Sport and Exercise Science (with Placement year)

Learn to support elite sportspeople, talented younger players, or the wider population on our nationally endorsed Sport and Exercise Science degree.

Turn your love of sport and fitness into a lifelong career.

Study in the Cambridge Centre for Sports and Exercise Sciences, with its accredited exercise testing and human movement facilities. Here, you’ll learn to work safely and ethically as a sport and exercise scientist. You’ll explore the four key disciplines of sport and exercise science – physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition – and get hands-on experience working with athletes and members of the public.

We welcome talented athletes and offer financial support through our Sport Scholarship.

Why ARU?

• Study a leading Sports Science course – ranked second in the UK and 17th in the World (Shanghai Rankings 2023).

• Discover what makes great sports performers in our accredited high-performance labs.

• Join an industry-approved course, endorsed by CASES and CIMPSA.

• Gain experience testing athletes and members of the public in our Exercise Testing Consultancy.

• Bring the world of work to life through Live Briefs, developed with employers to give you exposure to ‘real world’ problem-solving.

• We’re delighted to be Cambridge United Football Club’s Official Education Partner which supports opportunities such as work experience at the club or volunteering with the Cambridge United Foundation.

Course Modules

Year 1

• Multidisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science 1 (30 credits)

• Introduction to Sport Coaching and Development (30 credits)

• Practical Delivery of Sport and Physical Education (30 credits)

• Multidisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science 2 (30 credits)

• Professional Development - Level 4

• Into ARU

• CIMSPA Level 2 Gym Instructor (0 credits) *

Year 2

• Advanced Topics in Sport Psychology (15 credits)

• Applied Research Skills (15 credits)

• Practical Competencies in Biomechanics (15 credits)

• Physiological Profiling for Strength and Power (15 credits)

• Professional Development - Level 5

• Ruskin Module (15 credits)

• Nutrition for Health and Exercise (15 credits) *

• Perceptual Motor Skills (15 credits) *

• Strength and Conditioning (15 credits) *

• Biomechanics: Analysis of Motion (15 credits) *

• Physiological Profiling for Endurance (15 credits) *

• Applied Performance Analysis (15 credits) *

• CIMSPA Level 3 Personal Trainer (0 credits) *

Year 3

Placement year

Year 4

• Physiological Responses to Training (15 credits)

• Physiological Basis of Training (15 credits)

• Undergraduate Research Project (30 credits) *

• Advanced Work Placement (30 credits) *

• Applied Biomechanics (15 credits) *

• Applied Sports Psychology (15 credits) *

• Advanced Strength and Conditioning (15 credits) *

• Performance and Exercise Nutrition (15 credits) *

• Current Topics in Biomechanics (15 credits) *

• Exercise Medicine (15 credits) *

• Contemporary Issues in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology (15 credits) *

*optional

Throughout the course, we’ll use a range of assessment methods to help you measure your progress. These include presentations, practical skills tests, scientific reports, case study critiques, online assessments and a research project. We’ll also encourage you to reflect on your work, and participate in peer assessment.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• BASES, British Association of Sports and Exercise Sciences
• The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity