Bachelor of Science in Physical Education

If you are the type of individual that likes working with other people to help them improve, has a broad interest in sport and/or physical activity and health and would like to work with young people, then this programme might very well be for you.

Why Study Physical Education at UL?

UL's School of Education is the largest post-primary teacher education provider in the state and is ranked in the top 100 universities in the world for Education programmes. University of Limerick is also ranked within the top 75 universities in Europe for excellence in teaching and learning.

The B.Sc. in Physical Education is one of the most popular undergraduate programmes in the University of Limerick. The programme is designed to qualify graduates as teachers of Physical Education along with a second subject in Irish Post-Primary Schools. Graduates of the programme are qualified to teach Physical Education and their second subject to Leaving Certificate level. The current second subjects on offer include English, Gaeilge, Geography and Mathematics.

Careers open to you with a degree in PE include;

• PE teacher in secondary school
• English/Irish/Geography/Maths Teacher in Secondary school
• Third level Lecturer
• Sports Development officer

The B.Sc. in Physical Education is designed to qualify graduates as teachers of Physical Education along with a second subject (English, Gaeilge, Geography, Mathematics and Chemistry) in Irish Post-Primary Schools. Graduates of the programme are qualified to teach Physical Education and their second subject to Leaving Certificate level.

Student Profiles

Jean Masterson

Sport is a hugely rewarding part of my life and I have always enjoyed an active lifestyle. On gaining some coaching experience in my community, I realized how enjoyable it is to work with and help young people to achieve. I wanted to know how to best teach young people, and how to enjoy and appreciate sport and exercise in the right ways.

PE at UL offers practical experience in a great variety of sports and games, gymnastics, dance and aquatics, along with the key knowledge and teaching skills to enable you to apply this experience in both teaching and sporting contexts. All of this helps to give a great insight into the important concepts, knowledge and skills needed to teach PE or coach young people.

What I like most about the course is the worthwhile and rewarding opportunities it offers to teach and coach - whether it’s getting involved in community events, youth sport or working with people with disabilities. Such experiences have allowed me to prepare for a career in either teaching or coaching by applying newly-learned skills and knowledge in realistic settings, while interacting with people of varying ages, abilities and interests.

As an integral part of the course, school placement is a busy time but it really gives you the perfect opportunity to put your knowledge and skills into practice. The school placement experiences helped me to realize how much I enjoy teaching and enabled me to identify my own strengths in this area. I got the best possible insight into what it’s like to teach PE and coach teams in schools today.

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