Overview
Get ready with a foundation year and learn the foundational skills and knowledge to complete a full Honours degree. You'll be able to embark on this qualification without meeting the level 3 entry requirements, giving you the opportunity to study at degree level through this four year course.
Combine your passion for sport, movement, and teaching with a degree in Physical Education and Sport & Exercise Science. This course is perfect if you want to know how the human body performs, how people learn through movement, and how sport science can support health, fitness, and education.
With a strong focus on real-world learning, you’ll gain a variety of knowledge and skills that you can take into a variety of sectors. From nutrition to coaching, you’ll gain a thorough understanding of both physical education and sports science.
What you’ll learn
- Explore how the body functions and performs through modules in sport psychology, physiology, and biomechanics.
- Understand how young people learn physical skills through practical activities in physical education and sport.
- Apply psychological principles to sport, motivation, and behaviour.
- Develop your practical teaching and leadership skills needed to thrive in a teaching environment.
- Personalise your degree through a range of optional modules, tailoring your studies to your preference.
This multidisciplinary and practical course will set you up for a range of careers including PE teaching, sport coaching, personal training, health promotion, and sport science.
If you want to make a difference through movement, then study Physical Education and Sport & Exercise Science with CCCU.
Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences
Our labs are accredited by The Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences
93%
of our Physical Education and Sport & Exercise Science students were satisfied with the teaching on their course
National Student Survey 2025Why study Physical Education and Sport & Exercise Science at CCCU?
of our Physical Education and Sport and Exercise Science students were in work or further study 15 months after finishing their course
Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023
64
Total Points required
- Select your qualification
- Select your grade
- Add it and repeat
Qualifications:
Grades
Points required: 64
Accepted qualifications
We accept a wide range of general qualifications that attract UCAS Tariff points either on their own or in combination with others. Below are some common examples.
| Qualification | Grades |
|---|---|
| A Levels | DDE |
| BTEC | MPP |
| Access | Pass 45 Credits |
| International Baccalaureate | TBC |
DBS requirements
A current satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. Where you do not already have this you can apply for this check through the University. For more information please see CCCU DBS requirements.
It is a condition of registration on any course requiring a satisfactory check from DBS that the student maintains good standing in relation to their behaviour and, where required, subscribes to the criminal record status check service.
More information
Contact us
Module information
We know employers are looking for dynamic, open-minded graduates who can adapt, innovate, and collaborate. So we have designed a new way of teaching and learning to ensure that you are work-ready for when you graduate. Alongside the modules below you will choose from our new curriculum that will help you achieve student success, engage with contemporary topics and work with industry or the community.
As well as the core modules, you will also have the opportunity to study a number of option modules. The availability of specific option modules may vary from year to year. This will be subject to a minimum number of students choosing the module and staff availability. It means we cannot guarantee the availability of a particular option module. However, we will ensure you have a choice of option modules.
Core/optional modules
How you’ll learn
In your Foundation Year, you will be introduced to higher education with a range of supportive modules that prepare you for study in higher education and familiarise you with the core knowledge and skills of your chosen subject.
You will be taught through a combination of practical sessions, lectures, seminars, labs, workshops and tutorials. You will typically have around 10-14 contact hours per week in each semester.
Seminars and tutorials in smaller groups will enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures and other sessions. In addition, you will meet with your personal academic tutor on a regular basis.
When not attending practical sessions, lectures, seminars, labs, workshops and tutorials your learning will continue through independent study. Typically, this involves planning practical activities, reading journal articles and books, undertaking research in the library and preparing for workshops, seminars, coursework and examinations.
Each module tutor will direct you toward specific readings and/or activities to complete before and/or after class to support your learning and development. Your allocated personal academic tutor will help you review your performance and support your independent learning.
Overall workload typically consists of 10-14 teaching hours per week with 15-20 hours of independent learning and assessment related activity per module. You will typically study two modules each semester which equates to 60 credits of study.
The teaching team consists of highly qualified academics, supported by specialist professional services and a highly skilled technical team. They have a range of expertise and experience across the breadth of disciplines in physical education and sport and exercise science.
The majority of staff hold teaching and academic qualifications (i.e. doctorate or Master's), with a small number of staff working towards achieving this standard. Staff are research-active, and many are at the forefront of their research fields in the UK and beyond, and have substantial experience in delivering research led and research informed teaching.
