What Can You Do With a Degree in Sports

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A degree in sports and exercise science is an ideal start for getting into a wide range of sports industry careers where you could be working with the general public, children, professional athletes and more. If you are passionate about sports and exercise and want to get into a career in this field, then there are lots of different and exciting options to consider once you graduate. 

Career Options to Consider

Sports university courses can lead to a lot of different career options. Sports courses at university can also be focused on sports studies or you can combine them with different sport courses and subjects for sport uni degrees that prepare you for a particular career working in a certain role. Sports degrees UK can help you get into roles that are either directly related to your degree, or roles where your degree might be useful. Some of the top roles for sport studies graduates include sports therapist, sports development officer, sports coach, sports administrator, PE teacher, personal trainer, fitness centre manager, and exercise physiologist. If you are interested in getting a degree to prepare you for working in any of these roles, then it may be worth checking out the options available at Stirling University; see more here. Stirling University was named Sports University of the Year by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and integrates sports courses with the world-class sporting facilities on campus. 

Work Experience

If you want to get into a career in sports with a relevant degree, then getting work experience will also be necessary to help you reach your goals. Depending on the degree that you are interested in studying, you may need to demonstrate that you have relevant work experience or are proficient in a sport as part of your application. It is a good idea to look for work experience options that are closely related to the kind of career that you want to get into. For example, if you want to be a PE teacher or are interested in coaching, you may find that work experience in a school or volunteering with youth sports is useful. Working part-time in a gym or leisure centre can also be very useful work experience if you are interested in getting into fitness and exercise instruction or the business, admin, and marketing side of things. When you enrol on a sports and exercise degree, it may also be worth considering a course that allows you the opportunity to spend a year working in the industry. This is a great chance to get some experience of working in your chosen career area and build your professional network for after you graduate. 

Where Can You Find Work?

For sports and exercise graduates, jobs are available with a wide range of organisations in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. You may find work for professional sports clubs, private health and fitness clubs or recreation facilities, schools and further and higher education institutions, the health sector and the NHS, local authorities, and national sporting associations, agencies, and governing bodies. Getting a degree in sports or exercise science may also put you in a great position to set up your own consultancy or business. 

Skills You Will Develop

A degree in sports or exercise science will provide you with a solid understanding of sports performance and all the different factors that affect results and behaviour in sports. You will also gain a wealth of subject-specific knowledge in various related areas such as biomechanics, physiology, biochemistry, nutrition, and psychology. Getting a degree in sports science or a related subject will also give you the chance to develop a set of important core skills including the ability to work on your own or as part of a team, written communication skills including report writing, effective problem solving skills, a good understanding of information technology, time management and planning, professionalism and customer service, presentation and oral communication skills, and research and data analysis. 

Further Study Options

Once you have gained your undergraduate degree in sports, some careers that you might be interested in will require further study for a master’s degree or other postgraduate qualifications.  For example, if you aspire to become a sports psychologist, you will need to go on to study for relevant accredited psychology accreditations to get into this field. Or you will need to get appropriate coaching qualifications from the relevant governing body for your chosen sport if you want to get into sports coaching. If becoming a PE teacher is your main career goal, you will need to get a postgraduate teaching qualification such as the PGCE. There will also be the option to study completely different subjects that can be related to sports, such as sports journalism or sports law. 

If you enjoy sports and want to make a career from this passion, you can definitely do a lot with a degree in a sports subject.