This degree offers a broad scope of study, giving you the opportunity to create your own course as you study all aspects of sports science. Studying a combination of sports and exercise sciences will give you a wide range of knowledge and understanding regarding scientific methods used in sports science.
Ranked as the top university in London for Sports Science (The Complete University Guide 2020), this course is taught by active sports professionals involved in coaching, sport rehabilitation and performance. We have extensive industry links to some of the biggest names in the field including Tottenham Hotspur Academy, Barnet FC, Leyton Orient FC, Health South USA, and Anatomie Sports Injury Clinic.
The course is based in our modern facilities at Barnet Copthall Stadium, home of Saracens Rugby Club, so you’ll have access to research labs, as well as conditioning and fitness suites during the 3 years of the programme, and when available to access if social distancing is in place. The equipment you can use includes the UK’s most advanced 3D motion analysis equipment and a DXA scanning body composition machine, plus many more.
During this course you’ll develop the skills needed to support athletes to perform at their peak while reducing the risk of injury. You’ll develop your understanding of biomechanical and physiological theories, as well as your psychological skills.
You’ll integrate professional practice into your studies as you complete 50 hours of placements every year. This is a crucial opportunity to develop your skills and knowledge by working with athletes. The availability of placements is subject to cooperating organisations and we are working closely with our partners to ensure we have as many available as possible even during COVID-19. Due to COVID-19, the total number of placement hours required to pass the module may be altered under the guidance of the Accredited Professional Bodies or the University where applicable.
By graduation, you’ll be armed with the techniques and procedures needed to analyse and interpret human movement, physical fitness and well-being. A sports and exercise degree sets you up for a fulfilling career.
Our personalised approach gives you the support you need to succeed as a student. While you are an undergraduate or foundation year student, you’ll have a Personal Tutor directly related to your course. If you need support with academic writing, numeracy and library skills, we’ll be sure to provide it. Our Student Learning and Graduate Academic Assistants have studied your subject and can support you based on their own experience.
Once you complete the degree, you’ll have an ideal basis for specialising at postgraduate level. Previous graduates have gone on to work as a lifestyle coach, sports manager, sports development officer and more.
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At the centre of this course lies the scientific approach to supporting athletes to perform at their peak while reducing the risk of injury. You will develop an in-depth understanding of physiological, psychological and biomechanical theories, and how they can be used to assist performance enhancement, health and fitness. A large part of your studies will be practice-based at our Barnet Copthall Stadium site and you will take part in 150 hours of clinical practice throughout your degree (50 hours per year). (Access will be dependent on social distancing requirements due to Covid-19.)
You will graduate, armed with the knowledge and understanding of the research methods and processes relating to exercise and health. You will be proficient in the techniques and procedures used to analyse and interpret human movement, to assess and interpret physical fitness and well-being. You will have an understanding of sports psychology and how to work effectively with sportspeople.
This module aims to provide you with a broad knowledge of anatomy to develop an understanding of the principals of movement. You will explore the function of the skeletal system and identify the joints range of movement and type structuring the human skeleton. This will provide a platform to understanding how bones interact with muscles in order to produce primary movement at joints. You can then utilise this knowledge to advancing your coaching skills across a wide range of sports.
This module provides a broad understanding of learning theories and coaching styles in a variety of sporting situations. You will know the underlying theoretical concepts of how to plan, deliver, evaluate and modify coaching sessions, whilst understanding the National Curriculum and the differences between the pedagogy at various key stages. You will work effectively on complex coaching sessions both individually and as a group to enhance your interpersonal and communications skills.
This module will introduce and apply key scientific concepts and principles across the three main sports science disciplines of physiology, psychology and biomechanics. You will gain a broad understanding of human movement, physiological mechanisms that underpin these movements and core psychological concepts that affect health and sporting performance. You will learn how to work effectively in a team by carrying out practical investigations in all three sport and exercise disciplines.
This module will introduce the underlying theoretical frameworks of health and fitness, to provide you with the confidence and practical skills to deliver effective training sessions. You will develop your coaching knowledge through a variety of topics, ranging from the benefits and risks of physical activity, the development and maintenance of health and fitness, and understand how to optimise and monitor sports performance. The theoretical sessions will support you to undertake complex and routine practical performance tasks, orientated around developing effective coaching skills, both on an individual and group basis.
This module will provide a broad understanding and knowledge of the key academic skills required for you to successfully complete your degree. You will know the underlying theoretical frameworks for research methods and academic writing by demonstrating your understanding of literature, sourcing literature, the components of research and identifying strengths and weaknesses. You will also gain key employability and personal development skills.
This module will provide you with a detailed theoretical knowledge of performance analysis concepts and practical skills to prepare you for work in an applied performance analysis environment. You will learn to collect, analyse and present relevant performance-related data to understand how performance analysis can be utilised in sport. You will also learn the roles and responsibilities of the performance analyst developing and adapting interpersonal and communication skills to a range of sporting scenarios and audiences.
