BSc Sports and Exercise Science

Program Overview

---

Our BSc Sports and Exercise Science (including foundation year) will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entrance requirements for the three-year version of this course, and you want a programme that increases your subject knowledge, as well as improves your skills to support your academic performance. This four-year course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three years of study. During your Year Zero, you study three academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory academic skills module, with additional English language for non-English speakers. After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department, you progress to complete your course with our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences. Studying sports and exercise science with a science-based approach will help you to understand the physiology, biomechanics and psychology of sport, exercise and physical activity. You study topics including:

• How and why different energy systems are deployed at different exercise intensities
• How the principles of mechanics determine the flight of a javelin
• How mind and body interact to influence performance
• How exercise can reduce the risk of getting cancer
• How the body responds and adapts to exercise

Practical work provides you with the professional and scientific skills you need to conduct your own research project in your final year, and to make the transition to postgraduate study or on to a fulfilling career in a range of industries, especially sport, health and education. As part of our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences (SRES) you’ll have an exciting opportunity to join a community specifically focused on sports and exercise science, sports therapy and physiotherapy. We bring together research, share knowledge, and enhance placement and vocational opportunities for our students and graduates.

Sport scholarships

Our Performance Sport Scholarship programme has been created for talented athletes playing at regional, national or international level, and offers a range of benefits. We want students competing in our focus sports (basketball, volleyball, tennis, football and rugby 7s), as well as other team sports and individual athletes, to contribute to our performance sport programme. Our scholarships can include fee discounts of up to 100%, offered to athletes who demonstrate sporting excellence. Athletes who are awarded the scholarship will receive a host of other benefits, including free kit, access to state-of-the-art facilities, performance coaching, the option to live in our Athlete Village (accommodation fees may vary) and a support package valued up to £1,500. These benefits are designed to help athletes focus on their training, and development, and to enable them to reach their full potential alongside their studies. Why we're great.

• You gain in-depth knowledge by using our cutting-edge advanced research equipment.
• We are 12th in the UK for Sports Science in The Guardian University Guide 2023.
• 92% of our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences graduates are in employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2023).

---

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course. Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university

---

Placement year

Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement year with an external organisation. This is usually focussed around your course, and enables you to learn about a particular sector, company or job role, apply your academic knowledge in a practical working environment, and receive inspiration for future career pathways. Organisations our students have recently been placed with include West Ham United Football Club, Colchester United Football Club, Colchester Rugby Club and Royal Hospital School. If you cannot see this video, you can watch it on our Vimeo channel within your browser. If you complete a placement year you'll only pay 20% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year.

---

Our expert staff

We offer a lively, friendly and supportive environment with research-led study and high quality teaching. We are 23rd in UK for research power in sport and exercise sciences (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021) - you learn from and work alongside our expert staff. Key academic staff for this course include Dr Valerie Gladwell, who is researching green exercise and the autonomic nervous system in exercise bouts, Dr Paul Freeman, who works on social support in sports, and Dr Gavin Sandercock, who works on geographical and social interactions with exercise. The University of Essex has a Women's Network to support female staff and students and was awarded the Athena Swan Institutional Bronze Award in recognition of its continuing work to support women in STEM.

---

Specialist facilities

By studying within our Essex Pathways Department for your foundation year, you will have access to the facilities that the University of Essex has to offer, as well as those provided by our department to support you:

• We provide computer labs for internet research; classrooms with access to PowerPoint facilities for student presentations; AV facilities for teaching and access to web-based learning materials
• Our new Student Services Hub will support you and provide information for all your needs as a student
• Our social space is stocked with magazines and newspaper, and provides an informal setting to meet your lecturers, tutors and friends

The School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences specialist facilities include our Sports Arena, physiotherapy labs, six specialist sport and physiology labs, two dedicated sports therapy training labs, and an on-campus sports therapy clinic .

