2025/26 entry

MSc Sport Coaching

Start date(s):
September
Study mode:
Full-time
Course duration:
1 year

Tuition fees

Home fee
£9,090
International full-time per year
£18,250
General enquiries:
0151 231 5090
courses@ljmu.ac.uk
International admissions
international@ljmu.ac.uk

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About this course

This unique masters, which is largely delivered online, has been designed to develop research-informed sport coaches.

MSc Sport Coaching provides knowledge from the forefront of coaching research. The course is ideal for aspiring and established coaches looking to develop their practice.

  • The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences is ranked 6th for Sports Science (QS World University Rankings 2024)
  • Study on this MSc Sport Coaching which is informed by the latest research and best practice in sport coaching from LJMU's School of Sport and Exercise Sciences
  • Benefit from the flexibility of both online and face-to-face teaching, through a blended timetable of online pre-prepared lessons, online live sessions and face-to-face workshops on campus
  • Face-to-face workshops will take place between September and May. These occur in Liverpool and typically involve two, concurrent days on campus per month
  • Continue working as a coach in your own context, alongside studying the course
  • Excellent vocational opportunities for work-related learning in your own coaching context or through one of LJMUs sporting partners
  • Includes personalised assignments so you can apply knowledge to your own coaching practice on topics including: sport psychology, pedagogy, training programmes, performance analysis and talent development
  • Learn with a cohort of high-performing coaches and network of LJMU staff, alumni and contacts across the world of sport

The MSc Sport Coaching is designed to allow you to explore a range of topics, including athlete learning, talent development processes, physical and psychological training programmes, performance analysis and social relationships in coaching. While you study, you will have the opportunity to work on your own career development with support from LJMUs tutors and leading guest lectures from the field of sport coaching. You will also conduct a research project on a topic of your choice, supervised by LJMU staff.

Professional body recognition

With membership of ASET, the UK’s leading authority on work based and placement learning, LJMU’s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences is committed to providing Work-based and Placement Learning (WBPL) experiences to our students that are quality assured and supported in accordance with best practice guidelines.

Fees and funding

There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students

Fees

The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:

  • library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
  • access to programme-appropriate software
  • library and student IT support
  • free on-campus wifi via eduroam

Additional costs

Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:

  • accommodation and living expenditure
  • books (should you wish to have your own copies)
  • printing, photocopying and stationery
  • PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
  • mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
  • field trips (travel and activity costs)
  • placements (travel expenses and living costs)
  • student visas (international students only)
  • study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
  • academic conferences (travel costs)
  • professional-body membership
  • graduation (gown hire etc)

Funding

There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.

Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.

Employability

Further your career prospects

LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.

This programme enables you to work in a variety of environments with a range of athletes. It is ideally suited to anyone keen to develop a career in roles such as: Physical Educator, Assistant Coach, Coach, Head Coach, Director of Coaching, Coach Educator, Coach Developer and Policy Maker. You could also pursue a career as a coaching researcher, in teaching or lecturing. It also provides progression routes to PhD study and other industry research roles.

The student experience

Discover life as a postgraduate student at LJMU.

Course modules

Discover the building blocks of your programme

Your programme is made up of a number of core modules which are part of the course framework. All modules allow you to shape your assessment so that you can improve your practice as a coach (e.g. professional case study). You will also complete a dissertation (independent project) where you can specialise in an area of research tailored to your development as a practitioner.

The design of the programme is based on three principles:

1. Utilise your own coaching or work-related placements provided by LJMU to support the development of your coaching knowledge.
2. Use online lessons to flexibly help coaches learn when and where they want.
3. Provide regular, face-to-face coaching days to offer a safety net of support, illustrate best coaching practices and connect you with a network of LJMU practitioners, alumni and fellow coaches. These could be held monthly

Core modules

Coaching as a Social Process
20 credits

This module uses theoretical concepts to explore areas such as coach philosophy and relationships between coaches, athletes and fellow staff. Students will apply concepts to their own sport coaching role.

Sport Coaching Pedagogy and Practice
20 credits

This module provides a theoretical basis for understanding how learning occurs. It also enables you to use theoretical understandings to analyse and develop learning environments to help you flourish.

Coach Education and Development
20 credits

This module critically explores coach education and coach development. Underpinned by learning theory, the module enables you to develop yourself and others as coaches through work-related learning in a sport coaching placement. The placement can be in your own context or at one of LJMU’s sporting partners. You will use research skills to enhance and evaluate learning from your work experience.

Advanced Training Programme
20 credits

This module aims to deepen understanding of contemporary scientific theories, principles and methods and their application in the physical development of athletes. You will explore physical training methods and schedules that help individuals achieve their sporting aims.

