Physical Activity, Health and Exercise Science – BSc (Honours)

At a glance

Learn the science behind physical activity and healthy lifestyles and train for a career in areas such as personal training and physical rehabilitation. You benefit from a focus on professional development with a six week industry placement, internship opportunities and seminars from potential employers.

Key points
• Study at one of the top ten universities for sports science in the UK.• Gain experience with a six-week work placement and internship opportunities.
• Take advantage of industry qualification discounts offered by partner training companies.
• Get the latest industry perspectives from employers like Nuffield Health and Fit UK.

What is physical activity, health and exercise science? A theory-based, research-led discipline that seeks applied solutions to health problems by being physically active. Being physically active is exerting force using skeletal muscle that results in energy expenditure above resting levels and includes activities such as exercise.

This course

Develop your knowledge and understanding of how scientific methods are used to examine physical activity and help people live healthier lives. You benefit from sports science teaching provision that is ranked within the top ten nationally by the Times (2013 University rankings).

On this course, you gain the technical and professional skills needed to gain a job in areas such as personal training and physical rehabilitation. Your studies focus on exercise physiology, psychology and nutrition, exploring how important physical activity and exercise are for a healthy lifestyle.

You are taught by a team of lecturers who can offer you both industry and academic perspectives. Our lecturers working in research have been widely published on topics such as the effects of exercise on hunger and weight loss and physical activity prescription in type 2 diabetes. You also gain the perspectives of potential employers such as Nuffield Health and Fit UK who visit to speak to students.

You explore key theories and concepts, such as functional anatomy and biomechanics. You also develop specialist laboratory skills in newly refurbished specialist facilities. These include a biomedical lab, a psychology booth for consultation and an exercise fitness suite. You then learn to link these scientific concepts and skills to working with sport and exercise clients through lectures, seminars and laboratory sessions.

You also apply aspects of what you’ve learnt on a six-week work placement in a sport, exercise, health or leisure-related environment. This takes place in year two and is a great opportunity to gain professional skills and add experience to your CV. You can gain further practical experience through our Centre for Sport and Exercise Science (CSES) internship programme, working with external clients or for SHU Wellness offering physical activity and health consultations to other students.

This course gives you the foundation to gain British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) accreditation in preparation for further study and supervised experience.

Key areas of study
We develop your analytical skills and personal qualities so you can produce programmes for individuals and groups in various settings, including • the workplace, such as wellness schemes • the community, such as physical activity referral schemes and cardiac rehabilitation • corporate, such as sport and health clubs.