Sport and Fitness

This is an exciting and relatively new field of study that has seen many advances over the last fifty years. The practices that have resulted from research into sport and fitness have been so effective in helping sportspeople improve their performance that they have transformed sport and emphasised the importance of being active for everyone. If you currently work in the sport and fitness industry, or would like to, our courses will open up new opportunities for you by developing your understanding of a broad range of sport and exercise related topics and their application to athletic development and coaching.

Get qualifications fit for a career in sport

Our courses will allow you to boost your employability, and help you succeed as a sports coach, fitness instructor, personal trainer, or sports development officer, or even set you on a career path towards PE teaching.

Access the resources that work best for you

Our flexible distance learning model enables you to study around your other commitments – for example, a sport and fitness role you’re already working in – while choosing from a range of resources to fit your lifestyle. These include audio-visual resources and interactive activities such as:

Quizzes to test your knowledge
An online tutor group forum where you can always get access to information and support
An app for Level 2 students that allows you to design a training programme for specific athletes

Plus you’ll have the support and guidance of regular online tutorials from your own personal tutor.

A great team to support you

You’ll benefit from the knowledge and commitment of central academic team and tutors who lead a vibrant sport and fitness community at the OU. Many of our team are engaged in ongoing research into the study of sport and fitness, and regularly post on our twitter page, forums and OU Sport & Fitness Team blog. We also have our own branded Nike #teamOU sports kit so that you can feel part of the team wherever you are training, playing, coaching or spectating your sport.

Being able to study remotely has been fantastic! For me I think actually the online tutorials have helped because I learn better as I’m almost plugged in, so I’m not distracted by other people in the classroom, It’s just me and a computer screen.
Ricky Skene
Studied: Sports Fitness and Coaching See more student stories

I initially found the written work hard – partly due to my dyslexia – but the OU tutors were so supportive and approachable. Even if I felt a bit self-conscious about asking during a lecture, I could drop them an email afterwards. I’d never had that before. Although I wasn’t physically seeing my tutors day-to-day, I felt that they knew me. You always get a response very quickly at the OU.
Allana Francis-Ashmeil
Studied: Sports Fitness and Coaching Read more about Allana’s journey studying with the OU