What you will study
Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.
Year 1
Year 1 introduces the fundamental concepts of food and nutrition, human anatomy, exercise and physiology, together with sport and exercise psychology. You will also study the essential principles of scientific investigation.
Core modules
Food and Nutrition 1: An Introduction
30 credits
This module is core for students studying BSc (Hons) Nutrition (Human Nutrition)*/BSc (Hons) Nutrition and BSc (Hons) Nutrition (Exercise and Health)*/BSc (Hons) Exercise, Nutrition and Health and introduces students to the study and practice of human nutrition. The module focuses primarily on macronutrients and micronutrients but will also include water and alcohol. Other topics introduced as part of this module include the basic concepts that underpin energy and nitrogen balance, the derivation and application of dietary reference values, the study of food composition and food science. Students will also be introduced to the social functions of food and nutrition in society as well as basic applications of food science in everyday life. This module is a pre-requisite for Food and Nutrition 2: Applied Nutrition (LS5007).
Essentials for Sport and Exercise Science
30 credits
This module provides an essential introduction to the skills required for undergraduate study and scientific research and to understand the principles of qualitative and quantitative experimental research and elementary data analysis. The skills developed in this module will begin to formulate the foundation to later research methods modules and the final year project or dissertation module.
On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:
- Manage time to become effective independent learners.
- Demonstrate and reflect on a range of academic key and transferable skills required for effective learning, including but not limited to oral presentations, written reports essays and demonstrate an awareness of feedback.
- Locate contemporary research publications both in text and electronic format and reference them appropriately.
- Understand the terminology and basic concepts of research in the field of sport and exercise science.
- Identify appropriate methods of experimental research in sport and exercise sciences.
- Conduct and interpret the results of statistical tests.
Sport and Exercise Psychology 1
30 credits
This level four module is a core module in all Sports & Exercise Science undergraduate courses. The module seeks to introduce fundamental psychological constructs and how they impact upon our understanding of human behaviour and learning in sport and exercise environments. Such constructs include personality, motivation, anxiety, stress as well as the learning and performance process. These topics will be introduced within lectures, further examined within seminar, workshop and practical sessions, and supplemented with additional online material.
Functional Anatomy and Exercise Physiology
30 credits
This is a core module in the Sport and Exercise Sciences field. The module is designed to introduce the student to the fundamentals of functional anatomy and physiology, particularly the skeletal, neural, muscular, metabolic, respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The focus will be on the understanding of the biomechanics of movement and the physiological adjustments in response to the demands of sport and exercise.
Year 2
Year 2 extends your knowledge of the effects of nutrition, sport and exercise on human physiology and exercise prescription. You will examine the principles of energy metabolism and develop your understanding of health and exercise physiology and sport and exercise psychology. A module in research methods will prepare you for your Year 3 research project.
If you choose the four-year sandwich route of this degree, you will have a year's industry-related work experience between Years 2 and 3.
Core modules
Food and Nutrition 2: Applied Nutrition
30 credits
This module is core for students studying BSc (Hons) Nutrition (Human Nutrition)*/BSc (Hons) Nutrition and BSc (Hons) Nutrition (Exercise and Health)*/BSc (Hons) Exercise, Nutrition and Health. The module applies basic nutrition delivered at Level 4 (Food and Nutrition 1: An Introduction - LS4006) to introduce students to dietary assessment methodology and how they are used depending on nutrients, groups and populations, and the role of nutrition across the lifespan and is a pre-requisite for Food and Nutrition 3: Public Health Nutrition (LS6009), which is delivered at Level 6.
Research Methods in Exercise Science
30 credits
This is a core module in all Sport & Exercise Science undergraduate courses. The module's focus is on the approaches to research design, data collection techniques and appropriate analyses to make accurate interpretations. It further investigates quantitative and qualitative research methods introduced at Level 4 and introduces students to more advanced techniques. The module provides an essential introduction to research ethics and the ethical approval procedures that are required when using human participants for research. Skills developed in this module will form the foundation of the final year project module. This module also provides an overview of how to recognise and develop key and transferable skills to enhance employability through relevant professional development and research experience.
Sport and Exercise Psychology 2
30 credits
This is a core module in Sport Science and Exercise, Nutrition & Health degree pathways, and offered as an option on the Sports Analysis & Coaching degree pathway. The module seeks to enable students to further understand the psychological influences on human behaviour in sport and exercise environments. These topics will be introduced within lectures, further examined within seminar, workshop and practical sessions, and supplemented with additional online material.
Optional modules
Health and Exercise Physiology
30 credits
This is a core module in Sport Science, Exercise, Nutrition & Health and Biological Sciences (Human Biology) degree pathways, and offered as an option on the Sports Analysis & Coaching. This module covers the acute and chronic physiological changes induced by exercise and an understanding of cardio-respiratory health. This module will develop the students' application of exercise physiology to performance. The module will also enable students to apply the role of exercise and physical activity as a prescription therapy to clinical diseases. This module will further develop the student understanding by equipping them with the scientific skills to monitor and assess health, fitness and performance.
Final year
In final year, you will apply your knowledge of nutrition and exercise to topics such as the role of nutrition in health and disease, public health promotion, and the psychological issues relating to health and exercise. You may study either contemporary issues of food and nutrition or nutritional ergogenic aids and the extreme environment. You will also undertake an independent project, focused on exercise, nutrition or health science.
Core modules
Food and Nutrition 3: Public Health Nutrition
30 credits
This module is core for students studying BSc (Hons) Nutrition (Human Nutrition)*/BSc (Hons) Nutrition and BSc (Hons) Nutrition (Exercise and Health)*/BSc (Hons) Exercise, Nutrition and Health. This module will develop students' understanding of the concepts, theories and practice of Health Promotion, focusing on diet & physical activity in developing and developed countries. It will examine theories of motivation, behaviour and strategies of health promotion. The role, influence and impact of policies on population and client groups will be examined. This module will also provide students with an understanding of nutritional issues in the developing world.
Exercise and Health Psychology
30 credits
This module covers the adoption and maintenance of physical activity/exercise and health behaviours. The module is intended to develop critical understanding of theories of behaviour prediction and evaluate research surrounding the benefits of physical activity/exercise for psychological health and well-being. In addition, the module develops understanding through the evaluation of interventions to promote physical activity and mental health.
On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:
- Evaluate the benefits of exercise for psychological health and wellbeing.
- Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of determinants of health behaviour.
- Develop an advanced critical understanding of exercise and health behaviour theories and their application.
- Demonstrate key skills of communication (group discussions; making a presentation; reading, selecting, extracting, and collating information from appropriate sources; produce written materials), numeracy (data collection; recording data; evaluating data), ICT (produce a document that incorporates and combines different types of information; search for, retrieve, and store information using ICT resources), teamwork, and develop independent learning skills.
Project or Dissertation (Nutrition) OR Sport and Exercise Science Project
30 credits
Choose between the following:
Optional modules
Food and Nutrition 4: Contemporary Issues in Food and Nutrition OR Extreme Environments and Ergogenic Aids
30 credits
Choose between the following: