Course overview

A degree in sport and exercise science will provide you with an excellent opportunity to investigate and understand human performance in the context of sport, exercise and health, and the work environments. Centred around three themes (exercise and health physiology, psychology and coaching, and applied sports biomechanics), this degree allows you to study and apply the scientific principles, theories and ideas underpinning sport and physical activity involvement.

Professional accreditation

This course was one of the first in the UK to receive undergraduate endorsement from the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), the leading sport science organisation in the country. BASES only awards endorsement to those sport and exercise science-related courses that provide undergraduates with the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that it considers essential to enter into the profession.

BASES Undergraduate Endorsed Courses – The rigorous assessment criteria ensure that only highest calibre courses achieve the BASES endorsement award – BUES.

Course content

In the first year of the degree programme you are taught a variety of core subjects in the main disciplines of sport and exercise science. You will also study units that will facilitate your learning and encourage you to consider your career options. As the degree progresses, you will be given greater opportunities to choose the units that you are most interested in studying, with a view to specialising in areas you may wish to work in after your degree.

In your final year, you will embark on a major project investigating an area of academic interest. A fundamental underpinning for this scientific study is the research methods unit covered in your second year, which provides you with a detailed understanding of ethical issues, how to carry out research and the various methods of data analysis, interpretation and presentation.

Whilst completing your degree, you will also have the opportunity to gain additional vocational experience, and obtain National Governing Bodies and First Aid qualifications.

Year one

• Introduction to Sport and Exercise Physiology
• Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology
• Coaching Principles
• Introduction to Kinesiology and Biomechanics
• Introduction to Fitness Training and Assessment
• Research Methods 1

Year two

• Psychology of Sport and Exercise
• Tools of Biomechanical Analysis
• Research Methods 2
• Sport and Exercise Physiology
• Monitoring in Nutrition, Health and Physical Performance*
• Psychology of Skill Development and Performance*
• The Science of Injury and Rehabilitation*

Year three

• Project
• Professional Practice in Sports Psychology*
• Physiological Approaches to Training and Assessment*
• Environmental and Occupational Physiology*
• Psychophysiological Aspects of Health-Related Exercise*
• Motion Analysis*
• Applied Skill Acquisition and Expertise*
• Professional Development*
• Professional Practice in Sports Education*

*Optional units. All other units are core.

Teaching and assessment

Our academic year typically begins in September and finishes in June. The year is made up of 30 weeks, divided into 24 weeks of teaching and the remaining weeks are for assessment.

You will experience a variety of teaching approaches, chosen to cater for all student learning styles. These include lecture, seminar, laboratory, tutorial and field settings. This is also mirrored by the varied assessment strategies used throughout the degree. These include exams, essays, lab reports, individual and/or group presentations, poster presentations, practical exercises and project reports. Furthermore, our dedicated staff will provide an enjoyable and interactive environment, in addition to valuable tutorial support throughout the three years of your degree.

You will be assigned a personal tutor who is available to discuss academic or pastoral issues. To facilitate open communication and learning, structured individual and group tutorials are provided at all levels. Furthermore, tutors will help to monitor your performance, set targets for future performance and address any problems you may be experiencing at any point.

Career prospects

It is estimated that the global sports industry will be worth in excess of £110 billion in 2012 and is growing at a rate of six per cent per year. As one of the first courses in the UK to be endorsed by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), this degree will allow you to develop the knowledge and skills that are considered essential for entering many sports professions including:

• sports science support
• strength and conditioning and coaching
• health and fitness training/advising/promotion
• teaching
• developing sport and activity programmes in the community (either working through a city council or via a sporting national governing body)
• health trainers

In addition, students graduating from our department have also entered a range of other occupations including:

• NHS and health provision
• military
• lecturing in FE and HE institutions
• police service
• corporate account manager
• logistics assistant
• postgraduate study

To help students progress into their chosen careers the department provides the opportunity for students to undertake a first aid course and various coaching workshops free of charge. Additionally, students can compete for the department’s annual professional development fund to financially support an external professional qualification or career development activity. The department also facilitates a number of internships giving students the opportunity to leave university with vital work experience in addition to their degree. Past internships have been hosted by England Badminton, England Volleyball, Hampshire County Cricket, Hampshire Football Association, Parkwood Leisure, Portsmouth Football Club, Southampton Football Club, Sport Hampshire and IOW, and Surrey Ladies Golf.

Facilities and features

The Department of Sport and Exercise Science is located in the purpose-built Spinnaker Building. Housed within this building are some of the finest laboratory facilities in the country. These include three environmental chambers:

• A cold chamber which reduces the temperatures down to –20°C, enabling scientists to examine human performance under extreme cold environments.

• An immersion pool which allows for the examination of human responses to immersion in various temperatures of water (this chamber also enables us to change the temperature and humidity of the air).

• One of the largest swimming flumes (swimming equivalent of a treadmill) in the country, which enables scientists to monitor physiological and biomechanical responses under controlled conditions in a confined laboratory setting. This chamber also has the ability to change the temperature and humidity of the air, in addition to simulating altitude conditions, enabling athletes to exercise under a variety of different environments that they may have to compete in around the world.

The building also contains a purpose-built biomechanics laboratory, which contains two force platforms, electromyography (EMG) and advanced video equipment (Qualisys 8 camera opto-electric) to enable the monitoring and evaluation of technique and skill levels within sport, exercise and health.

In addition to these facilities, the Department has three physiology laboratories and psychology, biochemistry and anthropometry laboratories. Furthermore, the nearby University Library provides superb learning facilities and resources including networked and stand alone computers, books, DVDs and paper/online journals.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).