Sport and Exercise Science
Voted Top in Wales for student satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2023) and assessment (Guardian University Guide 2024), you’ll study the physiological, biomechanical, and psychological factors of elite performance and exercise's impact on health. With free industry qualifications from CIMSPA.
How to apply Apply Through UCAS Book an Open Day Chat to Us/prod01/channel_2/media/university-of-south-wales/site-assets/images/03-courses/sport/bsc-sport-and-exercise-science-1.png)
Key Course Details
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UCAS Code
C600
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Start Date
September
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Location
Pontypridd
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Campus Code
A
Fees
Home students
£9,535*
International students
£16,200*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
-
Start Date
September
-
Location
Pontypridd
-
Campus Code
A
Fees
Home students
£785*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
Turn your passion for sport and health into a profession with our Sport and Exercise Science degree.
Designed For
Carve out your dream career with our Sport & Exercise Science course. Covering exercise physiology, sport psychology, biomechanics, strength and conditioning, sports nutrition and sports performance, it opens doors to a wide range of careers in sport and health.
Accredited by
- British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES)
- Modules endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA)
Career paths
- Sport and exercise scientist (physiology, psychology or biomechanics)
- Performance coach
- Performance scientist
- Exercise Physiologist
- Sport psychologist
- Sport nutritionist
- Personal trainer
- Research (sport/clinical)
- Teaching
- Health promotion specialist
- Exercise Referral Consultant
Skills taught
- Personal training
- Fitness assessing
- Nutritional screening
- Sport/Clinical practice
- Statistical analysis
Course Highlights
Module Overview
Created by a course team who live and breathe sport, health and exercise, our degree will prepare you with everything you need for a career in the sports and health industries. Give your studies a boost with industry-recognised qualifications from CIMSPA, included in your program at no extra charge.
Year One:
Measurement and Evaluation of Human Performance
Exercise Prescription (Non-referred populations)
Nutrition for Health and Exercise
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology
Anatomy and Physiology*
Sport Performance
Year Two:
Exercise Physiology
Exercise for Special Populations
Sports Injuries and Biomechanics
Research Methods
Sports Nutrition
Sport Placement*
Sport and Exercise Psychology
Year Three:
Dissertation
Applied Movement Analysis in Sport
Advanced Exercise Physiology
Environmental Physiology
Advanced Performance Psychology
Strength and Conditioning
Work Based Learning*
*These modules can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh
Start your journey into Sport & Exercise Science with anatomy & physiology, psychology and nutrition. As you study these subjects, learn how to evaluate performance, and gain your CIMSPA Level 2 Fitness Instructor and Level 3 Personal Trainer qualifications.
Measurement and Evaluation of Human Performance
Learn all about the areas of measurement, data retrieval, analysis and interpretation, health and fitness assessment, and exercise prescription.
Exercise Prescription (Non-referred populations)
Build your skills to plan, instruct, and evaluate gym-based exercise programs. Earn CIMSPA Level 2 Gym Instructor and Level 3 Personal Trainer.
Nutrition for Health and Exercise
Learn about the diet's significance, methods for dietary analysis, and metabolic principles for a healthy lifestyle.
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology
Explore sports psychology, covering personality, stress, group dynamics, motivation, motor learning, self-confidence, concentration, and exercise psychology.
Anatomy and Physiology*
Begin with human anatomy basics, then examine the musculoskeletal system, essential for understanding exercise physiology and biomechanics.
Sport Performance
Discover how physiological, psychological, and biomechanical factors impact elite sports performance, enhancing your understanding across disciplines.
*This module can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh
Continue your learning with core modules like exercise physiology and biomechanics. Gain your CIMSPA Exercise Referral qualification as you work in our exercise referral clinic, or get a taste of performance sport within our Exercise Testing clinic or various sport placements.
Exercise Physiology
Explore the function, regulation, and integration of physiological systems in sport and exercise, covering key concepts in exercise physiology. Get hands-on experience in laboratory exercise testing and core skills.
Exercise for Special Populations
Learn about biopsychosocial and medical issues in physical activity. Design and evaluate tailored exercise programs. Earn a CIMSPA Exercise Referral qualification.
Sports Injuries and Biomechanics
Gain an insight into physics principles essential for studying biomechanics in sport and exercise. You'll solve basic biomechanical problems related to linear motion and fluid mechanics.
Research Methods
Expand your research methods knowledge to develop qualitative and quantitative skills. You’ll create a research proposal for the Year 3 Dissertation module.
Sports Nutrition
Appreciate how nutritional interventions impact sport and exercise performance, exploring benefits and potential side effects. Refer to ethical and practical guidelines on usage.
Sport Placement*
Get practical experience in our Sport Science and Exercise Referral clinics, plus placements with USW Performance Sport Teams and industry partners.
Sport and Exercise Psychology
Build your critical understanding and ethical application of psychological theories in exercise contexts. Explore behaviour change and stress management techniques.
*This module can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh
Complete your final year dissertation while learning how to apply your skills on movement analysis, environmental physiology and psychology. Use our work-based learning opportunities to gain the industry experience required for your dream career.
