Increasing amounts of health care budgets are spent on managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, cardiopulmonary disease, cancer and mental health/dementia. Future health care needs are becoming more focused on prevention in order to avoid rising costs associated with chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes and related disabilities, and an ageing population.

This course brings together many of the skills and underpinning knowledge found in more traditional courses such as physiotherapy, sports therapy and sport science. This will enhance your employability to work in public health, the NHS, the fitness industry and/or clinical settings following graduation. Over your three years, the knowledge and skills you will have the opportunity to develop will focus on learning to help people to reduce their risk of common diseases through physical activity, and how to live more actively with more prominent health conditions (e.g. cardio-metabolic, muscle and movement disorders).

The practical and clinical placement elements of the course are linked with “exercise referral” initiatives and secondary prevention programmes, which are increasingly being required to keep people from returning to hospital following their early acute phases of treatment and rehabilitation.

In addition to your BSc degree, the course includes gaining 5 national qualifications as a registered exercise practitioner, which will allow you to work with healthy clients, GP referral patients and clinical populations (depending on previous experience this may include gym instructor, personal training and advanced instructor qualifications).