Discover the science behind sport performance and the health benefits of physical activity and exercise.

Do you dream of working with elite athletes to help improve their performance or want a better understanding of how science can be applied to sport to improve your coaching or teaching ability? Do you want to develop your understanding of exercise as a medicine for people with health problems or want to promote the benefits of physical activity and exercise? This broad ranging course is uniquely designed to help you realise these dreams.

Drawing on 40 years of experience, we pride ourselves on offering many ‘hands on’ experiences in the laboratory or the sport coaching environment. This and our research-led curriculum, covering core Sport Science topics of physiology, psychology and biomechanics, will give you the knowledge and skills required for a career in the expanding exercise and sport market. With the addition of our sport and exercise specific employability programs and placements you have the opportunity to make yourself stand out from the crowd with a degree from one of the ‘original’ schools of sport science in the UK.

Students on this Sports Science degree will typically have one or two hours of lectures per week for each module as well as laboratory time, seminars and tutorials. This direct contact time will be tied with student-centred learning such as reading, writing essays and reports, gathering information and data, working on group projects and preparing verbal and poster presentations. These form the basis of your assessment, along with examinations, case studies and critiques of research.

25% of students’ time is spent in lectures, seminars and lab practicals. We keep our lectures, seminars and lab class sizes small:

• Lectures: 30-150
• Seminars: approx. 12
• Laboratory practicals: approx. 25

This means that our students have closer contact with lecturers and tutors, and all our students have access to regular one-to-one meetings with staff.

This Sports Science degree course is ideal preparation for careers in sport science, research, fitness/leisure management, sports administration, coaching and instruction, sports development, sports therapy/physiotherapy, teaching, the armed or emergency services, sports journalism, youth work and management consultancy.

All our courses will prepare you for a career as a sport scientist, working with squads of elite athletes and performers to fine tune their training; sport science research; working in the public health sector, for example in sports therapy or physiotherapy; or working in the health/fitness industry generally. Postgraduate study and a career in teaching (after completing a postgraduate certificate of education), research and lecturing is another vocational route. There are also some specific career opportunities for different degrees listed with the course details.

Some School of Sport, Health and Exercise Science graduates simply use their academic qualification and the transferable skills that they have developed to work in management, the emergency services or to set up their own business.

Our research-led curriculum covers the core Sport, Health and Exercise Science topics of physiology, psychology, exercise, health and medicine, biomechanics and effective coaching. Our expertise and high calibre teaching will help you gain the knowledge and skills you need for a career in the expanding sport, health, exercise and adventure markets.