University College Plymouth St Mark & St John

The Faculty of Sport, Media & Creative Arts

The Faculty of Sport, Media & Creative Arts (FSMCA) was created in 2010 when the new Principal of UCP Marjon restructured the University College from three Schools to two Faculties replacing the School of Sport, Physical Education and Leisure (SSPEL).

The vision for SSPEL was as follows: SSPEL will be committed to providing high quality professionally oriented and vocationally relevant courses that equip students with the skills and knowledge to meet the rapidly changing needs and demands of the sport and leisure industries and physical education profession. The school aspires to consolidate and further develop existing provision and to introduce new programmes that are responsive to social, economic, political and educational needs at local, regional and national level. This vision holds true for the Faculty of Sport, Media & Creative Arts.

The Centre for Sport Development & Performance (CSDP)
The Centre for Sports Development (CSD) was established in September 1999 with the aim of developing opportunities in sport, from participation to excellence, for students, staff and the wider community. In 2004 Sport England and Universities UK identified UCP Marjon, through the work of the CSD, as an example of good practice and as a model for other higher education institutions. The CSDP is the administrative centre for the placement learning offered by the FSMCA.

Placement Learning and the FSMCA
Most students within the Faculty are provided with the opportunity to participate in placement learning as part of their degrees studies. At Postgraduate Diploma level students are also provided with the opportunity to embark on ‘Applied Professional Practice’.

Because of the vocational nature of the degrees offered by the Faculty it recognises the importance of placement learning. Placement learning allows students to complement their academic studies and gain vocationally relevant, ‘hands-on’ practical experience in the areas of their degree: coaching/teaching, sport development, outdoor adventure, health and physical activity, as well as giving students the opportunity to work with groups with specific requirements e.g. young people, people with disabilities or specific health requirements. 

Students are encouraged to reflect on, and critically analyse their experiences of being on placement and use the lessons learnt to contextualise their academic studies, put theory into practise and inform both their future studies and chosen career path. The overwhelming amount of feedback received from students and placement providers is positive with many commenting that they felt that the placement process benefited both the student and placement provider.