Sport and Exercise Science BSc (Hons)
- Level(s) of Study: Undergraduate
- Typical Offer: 112 - 120 UCAS tariff points
- UCAS Code(s): C600 (full-time); 350Q (sandwich)
- Start Date(s): September 2024
- Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement
- Study Mode(s): Full-time / Sandwich
- Campus: Clifton Campus
Introduction:
Sport and exercise goes beyond physical fitness: it involves unlocking the full potential of human performance, enhancing mental wellbeing, cultivating teamwork, and contributing to a healthier, more resilient society.
On our BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science degree, you’ll delve into technique, strategy, physiology and more to determine how teams and individuals can maximise their sports performance. Working on live briefs set by our industry partners, you’ll be a driving force for success.
But it doesn’t stop there. A healthy community is a happy community, and by getting involved with our Sport and Wellbeing Academy, you can give local people the tools and confidence to improve their lifestyles – from schoolchildren to adults of all ages and fitness levels.
Sport and exercise science at NTU is about putting theory into practice, and seeing how you can make a difference to people’s lives. If you’re after a degree which gets you working hands-on with sportspeople, drives positive change, and opens doors to the fitness, sporting and wellbeing industries, look no further.
Why this course?
-
Study a degree supported by over 30 sport and leisure organisations and endorsed by BASES. -
We're top 20 in the UK for teaching quality in Sport Science (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024) -
Learn with the latest industry-standard facilities, including a BOA-approved environmental chamber. -
Get real work-like experience with live briefs and within our Sport and Wellbeing Academy.
What you’ll study
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science at NTU isn’t just about science and theory: it’s about action. You’ll apply your learning to real life and real people from the get-go, and complete briefs set by our industry partners. Your projects could involve devising strategies for how athletes operate in different environmental climates; investigating the impact of age on performance in U9 to U15 football players; or examining the techniques of an Olympic sport using motion analysis software.
From Year Two onwards, you’ll benefit from a broad range of optional modules – covering topics from illness and talent development to contemporary issues in sport – which allow you to tailor your degree and home in on your desired career path.
Study highlights include:
- Work on live briefs for big industry players, including the NHS, Sportstest and Nottingham Forest FC.
- Take your learning beyond the classroom, with projects across our local community, visits to major sporting venues, and field trips around the UK.
- Gain crucial work experience on an optional paid or voluntary placement year, working for organisations like local schools, sports clubs or physiotherapists.
- Get familiar with advanced industry-standard sports science facilities, including specialist laboratories and purpose-built sports performance analysis suites.
- Complete an independent sports project of your choice in your final year, reflecting your professional interests and bringing together everything you’ve learnt on your degree.
- Boost your employability further by becoming a certified personal trainer, or by learning a language alongside your sports and exercise science studies on our University Language Programme (ULP).
Here’s a full breakdown of your modules.
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Physiology
This module provides the foundations of the key human systems (both anatomical and physiological) and their responses and
adaptations to sport and exercise.
Foundations in Sport and Exercise Psychology
Examine the psychological consequences of engaging in sport and exercise, as well as the mental factors that impact on quality
sport and exercise experiences.
Introduction to Human Movement Science
Learn about the theoretical and practical aspects of biomechanics relevant to understanding motion of the human body and the forces generated or experienced by the human body.
Sport, Culture and Society: a Critical Introduction
Explore the importance of the social sciences in the understanding of sport and in the education of every sports professional.
Foundation Nutrition
Learn the essential principles and concepts of nutrition, focusing upon the structure and function of nutrients, the effects of
consumption and the methods for assessing nutritional intake and status.
Developing Academic and Research Skills
Get an overall perspective of the research process in the context of sport, exercise, health and leisure management, and learn the research skills necessary to successfully complete your studies.
Core modules
Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology
Through theoretical and practical study, you will learn how bouts of physical exercise alter the body’s structures and functions and how these concepts can be applied to training.
Practical Applications in Sport and Exercise Psychology
This module introduces the concept of evidence-based practice and frameworks of assessment, intervention and evaluation to address issues in sport, coaching, and social and exercise psychology.
Analysis of Human Movement
Building on the biomechanical principles studied in Year One, you will develop the skills required to explain measurable human
movements and forces using biomechanical theories.
Integrated Applied and Professional Skills
Using enquiry-based learning, you will continue to learn about the research process and gain an understanding and experience of how research is conducted within sports and exercise science.
Optional modules
Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Understand the role nutrition has on an athlete’s performance. You’ll study the physiological and biochemical processes the human body performs to access the nutritional components of the food we eat. Following an evaluation of dietary needs, you’ll be able to design a nutritional plan to optimise training and performance in sport at all levels.
Observational Analysis for Sport
Learn the key concepts, skills and techniques for observational sports analysis, including match analysis, motion analysis and techniques analysis.
Choose one module from:
Exercise and Health Physiology
Develop your understanding of how disease states affect physiological processes to impede exercise capacity and how exercise training can improve health and wellbeing.
Sociology of Sport, Health and the Body
Develop a critical understanding of the active body in society by connecting fundamental theories and concepts with personal experiences, professional challenges, and popular cultural examples.
Optional year-long work placement. If you are not taking a placement, you will progress directly to your final year in year three.
Core modules:
Sport Project and Dissertation
You will produce an original and independent piece of work in a specialist area of sport and exercise science depending on your focus of study.
Applied Sport Science
Adopt a multidisciplinary approach to sport and exercise science and develop case studies that apply at disciplines of sport and exercise science science.
Optional modules:
Choose one from:
Contemporary Issues in the Sociology of Sport: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
This module seeks to situate sport within a broad consideration of global processes, practices and consequences.
Sport, Exercise and the Brain
You'll explore how psychological factors, such as self-control, affect exercise adherence and sporting performance. Additionally, you will examine how physical activity and exercise affect psychophysiological outcomes, such as cognitive function and mental health.
Strength, Power and Endurance for Sport and Exercise
This module typically focuses on six topics related to applied exercise physiology and strength and conditioning research.
Physical Activity for Health
This module will cover general exercise testing and prescription principles, paediatric, geriatric, and gender-specific conditions.
Talent Development in Sport
This module will explore a critical view of the role of talent development in sports, focusing on the psychosocial, environmental, and personal factors that can influence the talent development process.
Choose one from:
Child and Adolescent Growth, Health and Performance
The module will describe and critically evaluate the processes of growth and development in humans and the potential impact of these on the current (and future) health and performance of the growing child and adolescent.
Advanced Topics in Sport and Exercise Psychology
You will become familiar with selected areas such as motivational climate, athletic identity, mental toughness, psychology of injury and morality in sports. The emphasis of this module will be placed on current primary research.
Applied Human Movement Science for Sport
This module addresses, in the context of biomechanics, how to improve and / or optimise human performance and to understand how human performance can be affected by or result in dysfunction.
Current Topics in Sport and Exercise Nutrition
This module provides the fundamental knowledge and understanding that underpins the relationship between nutrition and exercise performance.
Hormone and Immune Function in Sport and Exercise
This module will introduce you to the endocrine and immune systems, exploring how they operate as separate entities and looking at areas where they overlap. Using this knowledge, you will then be introduced to exercise immunology and endocrinology, considering the physiological and molecular mechanisms that determine the function of both systems.
Choose one from:
Performance Skill and Expertise in Sport
This module outlines how human movement and motor programs are initiated, controlled, learned, taught and performed.
Challenging Critical Issues in Sport
You'll analyse complex problems such as sports injury, drug use in sports and inequality and develop potential solutions using positive social changes.
Environmental Sports Physiology
This module outlines some physiological adaptations that occur when the human body is exposed to an extreme environment.
Illness and Injury in Sport and Exercise
Investigate injury management and illnesses that occur in sports and exercise. You'll examine the epidemiology, mechanisms and risk factors and the use of strategies to avoid and lessen the occurrence of sports injuries and illnesses.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear from our students themselves
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How you’re taught
Our Sport and Exercise Science Department comprises a team of experts with decades of experience between them, ranging from long-time industry professionals to academic researchers. At NTU, our excellent research informs all our teaching – and not only will you be taught by the people behind it, but you’ll be using the very same facilities and equipment they use.
Our BSc Sport and Exercise Science degree course is endorsed by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), meaning you can be sure that you’ll receive high-quality teaching which is relevant to the industry.
You’ll learn through a mix of:
- lectures, covering the key theories and most pressing issues in sport and exercise science
- seminars, which are smaller-group sessions perfect for learning key skills and collaborative working
- practical workshops using our extensive range of industry-standard facilities
- external visits to the organisations which set your live briefs.
Contact hours
As the course progresses, you’ll have an increasing amount of time to focus on independent study and research. You’ll still have access to your tutors whenever you need them.
Here’s the year-by-year breakdown of contact hours throughout our sport and exercise science degree course:
- Year One – lectures / seminars / workshops (26%) and independent study (74%)
- Year Two – lectures / seminars / workshops (24%) and independent study (76%)
- Final year – lectures / seminars / workshops (18%) and independent study (82%)
You may choose to take a placement year between Year Two and your final year.
How you’re assessed
People excel in different ways, and we want everybody to have the best possible chance of success. That’s why we’ve adopted a range of assessment types on our sport and exercise science course, including:
- coursework, including group projects, case studies, dissertation and other assignments
- practical assessments, such as individual and group presentations, laboratory assessments and lab reports
- written exams and multiple-choice tests.
- Year 1 - coursework (50%), written (33%) and practical (17%)
- Year 2 - coursework (60%), written (25%) and practical (15%)
- Year 3 - coursework (83%), written (10%) and practical (7%)
A placement year may be taken between Year Two and your final year of study.
Careers and employability
What can you do with a sports science degree? The broad nature and flexibility of our sport and exercise science degree can take you into a huge range of roles across the sports and health sector, spanning from working with professional athletes, to specialist medical occupations, to local health and lifestyle schemes.
Here at NTU, we’re committed to preparing our students for their careers after graduation. That’s why this course incorporates built-in work-like experience, and every student is supported by our award-winning Employability team. Find out more about Employability at NTU.
Job roles our graduates have secured include:
- Respiratory Physiologist
- Performance Analyst
- Community Football Programme Worker
- Junior Sports Science Intern
- Sales and Marketing Consultant
Some graduate destinations include the NHS, Ministry of Defence, David Lloyd, various schools and colleges, and a whole host of sporting organisations – from grassroots to internationally-renowned clubs.
Sport and Wellbeing Academy
Our Sport and Wellbeing Academy offers additional work-like experience opportunities for our sports science students, with the help of our tremendous community partners. You'll get the chance to work alongside our experienced Senior Exercise Practitioners to deliver programmes which help improve the health and wellbeing of local people. Find out more about the Academy.
Placements
As a BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science student, you can complete a year-long placement (or ‘sandwich year’) after Year Two, on a paid or voluntary basis. This is an excellent way to gain the vital work experience that employers look for and expand your industry network. In fact, you’ll be twice as likely to be in employment six months after graduation, and one in three placement students on this degree get reemployed by their placement provider when they graduate.
In the past, our sport and exercise science students have completed placements at organisations like:
- Football clubs, including Nottingham Forest FC and Southampton FC
- Nottingham City Council
- PGL
- NHS and Nottingham University Hospitals
- Athletic Performance Academy
- Premium Physio
- Nova Centurian Swimming Club
This sandwich option is very popular, and 100% of our BSc Sport and Exercise Science (Sandwich) students were in work or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020/21).
Additional qualifications
Alongside your degree, you’ll have the opportunity to get a Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) Personal Trainer qualification. This will incur a small fee, but it’s significantly cheaper than doing it elsewhere.
You can also opt to work towards a Diploma in Professional Practice if you choose to complete a placement year.
Campus and facilities
Studying sport and exercise science at NTU, you’ll mainly be based across our community-driven Clifton Campus. You’ll get hands-on with the same industry-standard facilities used by our academic researchers, including:
- Sport, exercise and health physiology laboratories, fully equipped with specialist facilities that cater for different types of exercise testing and physical activity. This includes access to breath-by-breath gas analysers.
- British Olympic Association (BOA) Approved Environmental Chamber, which can simulate climates anywhere in the world, from Everest to Egypt, and has been used by Olympic athletes for acclimatisation to extreme competition environments.
- Biomechanics and Performance Analysis Suite, including isokinetic and isometric dynamometers for assessing force produced by muscle groups of the body. You will also have access to Vicon, Qualisys and THEIA motion capture systems.
- Clifton Sports Hub Nutrition Suite, in which you will develop your cooking skills and deliver cook-and-eat sessions.
- IT, Sports Psychology and Management suites, used for match, statistical, nutritional, and coaching analysis.
Find out more about our sport science facilities.
There are also over 40 sports clubs to get involved with during your time at NTU, allowing you to discover new passions, integrate with our sporting community, and even apply some of your learning to your own pastimes. Our sports teams are currently in the top ten in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) league.
To keep you busy outside of your studies, our Clifton Campus is just a short bus ride away from Nottingham’s vibrant city centre, where you can enjoy lush green spaces and shopping by day, and an acclaimed food, drink and social scene by night. What’s more, you’ll be within easy reach of four internationally-renowned sporting venues, including two major football stadiums (City Ground and Meadow Lane), Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, and the National Ice Centre (home to Nottingham Panthers ice hockey club).
Entry requirements
- Standard offer: 120 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications, including A-level equivalent a PE or Science subject*
- Contextual offer: 112 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications, including A-level equivalent a PE or Science subject*
*If you are applying with a BTEC, NCFE or an OCR qualification equivalent to only one A Level, for example a BTEC Extended Certificate (previously BTEC Subsidiary Diploma), you will also need an A-level in a science subject or equivalent. We will accept Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Sport Studies or Psychology.
Contextual offers
A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer; we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other. This approach helps us find students who have the potential to succeed here but may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university. Find out how we assess your application.
Other qualifications and experience
We may also consider credits achieved at other universities and your work/life experience through an assessment of prior learning. This may be for year one entry or beyond the beginning of a course where applicable, for example, into year 2. Our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy outlines the process and options available for this route.
Meeting our entry requirements
Hundreds of qualifications in the UK have UCAS tariff points attached to specific grades, including A levels, BTECs, T Levels and many more. You can use your grades and points from up to four different qualifications to meet our criteria. Enter your predicted or achieved grades into our tariff calculator to find out how many points your qualifications are worth.
Getting in touch
If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form
- 120 UCAS Tariff points from up to four qualifications, including A-level equivalent a PE or Science subject*
- GCSE English and Maths grade C / 4.
*If you are applying with a BTEC, NCFE or an OCR qualification equivalent to only one A Level, for example a BTEC Extended Certificate (previously BTEC Subsidiary Diploma), you will also need an A-level in a science subject or equivalent. We will accept Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Sport Studies or Psychology.
International qualifications
We accept qualifications from all over the world – check yours here:
Undergraduate preparation courses (Foundation)
If you don’t yet meet our entry requirements, we offer Foundation courses through our partner Nottingham Trent International College (NTIC), based on our City Campus:
English language entry requirements
You can meet our language requirements by completing our pre-sessional English course for an agreed length of time, or by submitting the required grade in one of our accepted English language tests, such as IELTS:
Advanced standing (starting your undergraduate degree in year 2 or 3)
You may be able to start your undergraduate course in year 2 or 3 based on what you have studied before. This decision would be made following our Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer Policy.
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
Fees and funding
Preparing for the financial side of student life is important, but there’s no need to feel anxious and confused about it. We hope that our fees and funding pages will answer all your questions.
What do the course fees cover?
Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students purchase. Book costs vary, and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available to buy from previous year students.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students earn a salary whilst on placement, which can help cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance, please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Students will also be required to pay additional costs for printing, poster preparation and final dissertation copies in their final year - estimated costs of approximately £20 - £30.
A deposit is required for laboratory lockers (approximately £5)
There will be a £30 exam fee for students taking REPS qualifications.
Getting in touch
For more advice and guidance, contact our Student Financial Support Service by telephone at +44 (0)115 848 2494.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year that you are at the University. The tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government. See our fees.
Scholarships
We offer scholarships of up to 50% of your tuition fee. You can apply for your scholarship when you have the offer to study at NTU.
Living costs
Get advice on the cost of living as an international student in Nottingham and how to budget:
Paying fees
Find out about advanced payments, instalment plan options and how to make payments securely to the University:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
What do the course fees cover?
Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include loads of great benefits, such as the use of our library, support from our expert Employability team, and free use of the IT equipment across our campuses.
Library books
Most study modules recommend one or more core textbooks, which most students purchase. Book costs vary, and further information is available in the University’s bookshop. Our libraries provide a good supply of essential textbooks, journals and materials (many of which you can access online) – meaning you may not need to purchase as many books as you think! There may also be a supply of second-hand books available to buy from previous year students.
Placements
If you're undertaking a placement year, you'll need to budget for accommodation and any travel costs you may incur whilst on placement. Many of our placement students earn a salary whilst on placement, which can help cover these living costs.
Print and copy costs
The University allocates an annual printing and copying allowance of £20 depending on the course you are studying. For more details about costs for additional print and copying required over and above the annual allowance, please see the Printing, photocopying and scanning information on the Library website.
Students will also be required to pay additional costs for printing, poster preparation and final dissertation copies in their final year - estimated costs of approximately £20 - £30.
There will be a £30 exam fee for students taking REPS qualifications.
How to apply
Ready to join us? Then apply as soon as you can. Just click the Apply button at the top of the page and follow the application instructions. Make sure you check the entry requirements above carefully before you do.
If you wish to apply for the full-time three-year course, you will need to use UCAS code C600. If you wish to apply for the sandwich option which includes a year-long placement, use UCAS code 350Q.
Writing your application and personal statement.
Be honest, thorough and persuasive in your application. Remember, we can only decide based on what you tell us. So include your qualifications and grades, including resits or predicted grades.
Your personal statement is a really important part of your application. It’s your chance to convince us why we should offer you a place! You’ve got 4,000 characters to impress us. Make sure you use them to show how your skills and qualities are relevant to the course(s) you’re applying for. For more hints and tips, look at our page on how to write a good personal statement.
Keeping up-to-date
After applying, we’ll send you important emails throughout the application process, so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
You can get more information and advice about applying to NTU on our Your Application page. Good luck with your application!
You can apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not applying to any other UK universities, you can apply directly to us on our NTU applicant portal.
Application advice
Apply early so you have enough time to prepare – processing times for Student visas can vary, for example. After applying, we'll send you important emails throughout the application process, so check your emails regularly, including your junk mail folder.
Writing your personal statement
Be honest, thorough, and persuasive – we can only make a decision about your application based on what you tell us:
Would you like some advice on your study plans?
Our international teams are highly experienced in answering queries from students all over the world. We also have members of staff based in Vietnam, China, India and Nigeria and work with a worldwide network of education counsellors.
- Complete this simple form to keep in touch with the International Office.
The University's commitment to delivering the educational services advertised.