BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
University of Hertfordshire
Key Information
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Campus location
Hatfield, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 5 years
Pace
Full time, Part time
Tuition fees
GBP 13,450 *
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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* international students full time, part time £1680 per 15 credits / UK students full time £9250, part time £1155 per 15 credits / EU students full time £13450, part time £1680 per 15 credits
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Introduction
"Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, examinations may be replaced by an alternative form of assessment during the academic year 2021/2022. Please refer to the Programme Specification on these pages for further details."
Why choose this course?
You’ll study on a National Strength and Conditioning Association recognised programme which will allow you to complete the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist qualification near graduation. During your time with us, you’ll cover the three main disciplines of sports science: physiology (including nutrition), biomechanics and psychology. You’ll learn about human anatomy, sports performance, and strength and conditioning. You’ll use the performance labs to learn how to assess and improve sporting performance. What’s more, you’ll gain invaluable knowledge on the role exercise plays in improving health and wellbeing.
Many of your lecturers are accredited or chartered with professional bodies. These include the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (U.K.S.C.A) and the British Psychological Society. This means you’ll learn from lecturers who are recognised for their high standards of knowledge and skills. They’ll be there to ensure those standards are transferred to you. You’ll spend around eight hours in lectures per week, and eight hours in practical sessions. Some of these will take place in our labs, others are interactive workshops and seminars. We’re rated TEF Gold, making us one of the best universities for teaching and support.
Herts is one of the few Universities with an Active Students and Staff programme. This means we offer free sports and exercise sessions to all our students and staff. This gives you an excellent opportunity to do research on the effects of sport and exercise on well-being. You could even get a part-time job working for them as an Activator – leading your own exercise sessions or assisting with qualified instructors. Maybe even play some new sports yourself.
More than just a degree
During your time with us, you’ll be able to access many additional resources and opportunities. Here are just a few of them:
- Guest lectures from renowned companies and individuals. Past speakers include GSK, the Hertfordshire Sports Village, and Felicity Aston – the first woman to walk the Antarctic solo.
- Work Experience: including local, national, and international employers taking students for their work experience module in the final year (e.g. football, rugby clubs, hospitals, other universities).
- Guest lecturers: e.g. G.S.K, H.S.V, Felicity Aston (the first woman to walk the Antarctic solo)
- Work Experience: including local, national and international employers taking students for their work experience module in the final year (e.g. football, rugby clubs, hospitals, other universities)
- Opportunities for students to support applied testing and research in the labs
- Opportunities to gain internationally recognised qualifications:
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (N.S.C.A)
- A.C.S.M Certified Exercise Physiologist
- Level 2 Fitness Instructor certification
Turn your dreams into your dream job
Because you’ll study various aspects of sport and exercise, there is a wide range of career opportunities waiting for you. Interested in becoming an exercise physiologist? A sports therapist? Maybe a health promotion specialist? This course will give you a solid foundation to do exactly that. If you prefer going into sports coaching or even manage a fitness centre of your own, we’ve got you covered. Some of our graduates have gone on to work and study in education, business, and nutrition. The opportunities are endless.
What's the course about?
In your first year, you’ll learn the foundations of human physiology and nutrition, as well as musculoskeletal anatomy, psychology and the principles of biomechanics. You’ll gain the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to excel. There is a special module to teach you how to perform and analyse fitness testing and exercise prescription. You’ll study the acquisition of skills and motor control. To help you settle into university life, you’ll take a module focused on developing the academic skills you need to be a successful student.
Your second year builds on what you learnt in the first year. You’ll study the applied biomechanics of performance, applied sport and exercise psychology and exercise physiology. The module on research design helps you understand the principles and methods that underpin scientific research. You’ll be able to use this to critique and understand research done in this field. It’ll also come in handy for your final year project in the third year. There are also a few optional modules for you to choose from. Learn about exercise for a healthy population, sports conditioning or functional anatomy and clinical biomechanics.
Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or do a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about but will also give your CV a boost. If you’d rather go straight to your final year, that’s fine too. You’ll decide in your second year with us, so there is still plenty of time to think about this.
In your third year, there is only one compulsory module: your final year project. You’ll get a personal supervisor and together you will produce an independent sports research project. This means you’ll design and undertake your own project on a topic relevant to your area of study. You’ll present this in the form of a poster presentation and journal-style report. All other modules are optional and allow you to specialise in the areas you like best. Learn about technology in sport, advanced biomechanics or strength and conditioning. There is one module that allows you to gain 70 hours of work experience*
Your main campus is de Havilland
You’ll share this campus with students from business, law, sport, education, and humanities subjects. The student housing is close to our Sports Village which includes a gym, swimming pool and climbing wall. You can get breakfast, lunch, or dinner in our on-campus restaurant or bar (in the newly built Enterprise Hub) on days you don’t feel like cooking. You can also use the common room to play pool, video games or just to hang out with friends. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.
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Curriculum
What will I study?
Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5, and 6. These correspond to your first, second, and third/final year of study. Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each.
Modules are assessed in a variety of ways via coursework, practicals, and exams. The type of coursework is varied, depending on the module, and includes essays, reports, practical write-ups, posters and seminar presentations.
Our laboratories boast an enviable range of performance testing equipment (e.g. Metalaysers for VO2 max testing; blood-taking facilities and blood analysers to measure blood lactate and cholesterol; running treadmills; cycling and rowing ergometers; Dynamometers, Anthropometric equipment; weight-lifting equipment, and even an indoor putting green for psychological and biomechanical analysis).
Throughout your time at the University you work closely with a personal tutor in order to help develop academic, personal, and vocational skills. This work is supported by the University intranet (Studynet) which provides a location for lecture notes, study guides, assessment details, example exam papers, and discussion forums amongst other things.
You also have 24-hour access (during term-time) to two outstanding learning resource centres.
Level 4
- Developing an Academic Approach II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Human Physiology and Nutrition II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Exercise Prescription and Fitness Testing II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Skill Acquisition and Motor Control II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Introduction to Sport & Exercise Psychology II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Musculoskeletal Anatomy II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Principles of Biomechanics II 15 Credits II Compulsory
Level 5
- Exercise Physiology and Metabolism II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Applied Biomechanics of Performance II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Research Design II 15 Credits II Compulsory
- Process and Practice in High-Performance Sport II 15 Credits II Optional
- Exercise for a Healthy Population II 15 Credits II Optional
- Sports Conditioning and Testing II 15 Credits II Optional
- Functional Anatomy and Clinical Biomechanics II 15 Credits II Optional
Level 6
- Applied Independent Sports Research Project II 30 Credits II Compulsory
- Year Abroad: Sport II 0 Credits II Optional
- Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in Sports Business Management II 15 Credits II Optional
- Performance Physiology II 15 Credits II Optional
- Exercise Referral & Health Promotion II 15 Credits II Optional
- Work Experience in SES II 15 Credits II Optional
- Technology in sport II 15 Credits II Optional
- Contemporary issues in Sport Psychology II 15 Credits II Optional
- Contemporary Issues in Exercise Psychology II 15 Credits II Optional
- Advanced Biomechanics II 15 Credits II Optional
- Sport & Performance Nutrition II 15 Credits II Optional
- Strength and Conditioning II 15 Credits II Optional
- Sandwich Placement - Sport II 0 Credits II Optional
Study abroad
An opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, the experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and closer to home in Europe.
If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
Work placement
Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd.
This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a work placement sandwich year. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought-after professional skills.
Our dedicated Careers and Employment team are here to help guide you through the process.
If you take up a work placement between your second and third year of study, at the University of Hertfordshire you’ll pay no tuition fee for this year. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.
What if I need support?
You’ll get a personal tutor to guide you through your course, all the way to graduation. You might also want or need extra support during your time with us. Rest assured, no matter what you study, we’ve got you covered. For help with study skills, including referencing, essay writing, and presentations, you’ll have access to our academic support services. You can attend workshops, 1-to-1 sessions, and online tutorials. Both our Learning Resources Centres's run drop-in study skills sessions. And the best thing is, it’s all free.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
What's next for my career?
Our graduates progress to a wide range of careers which reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the degree programme.
Our graduates have gained employment with elite athletes, professional sports teams, health clubs, and within the National Health Service. Also, in the leisure industry, military, fire service, and as coaches. They have progressed to study for a Master’s degree, Ph.D., or teacher training qualification.
Job titles of recent graduates include:
Community Rugby Coach, Sports Lecturer, Police Officer, NHS Trainee Cardiac Physiologist, Special Needs Coach, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Fire Brigade Fitness Advisor, Health and Fitness Coach, IT Support Officer, Learning Support Assistant, PE Technician, Personal Trainer/Gym Instructor, Pharmaceutical Production Technician, Sport Science Support Officer, Lecturer in Sports Science in Further Education, Physiotherapy Assistant, Fitness Instructor, Recreation Assistant, Swimming Coach, Lifestyle Consultant, and Mental Health Physical Activity and Nutrition Advisor.
Examples of recent employers are the NHS, the English Institute of Sport, Lucozade Sport, and Mind.
Our graduates work with elite athletes, professional sports teams, health clubs, and in the NHS. Recent jobs for our graduates include community rugby coach, police officer, trainee cardiac physiologist, fire brigade fitness advisor, health and fitness coach, personal trainer/gym instructor, pharmaceutical production technician, and nutrition advisor.
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