obtain ‘real life’ experience of working with placement providers to enhance your awareness and understanding of the needs of employers and the standards of professional bodies. In addition to completing 80 hours on placement, you will be encouraged to provide an analysis and critical appraisal of your work-related experience. The work placement will be informed by academic knowledge which will enhance your competencies and awareness of professional practice.

Managing Wellbeing in the Sports Workforce engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Coach, Entry Manager, and Working in the Community Environment professional standards. The module enables you to obtain ‘real life’ experience to enhance your awareness and understanding of the needs of sport-related sectors. It examines the wellbeing of the sports workforce, how this can be promoted and compromised, and how this should be managed. You will explore the working and broader social contexts of sports workers’ lives and the associated implications for their wellbeing and organisational practice in relation to wellbeing and duty of care. More specifically, you will explore the various demands and expectations placed on the workforce, as well as how a networks of social relations can positively and negatively impact on a sports worker’s sense of self, felt emotions, and psycho-social wellbeing.

Sports Business Management engages you in activities that will enable you to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to work towards the CIMSPA Entry Manager professional standard. The module enables you to obtain ‘real life’ experience to enhance your awareness and understanding of the needs of sports-related sectors. It builds on your strategic business skills to prepare you to work in the future sports business marketplace, enabling you to anticipate future agendas and developments in sports business and the wider sports industry, and apply this understanding to your own business ideas. You will examine contemporary issues including the emergence of sports technologies, the growth of new global sports markets and audiences, digital sports media and consumption, and opportunities for future innovation in sports business.

SPT2220 Research Methods (20 credits) replaces SPT2851 Doing Real World Sports Research (20 credits) as a compulsory module in Year 2.

SPT3221 Professional Practice and Work Placement (20 credits) replaces SPT3854 Work Placement (20 credits) as a compulsory module in Year 3.

The programme is now available to study on a full-time only basis. It was previously available full-time and part-time.

This programme is now accredited by CIMSPA, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity. On successful completion of the programme, graduates can say to employers that their course was accredited against the professional standards of CIMSPA.

Change of module titles from SPT1751 Introduction to Sports Business Management (20 credits) to SPT1751 Introduction to Sport Management (20 credits), SPT1855 Introduction to Fundamentals of Coaching (20 credits) to SPT1855 Introduction to Sports Coaching (20 credits), and SPT1856 Introduction and Organisation and Management of Sport and Physical Activity (20 credits) to SPT1856 Introduction to Organisation and Administration of Sport and Physical Activity (20 credits) in Year 1.

Change of module titles from SPT2752 Sports Business Management 1 (20 credits) to SPT2752 Sport Management and Marketing (20 credits) and SPT2753 Event Management in Sport and Physical Activity 1 (20 credits) to SPT2753 Event Management 1 (20 credits) in Year 2.

Change of module titles from SPT3752 Event Management in Sport and Physical Activity 2 (20 credits) to Event Management 2 (20 credits) and SPT3851 Managing and Evaluating Health-Based Programmes in Sport and Physical Activity (20 credits) to SPT3851 Managing Health-Based Programmes in Sport and Physical Activity (20 credits) in Year 3.

The programme now carries the course title of BSc (Hons) Sport Management (previously Sports Management).