This module will provide you with the detailed knowledge of key concepts and theories of sport and exercise nutrition that can influence sporting performance. You will explore the physiological and biochemical basis of sport and exercise nutrition and develop your understanding of applied strategies to enable an adaptation in sporting performance. You will discuss such strategies in a sporting context by interpreting and analysing scientific literature through an oral presentation and written case study.
This module will provide detailed knowledge of key biomechanical and physiological theories and concepts that can affect sport and exercise. You will explore the mechanical basis of human movement and develop your understanding of the chronic physiological adaptations that occur during sport and exercise. You will interact effectively within a team through physiological and biomechanical laboratory and field based measurements to interpret and analyse your findings through a scientific report.
This module will teach you how applied techniques and practices can be utilised to positively impact the psychological constructs associated with sport. For example, how mental imagery can be used to enhance an individual’s confidence. You will also be taught theory related to mental skills training and psychological maladaptation in sport. This will enable you to understand how an athlete's performance and wellbeing can be supported through the use of psychological skills and the construction of performance environments. Upon completing this module, you will be able to plan and deliver a mental skills training sessions and understand how to identify antecedents and symptoms of psychological maladaptation.
This module will provide you with the skills to analyse a range of academic information, comparing alternative methods and techniques. This will involve the collecting and synthesising of information to inform a subject specific research question. You will have knowledge of well-established research methods and concepts evidenced by the awareness of inconsistencies, gaps and limitations within literature.
This module develops your ability to apply the in-depth knowledge and skills gained from prior learning in relation to a professional practice environment. You will be required to reflect and evaluate your working practice and be able to adopt a problem-solving approach to practice and a working environment. This is a compulsory placement module where you will be encouraged to seek short term (minimum of 400 hours) work experience in a suitable Sport and Exercise Rehabilitation environment. This should be supervised by a suitably qualified practitioner (certified and registered/insured with a professional body; Sports Rehabilitator, Sports Therapist, Physiotherapist, Chiropractor, Osteopath, Sports Medicine doctor, or equivalent, dictated by the programme leader).
This module aims to explore unfamiliar populations and investigate physiological strategies and techniques to undertake critical analysis, evaluation and outcomes in sport performance, health and monitoring. You will demonstrate your in-depth knowledge of advanced physiology through successfully identifying and executing appropriate methods, analysis, evaluation and dissemination of information.
This module provides you with a systematic understanding of human movement and you will apply an understanding of specialist concepts to assess and critically analyse the causes of human movement, synthesise ideas and be able to produce a theoretical model for a chosen sport. Working effectively within a team, you will identify, select, and apply a variety of biomechanical tests for critical analysis that affect sporting performance.
This module will give you the advanced knowledge of applied sport psychology theories and techniques that can be utilised to positively impact clients. You will develop an understanding of a variety of psychological frameworks and approaches that can shape the direction of needs analysis and intervention protocols. Upon completing the module, you will know how to structure needs analysis and be able to develop theoretically framed intervention strategies that are underpinned by research.
This module aims to introduce additional advanced sport science concepts, from a variety of disciplines. You will examine and analyse their role in optimising sports performance and/or health in a field setting. You must demonstrate the interdisciplinary nature of how the theoretical principles of coaching, biomechanics, physiology, psychology, strength and conditioning, and rehab can be integrated and applied to working with a client in the field. This module will enable you to experience and apply appropriate interdisciplinary knowledge, tools and procedures in working with both elite athletes and general populations.
This module aims to synthesise learning from your previous modules and provides an opportunity for you to study independently and investigate a topic in depth. It fosters academic curiosity, an inquiry-based approach, the employment and application of research skills, and facilitate the development of higher level theorising. You will select a topic relevant to your degree on which you wish to undertake a substantial in-depth study. You will judge the reliability, validity and significance of the evidence to support conclusions and/or recommendations.
See the course specification for more information:
Optional modules are usually available at levels 5 and 6, although optional modules are not offered on every course. Where optional modules are available, you will be asked to make your choice during the previous academic year. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.
The range of careers open to Sport and Exercise Science graduates is vast and is also the ideal basis for specialising at postgraduate level. You could find yourself working in a range of exciting settings such as:
Previous graduates have also found success as a lifestyle coach, sports manager, sports coach, physical trainer, sports science technician, sport development officer.
There are career opportunities in teaching and research. On graduation, students can continue with their professional studies by working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) accreditation as a sports and exercise scientist. Suitable graduates can study to become physiotherapists or sports rehabilitators.
Our Employability Service can help you to develop your employability skills and get some valuable work experience. We provide workshops, events and one to one support with job hunting, CVs, covering letters, interviews, networking and so on. We also support you in securing part-time work, placements, internships, and volunteering opportunities, and offer an enterprise support service for those looking to start their own business.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: October 2021
Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
Code: C60F
Start: October 2021
Duration: 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time
Code: CQ00
