Sport and Exercise Science

Key Features

• A range of exciting placement opportunities facilitated
• Small class sizes
• Regular access to laboratory facilities
• Access to a full range of National Governing Body and short course awards (incentives available)
• High quality teaching, industry experts and research expertise
• Quality Nike University of Cumbria Sports Kit for use on and off campus
• Exciting career exit routes

Why study with us?

Sport and exercise science can lead you to a wide array of career destinations, including sport science support with elite athletes and working to improve the health of the community – and those are just a few examples of what our graduates are doing now! It can also serve as a gateway to teaching or postgraduate study or enable you to gain truly transferable skills that will help you onto a graduate recruitment scheme.

The course has biomechanics, physiology and psychology at its core, with vocational and practical skills, research and specialist modules that allow continued specialisation as the degree programme progresses. You will have the opportunity to go on a placement in a sport or physical activity setting for some real-world experience; some of our students even manage to secure a job at their placements after graduation.

BA(Hons) Sport and Exercise Science was rated in the top 15 sport and exercise science courses in the country in a recent Guardian survey. Our staff has an active and rapidly developing research portfolio and our facilities include a £2.5 million sports complex and a large, fully equipped physiology and biomechanics laboratory.

What can this course lead to?

A number of our graduates are now working as strength and conditioning coaches for elite football and rugby clubs. Many of our students also get the opportunity for full or part-time employment where they completed their placement. The vocational relevance of the degree means you can work in sport science support, strength and conditioning, physical activity and health development, exercise referral, personal training or corporate fitness. Many students have also progressed to postgraduate study, primary and secondary teaching, physiotherapy or dietetics.

Resources and facilities

Core modules in the first and second year, as well as optional modules in the final year, are taught in the Human Performance Laboratory, where students can gain hands on experience in the use of all the equipment.

You will also be able to take advantage of the university’s Sports Complex, which boasts a large, multi-purpose sports hall, a specialist gymnastics area and an air conditioned fitness suite with cardiovascular stations, fixed weight stations and a free weights area. Learn more about the University of Cumbria Sports Complex.

Entry requirements

80 UCAS tariff points.

GCSE at grade C or above in English.

Find out more about qualification options from the UCAS tariff table.

Please check selection criteria for any additional entry requirements.

Credit and UCAS requirements UCAS code: C609 UCAS points: 80 Selection criteria

All places are offered subject to successful CRB clearance.

Costs

Click to view information on your study type and home location.

Full-time students

Home

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £8,250 (including an automatic £750 fee discount).

As a full-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 per annum (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £5,500) and a maintenance grant (up to £3,354). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £8,250 (including an automatic £750 fee discount).

As a full-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning £21,000 per annum (or the equivalent in your country). For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Full-time students may be eligible for one of 110 NSP awards for full-time students worth up to £6,000.

Cumbria Bursary

The Cumbria Bursary is an annual cash award of £1,000 for up to three years of study. There are 300 Cumbria Bursaries available in 2013.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

International

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year is £9,960.

Fees are billed annually and may be paid by the student or a sponsor. 75 percent of the annual tuition fees must be paid before or at registration. For students requiring a Tier 4 Student Visa, a deposit of £3,500 is expected as a minimum before a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) will be issued. For more information, visit our international student finance page.

Early payment discount

If you are paying your own fees, you may be eligible for an early payment discount of £1,000. This discount is awarded to students who pay in full before registration.

Additional financial support

Our money doctors will be on hand throughout the year to help you manage your money while you’re in the UK. However, if you do happen to run into financial difficulty during your time here, you may be able to access a small emergency support fund.

Part-time students

Home

The tuition fee for students starting study in the 2013/14 academic year is £8,250 (including an automatic £750 fee discount). This fee is billed annually. For part-time students, the annual fee is calculated based on the number of years you take to complete your course. For example, a student studying part-time for six years may expect to pay £4,125 per year.

As a part-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning over £21,000 a year (if you're from England) or £15,795 (if you're from Scotland). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for students starting study in the 2013/14 academic year is £8,250 (including an automatic £750 fee discount). This fee is billed annually. For part-time students, the annual fee is calculated based on the number of years you take to complete your course. For example, a student studying part-time for six years may expect to pay £4,125 per year.

As a part-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which doesn’t have to be repaid until you start earning over £21,000 a year. For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Additional funding

National Scholarship Programme

The National Scholarship Programme is designed to support students with a household income of less than £25,000. Part-time students may be eligible for one of 40 NSP awards worth up to £3,000.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several awards and support funds available to our current students, including:

• Achievement scholarships
• Outstanding performance awards
• Utilities trust

UCAS Link

Visit UCAS

Modules

Year one

• Anatomy and Physiology
• Biomechanics I
• Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology
• Research and Study Skills
• Practical and Vocational Skills
• Introduction to the Sociology of Sport

Year two

• Sport and Exercise Physiology
• Biomechanics II
• Sport and Exercise Psychology
• Advanced Research Skills and Investigation
• Exercise Testing and Prescription
• Sport and Exercise Nutrition

For detailed summary of all course content please read our programme specification for this course.

Course summary

This course takes a very practical approach to the science of sport and exercise. The modules allow you to have a focus on sport performance, or physical activity and health from the start of level five (year two).

Small-group teaching maximises your access to staff, resources and laboratories, allowing friendly and personal teaching and learning. All of the modules are underpinned with new research to ensure currency and topicality. Research is a strong theme culminating in the final year with a dissertation and a research conference at which both staff and students can present their work.

The vocational aspect of the course includes a placement in a sport or physical activity setting, for instance, in a health and fitness centre, professional sports club, health development unit, sport development unit, or cardiac rehabilitation unit. Recently, links developed with Blackburn Rovers FC gave our students the opportunity to complete their dissertation using Premiership footballers or work as interns, gaining a valuable insight and experience in the demands of elite football.

Case studies

"I’m in my second year now and have enjoyed every minute of this course. At this university, as well, it is very easy to achieve one-to-one sessions with lecturers who are more than happy to do so." - Aimee