Sport and Exercise Science

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

• 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 BASES 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; designed and developed with regional 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.

Want to turn your love of sport and fitness into a lifelong career? Sport and Exercise Science graduates are in demand, whether you want to encourage and support people to take up sports and exercise, work in a clinical environment – or help propel them to the top of their game. You’ll learn to apply the four key disciplines of sport and exercise science: physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition.

Study sports science with world-leading experts in our specialist labs in Cambridge, on a degree course endorsed by the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES) and the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), so you'll graduate ready to work in the UK’s burgeoning sport and fitness industry or to continue your learning journey to postgraduate study.

There are plenty of opportunities to get hands-on experience, with internships and an optional placement year.

On our Sport and Exercise Science BSc degree course at ARU, you’ll explore the scientific principles and techniques that underpin health, wellbeing and sporting performance.

Sports and exercise scientists can work at all levels, from the general population to elite performance – and our course prepares you for that.

You’ll study the nature of the human machine: how this operates when engaged in sport and exercise, and how to interpret and evaluate its responses.

Our Sport and Exercise Science students are based in the Cambridge Centre for Sports and Exercise Sciences. Here, you’ll learn to work safely and ethically as a sport and exercise scientist in our laboratories.

There’s the chance to hear from world-leading guest speakers too, through our Excellence in Sports seminar series, and to take part in training opportunities, such as working as a strength and conditioning coach or as part of the student-led physiology testing consultancy team.

As you’d expect from a university that’s passionate about sports, you’ll find an array of array of sports clubs and societies here.

And to top it all off, there’s financial support on offer for talented athletes.

Going to university can offer you a series of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. As part of your course, you could study abroad with one of our short-term Global Experience programmes. Opportunities include summer schools and placements, lasting from one to four weeks and funded by ARU’s UK Turing Scheme grants.

Additionally, you can apply to study in North America for one trimester. You’ll study on the BSc Kinesiology course at University of Illinois Chicago, or SUNY Cortland in New York State, continuing your ARU degree while there. Read more about studying in North America including the funding you can access.

Year 1 core modules:
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)

Year One optional module:
CIMSPA Level 2 Gym Instructor

Year 2 core modules:
Advanced Topics in Sport Psychology
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)

Year 2 optional modules:
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)
CIMSPA Level 3 Personal Trainer

Year 3 core modules:
Physiological Responses to Training (15 credits)
Physiological Basis of Training (15 credits)
Final Project Options:
Undergraduate Research Project (30 credits)
Advanced Work Placement (30 credits)

Year 3 optional modules:
Performance and Exercise Nutrition (15 credits)
Applied Biomechanics (15 credits)
Applied Sports Psychology (15 credits)
Advanced Strength and Conditioning (15 credits)
Current Topics in Biometrics (15 credits)
Exercise Medicine (15 credits)
Contemporary Issues in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology (15 credits)

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