Sport, health and exercise
Courses
We offer three undergraduate sports degrees, all with a substantial emphasis on practical work in state-of-art laboratories. Our BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science degree was introduced in 1998 and we pioneered one of the first Sports Therapy degrees in the country in 2000. Our Sports Studies degree was launched in September 2006.
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
This degree focuses on understanding and improving sporting performance, and also the role played by exercise in improving a person’s physiological and psychological well-being. You’ll study both the theoretical aspects of sport and exercise and apply your knowledge through a wide range of practical classes and applied research. In the final year you carry out a research project into an area of Sport and Exercise Science that interests you. Every year our final year students present their research at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science annual conference.
A Sport and Exercise Science degree will give you a wide range of employment opportunities. Some graduates work in sports clubs in a sport science support role, some go on to work in the in the leisure industry, in health promotion or in medical rehabilitation or sports development. Graduates have also decided to go into public services such as the police, fire brigade or armed forces. Graduates who have gone on to do further study have completed postgraduate qualifications such as Masters or PhDs or taken teacher training qualifications (PGCE) or second degrees in related subjects such as physiotherapy. Regardless of their chosen career path the skills and qualities gained by our graduates will hold them in good stead when looking for employment.
BSc (Hons) Sports Studies
The Sports Studies degree brings together five themes of Sports Coaching, Sports Management, Sports Development, Disciplines Supporting Sports Performance, and Academic Skills, in an attractive and well balanced programme of study. You will develop your knowledge of key areas in sport, including areas related to sports science. The main focus of the degree is on coaching and development, and the work experience module in the second year allows you to apply your knowledge in a vocational environment.
There are a variety of career opportunities in sports related employment for Sports Studies graduates including sports coaching, sports development, sports management, sports administration, sports media, sports promotion, health promotion, sports business, and sports instruction, teaching or research.
BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy
Our Sports Therapy degree will train in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of sporting injuries. It is a vocational course that is designed to lead to employment as a professionally recognised Sports Therapist. It is run with accreditation from the Society of Sports Therapists, which means that on graduation, you are entitled to join the Society as a full member. You will also gain professional indemnity insurance with this membership, which is essential for a professionally active sports therapist. Sports Therapy graduates have the necessary skills to work in the professional or amateur sporting environment with local, national or international sports teams. There are also opportunities in sports and fitness clubs and within the NHS. Some graduates choose to go on to further specialised training or research for an MSc or PhD in related areas such as Physiotherapy. Whatever your eventual career choice is, the strong vocational element to the degree and the experience of clinical practice gained, gives our graduates a head start in the jobs market.
Consultancy
We offer a range of consultancy services in all areas of applied Sports Science and Health including: Cardiovascular testing, lactate testing, weight management, sports injuries, sports psychology support, sports nutrition and heat acclimation. We have excellent facilites which allow us carry out these tests including an environmental chamber.
Facilities
All students studying a Sports degree benefit from our excellent newly-refurbished facilities. There are six purpose built laboratories and a therapy room with an adjacent Sports Injuries Clinic. This is used by sports therapy students for clinical practice.
The labs provide you with an extensive range of state of the art sport, exercise and therapy equipment, to help you get most out your practical sessions. For example, they contain Ergonometers, which measure the amount of work done by a muscle or muscle groups,Dynamometers, to measure strength of joints and Anthropometric Equipment,used to measure the size, weight and proportions of the human body. There is also equipment for Respiratory Analysis, Blood Analysis and Cardio-Vascular Analysis. Equipment for Sports Therapy students includes hydraulic 3-section couches, thermo later heat-pack and equipment for electrotherapy such as Ultrasound, Interferential and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (T.E.N.S.).
We also make extensive use of the large environmental chamber for both teaching and consultancy, which has a temperature range of -20 to +40 degrees Celsius. The environmental chamber is as an excellent resource for the heat acclimation of athletes prior to competition in hot and humid climates. So far it has played a role in the preparations of several national teams including the England Women's Rugby Team and the England Ladies U21 Hockey Team.