Sport & Human Performance

Sport is our passion, and you’ll see this in everything we do – from the enthusiasm of our lecturers to our sports and fitness facilities you’ll get to use at our High Wycombe Campus. We’ve been pioneering sport-related studies for over 25 years so, if sport is your passion too, then the opportunities are endless at Buckinghamshire New University.

Course areas

+ Community Health & Physical Activity

+ Football Development & Performance

+ Performance Sport

+ Physical Education

+ Sports Coaching

+ Sports Coaching with Business

+ Sports & Exercise Science

+ Sports Therapy

+ Strength & Conditioning

Working in sport is varied and exciting. You may want to work with children and young people as a coach or take a role focused on widening participation among young people and adults alike. You could have a fascination for elite performance and want to start a career helping top athletes achieve their potential. Or you may be more interested in the power of the mind and how sports psychology can help an athlete reach the next level. You may want to focus more on football development or performance, where you can specialise in community development through football.

Whatever your sporting passion and career you wish to pursue, with Buckinghamshire New University you can delve into the areas you’re interested in and will be supported every step of the way.

Our sports courses combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills and experience. We understand that knowing the theory can only take you so far. That’s why our sports courses also include practical elements. Our hands-on approach will help you gain valuable skills so you can graduate feeling confident and prepared for your future career.

Our High Wycombe Campus is home to our Human Performance, Exercise and Wellbeing Centre. This is where our teaching, research and enterprise across health, sport, exercise, and wellbeing all comes together.

Practical Experience

The equipment you’ll have access to in our Human Performance Lab is the same as what is used by professionals across the sporting world. It includes a 3D Motion Capture system, Neurotracker Attention Training software and Powerlab. You’ll get to understand the incredible things the human body can do and explore psychological, biomechanical and physiological characteristics.

Connections To Bolster Your Cv

High quality facilities are just part of the picture. You’ll also have support from our experienced lecturers. They know what skills employers are looking for, and understand how to help you get ahead in the sporting world.

In our Sports and Wellbeing Clinic, experienced therapists provide treatments for a wide range of sports injuries and health conditions. This facility is open to the public, as well as staff and students, helping you gain real-life experience of working in this area of the sports industry.

And it’s not just Sports Therapy where you can gain industry experience. Many of our sports courses allow you to gain experience whilst studying. Internships are a fantastic opportunity to put what you’ve learnt into practice in a professional sports environment.

We have ties to local and national sporting organisations that offer you a wealth of opportunities. You may get the chance to assist with coaching at a local community group or you could find yourself working alongside athletes funded by Sport England on the performance pathway.

We’ve developed invaluable connections with a host of organisations including the National Sports Centre at Bisham Abbey, home to several national governing bodies of sport, Leap (County Sports Partnership), and Wycombe Wanderers Football Club. We also work closely with Reading Women Football Club and the National League basketball team, Reading Rockets.

It Is A Big Deal

And if you want to do sport outside of your studies, then you’ll be spoilt for choice. BNU is the only university in the UK to offer FREE access to a huge range of sports and societies, and other opportunities to enrich your time with us. We call this The BIG Deal. You can get involved in more than 30 different competitive and recreational sporting opportunities. And we have over 50 different active societies that are free to join. We also have a focus on performance sport for those student athletes wishing to compete at a high level.

So whatever your interest or choice of study, Buckinghamshire New University can help you reach your goals.