Program Overview

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Applied Sport and Exercise Nutrition

MSc or PGDip or PGCert

Overview

As people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of diet and exercise, the role of the sports and exercise nutritionist has grown in demand. Our MSc/PGDip is based on the latest scientific research and best practice. You’ll explore the role of nutrition in helping people improve their health and performance in competitive sports.

At Oxford Brookes, we place great emphasis on the word ‘applied’. You’ll be working with real people and real equipment in both simulated and live situations as you put theory into practice. Our team of experts, all experienced researchers and coaches, will encourage you to consider topics such as hydration, gut health or protein metabolism.

You may already be a practising sports and exercise nutritionist, so rather than make work experience compulsory, we’ve kept it optional. Apply your lessons to your own practice or use our links with professional sports teams, Oxfordshire hospitals and food organisations.

Whatever your starting point, our MSc will act as a great springboard for the next stage of your career.

Why Oxford Brookes University?

• Hands-on training
• Access to a variety of tech
• Professional accreditation
• Efficient timetabling
• Prestigious location

Course Details

Course Structure

We expect you’ll have a strong understanding of either human nutrition or sport and exercise science.

So, in the first semester, depending on your background, you’ll take either the Fundamentals of Human Nutrition or the Sports and Exercise Physiology module. We don’t want you to repeat an entire module in a topic you have a bachelor’s award for already.

You’ll follow a series of taught modules, examining theoretical and research issues. You’ll also learn advanced information about the effects of diet and physical activity on metabolic health and disease.

In the second semester, you’ll test out some of the theories in the field using our specialist portable equipment or in our state-of-the-art lab settings.

If you’re on the MSc course, you’ll do a research project in the final semester. This could be investigating the calorie-burning estimates of sports equipment, or analysing the influence of fluid and energy intake on team or endurance sports.

Learning and Teaching

You will learn using a variety of methods. These reflect the wide variety of topics associated with applied sport and exercise nutrition, including:

• lectures
• directed reading
• workshops
• seminars
• practical exercises
• laboratory sessions
• project work.

You will develop the skills to understand and communicate advanced theoretical and research-based knowledge of nutrition to people who participate in sport and exercise.

Each module requires 200 hours of student input in each twelve week semester. There are approximately 36 hours of staff contact time.

Assessment

Your performance in each module is assessed by:

• evaluation of your written or design work
• verbal presentations.

We use a range of assessment methods, including:

• essays
• seminar papers
• formal written examinations
• in-class tests
• project case work
• design and verbal presentations
• workshops
• simulations
• practical exercises.

Field Trips

We encourage you to attend relevant industry and academic conferences. This will help to further your subject knowledge and take advantage of networking opportunities.

Study Modules

The modules listed below are for the master's award. For the PGDip award your module choices may be different. Please contact us for more details.

Taught Modules

• Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (20 credits)
• Sport and Exercise Physiology (20 credits)
• Sport and Exercise Nutrition in Practice (20 credits)
• Research Methods (20 credits)
• Nutrition, Physical Activity and Health (20 credits)
• Applied Practice in Sport, Exercise and Nutrition (20 credits)
• Applied Techniques in Sport and Exercise Nutrition (20 credits)

Final Project

• Research Project (60 credits)

This consists of an intensive period of research into a selected topic in sport and exercise nutrition. You will work closely with an appointed supervisor to establish a project topic and identify an appropriate intervention. The research project will be primarily assessed by dissertation submission. Past projects have included fluid and energy delivery from sports drinks during cycling and rowing, accuracy of calorie expenditure estimates of popular sports equipment and effects from ingestion of alcohol, protein, carbohydrate, fat and ergogenic aids including sodium bicarbonate, caffeine, dietary nitrate and creatine.

Research

Our research areas and clusters include:

• immediate physiological and psychophysical exercise performed at different intensities
• effects of restricted fluid intake in people with MS on temperature control, energy levels, balance and cognitive and physical performance
• feasibility of supporting people with long-term neurological conditions to exercise in the community
• exploring exercise responses in children with physical disabilities with plans to explore delivery of community exercise and sports programmes
• exploring novel exercise delivery techniques for people who find it hard to move, including the use of mental imagery
• effect of fluid and carbohydrate intake on rowing skill and performance
• relationship between levels of physical activity and blood levels of neuroactive proteins induced by exercise
• effect of green tea on competitive cycling performance
• effective nutritional strategies for enhancing post-exercise rehydration.

Careers

With the MSc/PgDip in Applied Sport and Exercise Nutrition, you’ll have a wide range of options open to you. As well as your theoretical knowledge, you’ll have developed key skills in analysing results and presenting practical nutrition recommendations.

You may decide to work with a professional sports club as a nutritionist to help players improve their performance and find a competitive advantage.

Or you may choose to focus on nutrition in a health and exercise context as a lifestyle consultant. That could be in a hospital or in your own private practice.

Previous graduates have gone into industry, working for major companies like GlaxoSmithKline, or have taken up roles with the regional Institutes of Sport in the UK. Others have gone on to teach in further or higher education, or acquired funded PhD positions.

Entry Requirements

• To successfully complete this postgraduate course, you are usually expected to have (or be about to attain) at least a first or upper second class honours degree in a related scientific subject from a recognised institution of higher education.
• Applicants with a lower second class award may be accepted if they can provide a transcript to show that they performed near to the upper second class level.
• If you do not have these academic qualifications, you could still be offered a place on this course if you can show evidence of the potential to succeed based on professional and/or related experiences.

English Language Requirements

• For applicants whose first language is not English, an Academic IELTS score of 6.5 (with 6.5 in Reading and Writing, and 6.0 in Listening and Speaking) is required.

Tuition Fees

• Home (UK) full time: £9,750
• Home (UK) part time: £4,875
• International full time: £18,350

Additional Costs

• When possible, we provide financial support for you to attend conferences (subject to availability). Where financial support is unavailable, you will need to pay to attend the conferences.