Psychology for Sport Coaching
20 credits

This module enables you to critically evaluate and integrate current contemporary sport psychology research and best practice into your coaching. The module examines current sport psychology literature and develops a coherent understanding of issues associated with emotion, motivation, peak performance and motor skill development.

Independent Study
60 credits

This transdisciplinary module examines talent development systems, processes and models. You will use contemporary research to critically consider how talent and performance can be developed across the participant lifespan.

Talent Development and Performance Analysis
20 credits

This module aims to develop and extend your knowledge and practical experience of the research process. You will utilise advanced research methods within a sport coaching context and develop a research project in a journal style.

Teaching

An insight into teaching on your course

Teaching methods

To support your studies, the course adopts a blended learning structure, including a mixture of online live lessons, pre-prepared online learning materials, applied work-related learning and face-to-face contact sessions on two days a month in Liverpool.

In semester 1 and 2 (September to May), live online lessons will be held over two days per week (usually on Thursdays and Fridays). In addition, you will have weekly online tutorials with your personal tutor and have work – such as reading, tasks and assignments – to complete in your own time. In semester 3, you will work online with your individual supervisor on your research project.

The face-to-face teaching sessions will be delivered by LJMU staff. Typically, these are held concurrently on one Thursday and Friday of each month in semester 1 and semester 2. The sessions will be delivered at LJMU 's City Campus which includes practical sport facilities. Please note that students are responsible for funding their own visa, travel, accommodation and any other expenses for the sessions in Liverpool.

You will also be able to access our masterclass workshops presented by expert external speakers to further enrich your learning. This flexible approach will enable you to develop cutting-edge coaching knowledge, apply it to your own context and develop your network within the coaching industry.

Applied learning

50 hours of work-related learning is embedded in the Coach Education and Development module. During this module you will complete and learn from work-related learning during a placement. This can be provided by you in your own context, or with one of LJMU 's sporting partners in a range of sports, such as football, tennis and cricket.

Applied learning is also embedded throughout the other modules and all assignments are contextualised to your needs. For example, the essay produced for the Coaching as a Social Process module will enable you to analyse your specific social context. This may involve coaching in school, community or high-performance contexts, and will be bespoke to your career. Similar approaches will be used in other modules.

Assessment

How learning is monitored on your programme

To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.

To cater for the wide-ranging content of our course and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods. Assessment techniques vary from module to module to and include:

  • Coaching as a Social Process module essay using a narrative style
  • Sport Coaching Pedagogy and Practice module portfolio
  • Coach Education and Development module case study
  • Advanced Training Programmes module presentation using a scientific style
  • Psychology for Sport Coaching module presentation and report
  • Talent Development and Performance Analysis module presentation
  • Independent Study module dissertation in a journal format

 

Course tutors

Our staff are committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning

Colum Cronin

Dr Colum Cronin

Programme Leader

Dr Colum Cronin

Programme Leader

Dr Colum Cronin teaches on the BA (Hons) Physical Education, BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching, MSc Sport Coaching and MSc International Sport Coaching programmes. Colum shares his research expertise during his teaching, which explores how coaches can develop caring relationships with athletes. Colums other research interests include disability sport coaching and coach education. He is Associate Editor of academic journal Sports Coaching Review and was recently awarded the International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP) Young Scholar of the Year Award 2019. He has worked with a number of sporting organisations, such as the Football Association and UK Coaching.

School facilities

What you can expect from your School

This programme is based in the City Campus. LJMU has invested £35 million in state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for our current and future sport scientists. All of our labs are furnished with the latest equipment, which enables us to work with our students and partners to enhance our understanding of the science behind human performance and behaviour.

Entry requirements

You will need:

Qualification requirements

Undergraduate degree

  • 2:1 honours degree in a related area (2:2 honours degree considered where applicants can demonstrate extensive experience)

Additional requirements

  • Relevant work experience

    • at least three years’ coaching experience

International requirements

  • IELTS

    • IELTS 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each component)

  • Other international requirements

    The blended learning structure of this course (partially online and partially in person) does not currently meet the criteria for a student visa application. However, the programme is open to those who do not require a student visa. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for the programme, please contact internationaladmissions@ljmu.ac.uk ahead of submitting an application.

Further information

  • Extra Requirements
  • RPL

    • RPL is accepted on this programme

Application and selection

Securing your place at LJMU

To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.

Desirable criteria

You should:

  • have a minimum of three years coaching experience, including responsibility for planning, implementing, analysing and revising annual coaching programmes
  • be able to demonstrate your responsibility for coaching session preparation, delivery and review
    have evidence of sport-specific coaching qualifications (e.g. UKCC Level 2 or equivalent)

The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.

Further information on the terms and conditions of any offer made, our admissions policy and the complaints and appeals process.