Sport and Exercise Science

This course has a shared first year across multiple specialisms. After your first year, if you want to study a different specialism you can choose between continuing this course or Strength & Conditioning.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?
Employers today want to see your skills and experience straight out of university. We understand this better than anyone, that's why we offer you a chance to gain both skills and experience in using them. We give you the chance to apply your learning wherever possible in simulated real-world environments, using industry standard facilities in our Human Performance Lab.

This course has been endorsed by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), the professional body for sport and exercise sciences in the UK. Graduating with an endorsed degree provides you with a competitive advantage that is recognised nationally and internationally. Using our partnerships with professional bodies, sports teams, athletes and local schools and colleges we have based your course on what’s needed out in the field today.

The quality of our links to industry speak for themselves. We’re currently linked with Watford FC, Wycombe Wanderers, Reading Ladies WSL and academy teams, Amateur Swimming Association, British Rowing, GB para-athletes and many community sports clubs, athletes and schools. Our lecturers are actively engaged in professional practice and have many years of experience in teaching and in industry.

What facilities can I use?
Most of our work with you and our professional partners takes place in the Human Performance, Exercise and Wellbeing Centre. This is where the body can be fully tested and evaluated, using specialist equipment used by sport and exercise scientists everyday.

It contains a working clinic and human performance laboratory, and the learning you will complete here helps prepare you for your future career using evidence based insights and research. Additionally, the University has a commercially run sports hall and fitness centre giving you the opportunity to learn within a sports centre environment, with a student gym too.

What will I study?
Endorsed by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists (BASES) our BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science degree combines underlying scientific principles from the sport and exercise science disciplines of physiology, biomechanics, sports psychology with highly practical skills from the more contemporary sports science disciplines of strength and conditioning, nutrition and performance analysis, to help prepare you for a career within the field of sport and exercise science.

Over the three years you’ll study with us, you’ll focus on learning about the key areas of sport and exercise science, covering areas like health physiology, biomechanics, sport nutrition performance analysis, human anatomy and data analysis. You’ll spend time learning how to analyse and evaluate performance needs and develop a critical understanding of the fundamental principles which underpin applied sport and exercise science.

In your final year, you’ll also work closely with your personal tutor to dive into an area you’re particularly passionate about through your dissertation project.

Career Prospects
The blend of theoretical, practical and work-based learning you’ll experience in this course will set you up for a career within the fields of high-performance sport or clinical exercise. You can also choose to study for a postgraduate course like MSc Sports Therapy or MSc Sports Performance. You’ll also have the chance to go on to BASES membership which is a key membership and is now becoming required for many jobs in the industry.

Previous graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of roles such as personal trainers, fitness instructors, sports science, graduate sport programmes, and specialists in well regarded organisations.

Course Modules

Year one
Core
Fundamentals of Strength & Conditioning (20 Credits)
Health & Human Physiology (20 Credits)
Human Anatomy & Movement Analysis (20 Credits)
Introduction to Sport & Exercise Psychology (20 Credits)
Introduction to Research in Sport (20 Credits)
Principles of Biomechanics in Sport (20 Credits)

Year two
Core
Applied Exercise Physiology (20 Credits)
Approaches to Applied Sport & Performance Psychology (20 Credits)
Exercise Instruction & Special Populations (20 Credits)
Principles and Applications of Biomechanics in Sport (20 Credits)
Research Methods (20 Credits)

Optional Modules
Performance Analysis (20 Credits)
Sports Nutrition (20 Credits)

Year three
Core
Extended Independent Work (40 credits)
Sports Science in Practice (20 Credits)

Optional Modules
Psychology of Physical Education and Youth Sport (20 Credits)
Clinical Biomechanics (20 Credits)
Training, Recovery & Nutrition in Sports Performance (20 Credits)
Skills Acquisition (20 Credits)
Sports Injuries and Rehabilitation (20 Credits)
Coaching Leadership (20 Credits)

This course combines underlying scientific principles and highly practical skills from the sport science disciplines. We combine principles from classic disciplines like physiology, biomechanics and sports psychology with skills from contemporary ones like strength and conditioning, sports coaching, performance analysis and nutrition.

The way we’ve designed this programme to combine such a broad combination of subject areas means you’ll graduate with a holistic understanding of what it takes to prepare for a career within the field of Sport and Exercise Science.

You’ll be taught by our specialist teaching team through lectures, practical sessions, seminars and workshops, and your work will be assessed through presentations, portfolio assessments, viva, practical assessments and written work.

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

• BASES, British Association of Sports and Exercise Sciences