• Work in an open and friendly department, with shared staff-student social spaces
• Gain valuable experience working with elite athletes in our Human Performance Unit
• State-of-the-art research facilities , from state of the art treadmills, to 7-camera biomechanics systems, to gas and blood analysis systems
• Teaching facilities including new undergraduate laboratories

---

Human Performance Unit

The Human Performance Unit (HPU) has been used by professional athletes and sports persons from a range of disciplines, including Team GB athletes participating in the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and players from our local Colchester United Football Club. The HPU supports student teaching and research across all degree types. Our undergraduates in sports therapy, sports performance and coaching, and sports and exercise science use the HPU for some of their modules, with both beginners and professional sports persons recruited to take part. This gives students experience in managing the practical physiological tests, as well helping them develop soft skills such as communication and teamwork. Additionally the HPU supports a range of placement activities. Our Masters students can take a 12-week placement, while undergraduates have the option to use the HPU during our optional Placement Year. Along with continuing the work with individual athletes, students who have a placement year as part of their course also assist with sports science workshops held at the HPU for local schools. These workshops are tailored to the National Curriculum for PE, and give our students experience of working with teachers and young people. Find out more about the services the HPU offers.

---

Your future

The sport, fitness, health and leisure sectors are booming and provide a variety of careers for sports and exercise science graduates. Typical career destinations include healthcare, teaching, and the health and fitness industries or postgraduate study. Our courses develop your skills in numeracy, information technology, communication and time management, which are important to all employers. Our recent graduates have taken up a wide range of roles, including:

• Senior fitness instruction and personal training
• Coaches and performance analysts for football clubs including Southend United, West Ham United, Dag and Redbridge, and Derby County, and for rugby clubs including Colchester RFC
• Health and safety executive for HM Inspector of Health and Safety
• Essex netball development officer for England Netball
• Girls’ and women’s football development officer for a local council
• Health improvement facilitator for a primary care trust

Other graduates now work in the fields of sports performance, sports management and sports development, health care, teaching, and the health and fitness industry. Many also undertake further postgraduate study. We also work with our University's Student Development Team to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Program Outline

