Program Overview

Bachelor of Sports Science

The Bachelor of Sports Science degree offers students the opportunity to learn and apply the principles of exercise science within the realm of sport and wellness. It draws on many disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, motor control and development, measurement and evaluation as well as evidence-based exercise prescription.

Programme Information

The three-year, full-time Bachelor of Sports Science programme includes basic and applied sciences focused on the human body and human movement. The curriculum is problem-based and student-oriented with vertical and horizontal integration of subjects. The primary focus of the Bachelor of Sports Science curriculum is to prepare students to work competently in the health, wellness, and sporting environment. The programme provides a pathway towards a BScHons in Biokinetics or Sports Science.

Career Opportunities

This programme prepares students to work competently in the health, wellness, and sporting environment. It is a prerequisite to apply for the BScHons programme in Biokinetics or Sports Science. Sports scientists can work as strength and conditioning specialists for both teams and individual athletes, sports managers, or other sports-related professionals in the sports industry. Biokineticists can work in the health and wellness industry, private practice, multidisciplinary medical centres, final phase rehabilitation centres, homes for the elderly, the South African Armed Forces, and the corporate sector. Both sports scientists and biokineticists can also work in the fitness industry as personal trainers, health and fitness instructors, exercise scientists, or gymnasium managers/owners. Students who pursue further postgraduate studies could also consider careers in academia or research.

Faculty Notes

Modules will be presented only in English, which is the University's official language of tuition, communication, and correspondence. The Faculty of Health Sciences continues to exemplify and build on the University of Pretoria's vision of being a leading research-intensive university in Africa: it is recognised internationally for its quality, relevance, and impact, as well as for creating knowledge, developing people, and making a difference locally and globally.

Admission Requirements

• Minimum requirements:
  • Achievement level:
    • English Home Language or English First Additional Language: 4
    • Mathematics: 4
    • Physical Sciences or Life Sciences: 4
    • APS: 30
• Life Orientation is excluded when calculating the APS.
• Applicants currently in Grade 12 must apply with their final Grade 11 (or equivalent) results.
• Applicants who have completed Grade 12 must apply with their final NSC or equivalent qualification results.
• Please note that meeting the minimum academic requirements does not guarantee admission.

Selection Process

• Selection criteria are available on the faculty's webpage.
• One hundred (100) first-year students are selected annually.
• Only first-choice applicants are considered. Second-choice candidates who meet the minimum criteria may be considered in all categories once places have been allocated to all the first-choice candidates.

Minimum Duration

3 years, full-time

Closing Dates

• South Africa: 30/06/2025
• International: 30/06/2025