Top careers with a sports science degree
A degree in sports science is an increasingly attractive one for anyone looking to start a career focused on the body and everything it entails. And with the nation showing more and more of an interest in staying healthy, now could be the best time to get qualified.
The prospects are particularly bright for work straight out of university too. An above average 97% of Sports Science graduates were in full-time work or further education six months after leaving university according to the latest DLHE survey.
But what jobs and careers are available to Sports Science graduates?
Well, with the likes of Jose Mourinho, Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton all boasting a degree in the subject, the option for pro sport may be one idea. If you’re not destined for the top of your particular sport though, there are plenty of other options for you to consider.
Sports Coach
If you’re not quite up to the level of playing your chosen sport, there’s no reason why you cannot coach it. A career as a sports coach could see you put your knowledge to good use to help other develop their game. You’ll help other achieve their full potential by using what you have learned in your degree to identify areas for your clients to improve as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
Of course, the exact nature of what a sports coach does will depend on the sport and the environment you have chosen to coach in. For example, coaching school children will require a different approach to coaching a senior sports team.
Teacher
There’s also the option to share that knowledge picked up in further education, with those still at school. A career as a PE teacher allows you to not only impart your understanding and passion for sports science on your students, but it also has the potential to really make a difference to your class’s education experience.
With plenty of opportunity for career progression and a challenging, yet rewarding, working experience, teaching is the go-to career for many graduates in this field. One thing to bear in mind though, you will be required to undertake at least another year’s study before entering this field. A PGCE provides a one-year top-up course to graduates to allow them to work in a teaching environment.
Personal Trainer
If working with children isn’t your idea of a enjoyable career, working as a personal trainer could be just the ticket. Personal training means you can use the skills developed whilst doing your degree to help clients achieve a multitude of individual goals. This could range from things such as weight loss to muscle gain, to improved general fitness.
A career in the personal training industry allows you a flexible working life. You control your working hours, rates, and therefore your potential income. Work will be varied and challenging but there is also the administration side of things that comes with it. If you opt to go down the self-employed personal trainer route you will need to stay on top of things such as client management, taxes and liability insurance for personal trainers.
Sports Official
There are plenty of options for those not wanting a practical involvement of coaching others. One of these includes officiating in sport. With a sports science degree in tow you are well placed to know about the finer details of sport and physical exertion that could have an impact on decisions made within the sporting arena.
Of course there would be no organised sport without the officials to keep the players in check. It’s probable that you will need to complete licensing qualifications of your chosen sport to start officiating, but having a sports science degree in place already certainly goes a long way.
Sports Nutritionist
Helping to keep sportsmen and women in peak physical condition is a major part of a sports nutritionists job. By ensuring that any clients you may have are consuming the ideal diet for their sporting requirement, nutritionists aid their chance to deliver at the top of their game.
It’s not just sportsmen that a career as a nutritionist can benefit. The general public’s growing interest in healthy eating and a more considered way of life means that by developing your sports science knowledge down this specific route could be wise, with a huge potential for growth.