Course structure

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

---

---

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

---

---

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Final Year View Research and Academic Development Skills on our Module Directory This module is designed to equip students with the skills to put psychological theory into action within professional practice. The module will cover key psychological theories and consider how these can be used within fields such as forensic psychology, health psychology, sports and exercise psychology, educational psychology, clinical psychology and occupational psychology. These areas of psychology aim to improve and offer solutions to problems associated with human behaviour. Throughout the module students are encouraged to utilise psychological research in order to assess the effectiveness of applied interventions, this will create transferable analytical skills. Learning on the module will be facilitated with practical applications to enable students to take what they learn and apply it beyond the module content. View Introduction to Applied Psychology on our Module Directory This module will provide a basic physiological understanding of the major systems of the body, and how each of those systems interact. Knowledge of anatomical names and terms will be developed, as well as an understanding of where different organs, muscles and bones are located. It will develop an appreciation of the importance the understanding of physiology and anatomy for sport and exercise science. View Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology on our Module Directory This module introduces you to the study of human movement and the causes of that movement. Biomechanics is used to understand the techniques athletes use to improve performance, it can be used to understand injury and injury prevention, and how sports equipment aids performance. In this module we re-cap maths areas such as trigonometry and basic vector algebra, followed by Newton's laws of motion, kinematics of motion and how they relate to sport. Levers will be taught to understand the concept of torques along with an understanding of the anatomy for movement. We will also look at how we capture sports and biomechanically analyse their movement. At the end of the module you will undertake a mini-project, collect data, analyse it, and write it up using the techniques/skills you have acquired. View Introduction to Biomechanics on our Module Directory The aim of this module is to develop your academic, scientific and professional abilities relevant to the study of and professions related to sport, rehabilitation and exercise sciences. There are four key focuses of this module: professional skills; research design and ethics; data analysis, presentation and interpretation; and employability. View Professional Skills and Development 1 on our Module Directory Understanding performance in sport requires knowledge of the basic scientific principles of chemistry, biology and physics, alongside a foundation of maths. This module will help develop understanding of the human body at both cellular and gross level. Students will consider performance can be influenced by exercise training and how these changes can be assessed. As this is a broad based module, we will also explore population health, basic nutrition and recovery. Students will apply theoretical knowledge to real sporting examples including training and fitness testing. View Introduction to Sports and Exercise Science on our Module Directory This module will help you to understand the physical and mechanical principles that determine how we, and the objects with which we interact during exercise and in sporting events, move. You will learn the meaning of concepts such as force, mass, speed, velocity, acceleration, momentum and we will explore how they enable us to describe and understand movement in sport and exercise. View Biomechanics on our Module Directory Is it all in the mind? The margin between victory and defeat is thin, but can an athlete’s psychology really give them an edge? Why do some people find exercise difficult and other find exercise essential? Understanding how involvement in sport, exercise and physical activity affects a person's health and wellbeing is important in creating better interventions. The aim of this module is to introduce you to the fundamental principles underpinning the psychology of sport and exercise. View Sport and Exercise Psychology on our Module Directory Students will gain a basic knowledge of nutrition and metabolism underpinning Sports Science. On completion of the module, students will be able to describe the flow of nutrient intake and energy production supporting not only training and performance but optimal health. This module will give students a firm foundation from which to study exercise physiology and the specific nutritional requirements of athletes including legal and illegal substances, in later modules. View Principles of Nutrition and Metabolism on our Module Directory This module will provide you with knowledge on the fundamental concepts of human anatomy and physiology which underpins the biological sciences. You will gain knowledge of the mechanisms associated with the control and regulation of the major systems of the body. The content will give you a foundation for more advanced study of Exercise Physiology or Applied Biomedicine. Furthermore, this module explore the individual systems involved in maintaining our bodies’ internal environments – respiratory, cardiovascular, urinary and immune. Examine how each system’s organ structures inform function, how they work together as a whole, and the ways they maintain homeostasis under the stresses of exercise and disease. View Anatomy and Physiology on our Module Directory Your biggest competition to date: the graduate job market. This module gives you a crucial head-start, ensuring you can both practically apply and effectively communicate your skills to the real-world and future employers.<br><br>During the Sports Science summer school you will identify and consequently investigate a chosen research question, working as part of a team to process, evaluate and analyse data. You will also have chance to prepare for life beyond graduation, developing a written strategy for optimising your employability, updating your skills e-portfolio and CV, and examining the job application process in detail. View Professional Skills 2 on our Module Directory How do our bodies respond and adapt to an exercise bout and prolonged training? You will review the structure and function of the muscular, cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, assessing how they respond to physical strain, and how they contribute to the limitations of human performance. You also consider how the nervous and endocrine systems adapt and help to control the responses to acute exercise and training. View Exercise Physiology on our Module Directory Optimal performance in sports and health requires two things: the ability to optimize performance without compromising injury risk. This module will provide you with a very practical toolbox towards designing the appropriate exercise programs for your clients. This module will cover topics ranging from the biomechanical basis of optimizing core stability for health and performance, neuromuscular adaptations to pain and injuries, neuromuscular basis for exercise selection, overuse and acute injury mechanisms, to understanding the mechanical limits of athletic behaviours. In a practical, you will collect your own data and perform scientific experiments to understand and characterise the effect of footwear in the context of injury prevention. Lessons will be a mixture of lectures and hands-on session, where students get taught on how to instruct the optimal performance of different exercises to ensure maximum benefit to health and function. View Applied Movement Science on our Module Directory This module will build upon your knowledge and skills to understand, appraise and plan research in sport and exercise. You will develop your understanding of different methodologies, research designs, and data analytical techniques, including their strengths, limitations and applications. You will develop your skills in using library and online resources for scientific research, and your ability to critically appraise published work and how it can be used to inform applied practice in sport and exercise. You will also gain practical experience in participating in research, planning your own study, and analysing and interpreting data. Overall, the module will equip you with knowledge and skills required for your final year research project. View Research Methods in Sport and Exercise on our Module Directory COMPONENT 05: COMPULSORY WITH OPTIONS SE205-5-SP or SE207-5-SP (15 CREDITS) COMPONENT 06: OPTIOL Optional modules from list (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 07: OPTIOL Optional module from list (15 CREDITS) In this module you will conduct an individual scientific investigation on a topic relating to your degree specialisation. You will either use the skills you have developed to identify a suitable research question and design an experimental approach to obtain data addressing this question, or use your research skills to better understand an existing project/ dataset. This module evaluates your analysis, presentation, understanding and interpretation of these data in a suitable scientific paper format report along with your critical writing skills. Your oral presentation skills and response to questions, the planning and management of your project work and your employability skills will also be part of the assessment. View Research Project on our Module Directory Examine contemporary issues in the science of sport and exercise, and their implications on the health and performance of individuals, groups, or society. You have the opportunity to examine selected issues in depth from a range of options, engage with cutting-edge research, develop informed opinions on the topics, and to present information in different formats. View Issues in Sport and Exercise Science on our Module Directory COMPONENT 03: OPTIOL Option(s) from list (30 CREDITS) COMPONENT 04: OPTIOL Option(s) from list (30 CREDITS)