Course details
On this course you will usually be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry.
Foundation year
Core units
- Academic Study Skills: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in literature searching, literature review, data collection, methodological approach, data analysis and interpretation and ethical practice. It will also support you to begin to develop a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development.
- Applied Sciences: You'll gain a basic understanding of some fundamental aspects of science underpinning more specific disciplines, and an appreciation of how various scientific disciplines impact human life. You'll understand the differences between pure and applied science, as well as the roles of different ways applied science can be funded, and implications of these funding mechanisms.
- Introduction to Biology: Biology is the study of life and hence knowledge of plant and animal cell biology is fundamental to understanding wider concepts in biology. This unit also introduces key themes in human, environmental and ecological sciences to provide a sound underpinning in knowledge for future studies.
- Introduction to Psychology: This unit is designed to prepare you for advanced coursework in psychology. You will complete the unit with a good understanding of the various areas of psychology and how they seek to explain behaviour.
- Mathematics in Science: You will build your confidence in mathematics, in order to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from biology, chemistry and psychology and to be able to represent the findings in an appropriate format, including graphs. In order to carry this out, it is essential to be able to convert the data between systems of units and to understand how to present very large and very small numbers in standard form. Basic statistical analysis of tabulated data will be carried out to introduce the concept of confidence limits and familiarisation of statistical testing.
- Foundation Year Project: You will carry out a research task on scientific topics chosen by the unit leader which you will be able to conduct a scientific investigation on. You will devise your own investigation and produce a literature review as a final scientific report.
Year 1
In the first year you will be introduced to all the key elements of Sport and Exercise Science.
Core units:
- Beginning Research: You will be introduced to the concepts, principals and skills of social and scientific research enquiry and to the role of research more widely in a variety of rehabilitation, nutrition, sport and exercise related contexts.
- Principles of Sport & Exercise Physiology: Covering the core physiological concepts and systems, you will understand their roles in human function, sport and exercise. You will perform various exercise activities and evaluate physiological responses to these within a laboratory setting, enabling you to gain an understanding of human function through both theory and practice.
- Principles of Sport & Exercise Biomechanics: You will cover functional anatomy and fundamental biomechanics which will help you obtain an understanding of human movement, the parameters which govern it and how it should be assessed.
- Principles of Sport & Exercise Psychology: This unit will provide you with an understanding of the major theories, principles and concepts of sport and exercise psychology. It will provide you with knowledge concerning the role of the sport and exercise psychologist and introduce you to the variables that influence behaviour in the sport and exercise context.
- Fitness Assessments for Sport, Exercise & Health: You will develop your practical competencies and interpersonal skills for working with clients in sport, exercise and health settings. Additionally you will acquire an understanding of the scientific rationale and theory behind a variety of fitness and health assessments as well as be aware of the needs of healthy individuals and people with various musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurological disorders.
- Principles of Food & Nutrition: The unit will cover the fundamentals of nutrition including macro and micro nutrients. The unit will also introduce the you to the nutritional composition of foods and analytical methods for assessing dietary intake and nutritional status.
Year 2
The second year of the course will begin to tailor your degree to your career aspirations by choosing from a range of option units.
Core units:
- Conducting Research: Prepare for independent research and develop your knowledge and critical understanding of social and scientific research applied to a range of nutrition, rehabilitation and sport and exercise science related contexts. You’ll learn how to critically evaluate research problems, and apply coherent ethical research designs and appropriate analysis.
- Advances in Sport & Exercise Physiology: This unit aims to advance key physiological concepts and introduce complex physiological mechanisms related to both sport and exercise settings and how these integrate with one another during various scenarios. You will develop your experimental skills and understand appropriate techniques used to assess physiological functions in various sport and exercise situations.
- Advances in Sport & Exercise Biomechanics: This unit will focus on understanding human locomotion to develop a critical understanding of biomechanical concepts. This will enable assessment of movement, critical interpretation and analysis of results and effective communication of findings.
- Advances in Sport & Exercise Psychology: The unit will explore the variables that influence and impact upon human interaction and behaviour in sport and exercise contexts. It will consider both individual differences and group perspectives in sport and exercise environments.
Option units (choose two):
- Principles of Training: You will be introduced to the key principles applied to fitness training with the aim of developing training programmes to enhance the various components of fitness necessary for peak performance for sport, exercise and health. All learning where relevant will be in-line with the Level 2 Gym Instructor, Level 3 Personal Trainer and UKSCA standards. It is intended so that you will be best prepared theoretically and practically to be successful should you progress onto professional practice qualifications in these areas.
- Nutrition in Health & Disease: This unit will develop your understanding of the link between nutrition, health and disease. You will also know how nutrition can help maintain and prevent ill health in individuals and groups.
- Performance Analysis: Introducing sports performance analysis with emphasis on team sports and match analysis, you will learn to provide systematic, objective observation of performance using both video and statistical analysis, identify key performance indicators linked to performance, generate appropriate results and communicate data effectively.
- Sport Management & Leadership: This unit will enable you to develop an understanding of the behaviour of people in organisations and how they can use management tools to adapt and respond to these demands.
- Issues & Controversies in Sport, Culture & Society: This unit engages you as a critical user and producer of sporting cultures, by critically evaluating key contemporary issues surrounding sport through a variety of academic perspectives. You will communicate your viewpoint with regard to current debates and policies in sport and physical culture.
Placement
The length of the work placement is optional with a minimum of 6-weeks taken as part of a 3 year degree or a minimum of 30-weeks taken as part of a 4 year degree. The placement can take place in the UK or overseas and gives you the opportunity to turn theory into practice in a business environment.
We have excellent links with sporting organisations, health and fitness clubs and national governing bodies in both the UK and Australia. This includes Sport England, UK Sport, David Lloyd, Fitness First, Holmes Place and the Australian Institute of Sport.
Final year
There are no core units in the final year, instead you will choose one option from Group A; two options from Group B and a further two options from Group B or C:
Group A:
- Dissertation: The dissertation will enable you the opportunity to initiate and carry out an independent and self-managed research project. You will apply your knowledge and understanding of the research process learned so far through the application of techniques of analysis and enquiry within a relevant sport and exercise discipline.
- Research Expedition: You will have the opportunity to perform in-depth research on the needs and responses of individuals completing a UK based endurance expedition. Projects may include laboratory experiments and/or fieldwork exercises. All projects will require you to work independently under the guidance of a supervisor, to perform a review of literature, conduct investigative work and data analysis, develop suitable conclusions and recommendations, and present this in the form of an independent research project.
Group B:
- Applied Sport & Exercise Physiology: This unit aims to integrate detailed knowledge of physiological concepts, and for you to consider to the most appropriate and practical approach to addressing challenges within various sport and exercise scenarios. Practical sessions will reinforce the understanding of applied physiological mechanisms. Using problem solving skills, you will apply in-depth physiological knowledge and tailor understanding to specific populations.
- Applied Sport & Exercise Biomechanics: This will be a laboratory based unit, looking at the methods of kinetic and kinematic analysis and how they can be utilised to analyse sporting techniques and the optimisation of human movement.
- Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology: You will develop your ability to competently and effectively assess, evaluate and analyse factors affecting behaviour, cognitions and performance in order to implement effective evidence-based intervention strategies.
Group C:
- Advanced Fitness Assessment & Exercise Prescription: This unit will provide you with an opportunity to independently apply learning from the first two years in a live environment working with different populations. Applied understanding will be gained via practical physiological assessment of live clients and professional practice opportunities.
- Advances in Applied Nutrition: You will gain an insight into the nutritional issues encountered within a community setting and an understanding of the application of evidence based nutrition in the formulation of dietary guidelines. The theoretical underpinning of dietary-based prevention and management of chronic conditions (obesity, malnutrition, inflammatory bowel disease, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease) will be explored in depth.
- Nutrition Requirements throughout Life: The aim is to develop a detailed understanding of the nutritional requirements of the population throughout life from conception to ageing and the underlying biological and environmental reasons for the requirements.
- Advanced Performance Analysis: You will develop your sports performance analysis skills with a critical understanding of notational analysis within both the applied and research settings. You will learn to provide systematic, objective observation of performance using both video and statistical analysis in order to write appropriate research to further the knowledge of performance analysis in the field of sport.
- Physical Education & Teaching Practice: This unit will develop your conceptual and skills-based knowledge and understanding of effective teaching (in physical education), sufficient that you may successfully undertake initial teacher training.
- Sport & Physical Culture: In this unit you will develop a critical awareness of sport and physical culture in a variety of contexts by bringing together theory and practice in reflexive fieldwork. Advanced application of social theories and concepts will be developed in order to encourage diversity, inclusion and sustainability in sport and physical culture contexts.
- Talent Development in Sport: Talent development is becoming an increasingly important focus for research and practice, as well as being a key part of coaching, coach education, and sport science more widely. You will gain a deep knowledge of the development of talent in sport, and will learn to look beyond headline findings and widely held myths/beliefs, in order to view current practice critically and develop a research-informed, evidence-based understanding.
- Strategy & Leadership for Sport: You will undertake strategic analysis, develop strategic plans and understand the key issues in terms of strategic implementation relevant to public, private and voluntary sector organisations using a broad range of strategic tools, models and theories, and understand the importance of leadership in strategy implementation.