Postgraduate students sometimes assist in teaching some module content in their areas of expertise and assist with peer learning. However, the vast majority of delivery is undertaken by an experienced academic team.
The use of specialist learning environments for both PE and Sport & Exercise Science modules ensures that your experience is stimulating and exemplifies potential workplace settings. The combination of practical sessions with the use of lectures, seminars, lab learning and workshops enables you to have a personalised learning experience to support the learning of knowledge, understanding and skills across both subject disciplines.Alison Carney Course Director
How you’ll be assessed
The course frequently provides you with opportunities to test your understanding of subject disciplines informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. These formative (‘practice’) assessments enable you to receive feedback from your tutor and are developmental and any grades you receive for them does not count towards your module mark. The formal or 'summative' assessments on each module are planned to take account of two interdependent aspects - the acquisition of relevant theory and the development of both academic and practical skills.
The formative (‘practice’) assessment feedback supports you on your individual learning journey to enhance your learning outcomes and achievements for each module and empowers you to become a reflective and independent leaner. Assessments enable you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of relevant theory and how this relates to practical and applied practice reinforcing skills required for graduate employment in a range of careers.
Module tutors provide clear guidance in relation to assessment, and you can seek support for your studies from module tutors, the Course Director and your Personal Academic tutor. The University also has a range of support services to ensure an inclusive learning and assessment environment for you to make progress and achieve your full potential.
Assessment modes include practical presentations, oral presentations, essays, reports and portfolios. Your final year of study includes a research project and there may be examinations in some modules.
Your future career
The Physical Education & Sport and Exercise Science degree prepares you for roles in sport, physical activity, health and fitness and the leisure industry. In addition it provides an excellent foundation for careers in the public sector, including the medical professions (cardiac rehabilitation, physiotherapy and health promotion), whilst both the armed and police forces look favourably upon our graduates.
It also opens up both primary and secondary routes into teaching, through PGCE or School Direct, and prepares you for further postgraduate study such as at Masters level.
The PESES course is the complete package. The knowledge of the lecturers, the application in the practicals, and the support of the SES staff definitely drives the course's success. Finishing my degree, I felt extremely ready for my career to begin in the sports industry. All my peers on the course entered a variety of career paths, such as Health Advisor roles, Sports Graduate Assistants in schools, teacher training, and full-time coaching positions.Karla HuttonPE Teacher Training/Sport Coach and Alumnia of CCCU
Related courses
Fees
Tuition Fees for 2026/27 have not yet been finalised. These course web pages will be updated with Tuition Fee information once they have been agreed.
- Read advice about funding your degree
- See information about the financial support available for undergraduate studies
- If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk
- For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk
Industry links
There are a number of informal relationships with providers in the physical education and sport sectors aligned to the continued development of our teaching programme including Kent Sport, Kent School Games and coaching companies some who are happy to support paid and unpaid work experience for students.
In addition we are currently one of 12 Universities working with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to develop professional standards in the sector which are aligned with Higher Education qualifications.
We also have links with:
- British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) – selected accredited staff;
- British Psychological Society (BPS) – selected accredited staff;
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered – selected staff;
- Higher Education Academy (HEA) – accredited staff.
Specialist facilities
You will have access to two sports centres including a dance and fitness studio and outdoor spaces such as astroturfs, tennis courts, and sports pitches.
In addition, the sport science laboratories are available to measure and assess sport and exercise performance and understand coaching behaviour. You will also have the opportunity to work within our consultancy unit SportsLab, through which we work with professional athletes, conducting performance related tests and use our expertise to help athletes boost their performance either as an individual or a team.
Regulated by the Office for Students
The Office for Students (OfS) regulates Canterbury Christ Church University. The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. It aims to ensure that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers. Further details about its work are available on the OfS website.
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*We are advertising this course as ‘subject to approval.’ When we add new courses or update existing courses, we advertise the course as ‘subject to approval’. We do this to let you know the University still needs to agree to run the course. It is rare for a course not to gain approval, but it is not guaranteed. There may be changes to course and module titles, content and assessment, but we will tell you about these if there is a change. You can still apply to study a course subject to approval. We have prepared some questions and answers to tell you more.