Dissertation
Design and conduct an independent study to critically assess scientific data and literature in your chosen area of interest.
Applied Movement Analysis in Sport
Learn how Newton’s laws apply to angular kinematics and kinetics, mechanics, and energetics of walking and running. Develop your analytical skills using Quintic Biomechanics software.
Advanced Exercise Physiology
Explore the connection between exercise and the cardiovascular system. Grow your expertise in specific measurements and deepen your understanding of cardiovascular physiology.
Environmental Physiology
Discover physiological responses in diverse environments (warm, cold, high-altitude, and underwater) with our cutting-edge environmental chamber. Investigate their effects on exercise and performance.
Advanced Performance Psychology
Review factors influencing applied sport and exercise psychology support. Learn the processes of working as an applied sports psychologist, tackling current issues in practice with elite and rising athletes.
Strength and Conditioning
Learn the scientific principles essential for delivering effective strength and conditioning programs.
Work Based Learning*
Build your practical experience by working within our Sport Science and Exercise Referral Clinics, in addition to working with key partners within the industry.
*This module can be studied 100% through the medium of Welsh
Course Highlights
How you’ll learn
We know learning is about finding the right mix of theory and hands-on practice. In our Sport and Exercise Science degree, you'll spend 24 weeks from September to May experiencing a mix of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and lab sessions at Glyntaff and Sport Park Campus. Each week, you'll join us for about 12 hours, with extra study time ranging from 18-24 hours. During your final placement year, it's 7-14 hours of placement per week, depending on your module picks. And when it comes to assessments, expect a combination of written assignments, exams, presentations, lab reports, and practical tests.
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Teaching staff
Our Sport and Exercise Science course boasts a team of industry professionals and renowned researchers. Dr Tom Owens, our course leader, doubles as a sports scientist for the Madison Saracen Factory Mountain Bike Team. His research on concussions in contact sports has gained national media attention. Professor Damian Bailey, a featured lecturer, investigates brain oxygen delivery and chairs the Life Sciences Working Group of the European Space Agency. Alongside their expertise, you'll benefit from cutting-edge research from our Sport, Health, and Exercise Science Research Group.
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Placements and work experience
In years two and three, our modules integrate practical work-based learning opportunities, allowing you to apply your skills in various professional settings. Through our Centre of Employability, Enterprise, and Leadership in Sport (CEELS), we work with over 50 sports organisations to offer you work placements. These experiences provide invaluable first-hand insight into the industry, a must for anyone pursuing a career in sports.
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Facilities
Our purpose-built labs feature cutting-edge equipment like underwater weighing systems and normobaric chambers for endurance testing. With five teaching labs, you'll conduct experiments under academic guidance. Access the biomechanics lab for sports movement analysis. At USW Sport Park, experience our specialised strength and conditioning centre and an indoor 3G pitch built to FIFA Pro and World Rugby ‘22 standards. Explore our notational analysis suite and 30-acre playing fields with floodlit pitches, a sand-dressed AstroTurf pitch, and a FIFA-approved 3G pitch. Our grounds host teams like Cardiff City FC and touring rugby squads.
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Sport Science at USW is top in Wales for Teaching Quality
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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
UCAS Points: 112 (or above)
Typical qualification requirements:
- A Level: BBC to include one A Level in Science, Mathematics, Physical Education or Psychology but to exclude General Studies
- BTEC: Distinction Merit Merit in a relevant subject
- Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate: C in the Skills Challenge Certificate and BB at A Level to include one A Level in Science, Mathematics, Physical Education or Psychology but to exclude General Studies
- Access to HE: Pass the Access to HE Diploma in Sport/Science with a minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points.
Additional requirements include:
The University normally requires a minimum 5 GCSEs including Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C or Grade 4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.
International applications welcomed:
We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence please view our dedicated country pages.
English language requirements
In general, international applicants will need to have achieved an overall IELTS grade of 6.0 with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.
Equivalents can be located on our country.
If you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your English Language pages is not featured, please contact us.
If you do not meet the English entry criteria please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
We're here to help
Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.
Fees and Funding
£9,535
per year*£16,200
per year*£785
per 20 credits*Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
University Quality Assurance
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.
Life at USW
Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.
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How to apply
All applications for full-time undergraduate courses or foundation degrees should be made via UCAS. Take the next step: Apply through UCAS. You can apply to us directly for all part-time undergraduate courses, if you’re seeking advanced entry or you’re an international student. To apply directly, please choose the application form below for your preferred start date and mode of study (full-time or part-time.)
Advanced entry
If you already have a relevant qualification or experience related to the course you're applying for, you may be eligible to start at a later stage of the course. For example, students from partner colleges can ‘top up’ their qualifications to a degree by joining us in Year Two or Year Three of a course. This process is known as ‘advanced entry’, you can apply directly to the University for 'advanced entry' using the application forms provided above.
International admissions
International applicants can apply to us directly. If the University has an in-country team in your region, your application will be assigned to them for assistance.
