Sport and Exercise Science BSc (Hons)
Course Code
UCAS Code: C600
International Code: HLSU213
Location
Coventry University (Coventry)
Study mode
Full-time
Sandwich
Duration
3 years full-time
4 years full-time (study abroad or work placement)
Start date
September 2022
Course overview
Study level: Undergraduate
If sport is your passion, this course explores how the healthy human body works during exercise, how the body responds to training, as well as how sport and physical activity promote health.
- Joint 2nd in the Midlands for career prospects in Sport Science in the Guardian University Guide 2021
- Enjoy specialist laboratories for sport science, biomechanics, strength and conditioning and a gait analysis track.
- Currently endorsed by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES)

Global Ready
An international outlook, with global opportunities
Teaching excellence
Taught by lecturers who are experts in their field
Employability
Career ready graduates, with the skills to succeedWhy you should study this course
On this course, you will have the opportunity to learn how the healthy human body works during exercise, how to prevent or rehabilitate following injury, as well as how sport and physical activity promote health.
Preparing you for a variety of graduate level career options in industry, professional sport, health and education, this degree course aims to provide you with a strong scientific understanding of human physiology, psychology, anatomy, biomechanics and biochemistry. In the first two years your learning is underpinned by the three key pillars of exercise physiology, psychology and biomechanics, reflecting developments within the industry. In the final year there is an independent research project as well as discipline specialisation.
Based in the state-of-the-art Alison Gingell Building, you can take full advantage of our cutting-edge facilities, including extensive exercise science laboratories, gait analysis track and environmental chamber.
This course is designed to be hands-on, with a range of approaches to teaching including problem-based learning, case studies and laboratory classes, which aim to blend scientific rigour with practical and professional experience and knowledge. We aim to develop your expertise and practical ability to prescribe exercise programmes, then evaluate and monitor their effectiveness on the human body.
We recognise that to be an effective sport and exercise scientist, you first need to be an effective communicator. Alongside an appreciation of the physiological, psychological and biomechanical factors influencing human performance, our course aims to help you develop effective listening, verbal and non-verbal communications skills through the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of situations directly related to applied sport and exercise science.
You’ll be taught by staff with a broad range of academic and professional experience, many of whom have worked with a range of health initiatives, professional athletes and clubs. Our strong employer links include local professional sports teams and NHS clinical services, such as cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and local authority healthy living initiatives, which may increase your employment opportunities following graduation.
Accreditation and Professional Recognition
This course is endorsed by the following bodies:

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences
This course is currently endorsed by the British Association for Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) up until August 2022 and has been mapped against their accreditation framework, which covers practical ability in laboratory techniques, reflective practice, theoretical basis of the physiology and psychology of sports and exercise. If any changes occur with respect to this recognition, we will notify applicants and students as soon as possible. Successful completion of this course may enable you to apply for accreditation following a successful period of supervised experience as a sport and exercise scientist (subject to successful completion of any exams, competitive application, availability, meeting any applicable visa requirements and additional fees may apply).
The course had some brilliant opportunities to get hands-on experience in the labs and to apply what I learnt in different environments.

What you'll study
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
How you'll learn
A variety of teaching methods are used including lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work and practical skills sessions designed to develop experimental/practical techniques and the ability to make accurate observations and assess errors. This includes performance and fitness testing, body composition assessment and physical activity monitoring.
A series of workshops will be delivered as part of this course during the first year of study with the aim of developing your scientific writing, research and laboratory skills. In laboratory sessions, you will explore key experimental techniques and develop essential experimental, data handling, reporting and broader scientific skills, such as literature researching, information technology, bioinformatics, data processing and the use of statistics.
Throughout the course, you will receive insight from the latest research and input from current practitioners.
In addition, you will be assigned a personal tutor who will review and discuss your progress with you and can provide advice.
Assessment
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include coursework, tests, essays, formal examinations, group work, presentations/posters and practical or project work.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
Job ready
The multi-disciplinary and applied nature of this degree course aims to prepare you for a potential future career in sport or exercise, including scientific support, exercise training, health promotion and rehabilitation.
On successful completion, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate the key skills of a sport and exercise scientist: reflective practice; evidence-based practice; interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary practice; generic and specialised practical skills; health and safety (e.g. good laboratory practice) and ethical considerations.
- Research, critique and present scientific information to scientific and other recipients.
- Demonstrate problem solving and apply scientific information.
- Design and implement scientific investigations, including data collection, analysis and interpretation.
Teaching contact hours
During the course you will have the chance to experience a higher level of supervised teaching and practical hours in year one, decreasing each year as you should develop and become more self-guided and independent in preparation for roles after graduation.
In a typical teaching week in your first year, you will have around 11 ‘contact’ hours of study.
The contact hours on this course may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials. In addition, you will be expected to undertake around a further 18 hours of self-directed study each week e.g. working on course assignments.
Some ‘contact’ hours may take the form of synchronous online learning (e.g. live online lectures, meeting tutors via video calling etc).
International experience opportunities
Our international placement option allows a full-year work placement, which can be taken abroad, or you can undertake a study year abroad*. The university runs several schemes to allow you periods of overseas study or work experience.*
The department currently has research links with Canada, Brazil and Australia. Teaching staff also ensure that they bring their internationally rated research expertise into their teaching. Please note that postgraduate study opportunities are subject to competitive application, availability, meeting any applicable visa requirements and additional costs may apply.
Entry requirements
Haven't met the entry requirements or don’t have the right qualifications? You may still be able to progress onto a degree you’d love by studying a foundation or access course.
View our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page. You can also explore our International foundation year courses.
Fees and funding
2022/23 Tuition fees
Student | Full time | Part time |
---|---|---|
UK | £9,250 per year | Not available |
International | £16,650 per year | Not available |
For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see The University’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.
We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them. Find out what's included in your tuition costs.
Facilities
Based in the state-of-the-art Alison Gingell Building, you can take full advantage of our cutting-edge facilities, including indoor running track and extensive exercise science laboratories.

Sports Therapy Clinic
The Sports Therapy Clinic is run by final-year Sports Therapy students under the supervision of qualified staff, with second-year students providing a supervised massage clinic twice a week.

Strength and conditioning suite
Our multi-purpose suite is equipped with multiple Olympic lifting platforms, a 20m gait analysis track, an anti-gravity treadmill and a 3D motion capture system.

Environmental chamber
Our environmental chamber helps us to test the effects of a wide range of environmental conditions, such as temperature and barometric pressure, on the human body.
Careers and opportunities
The leisure industry is a major employer in the UK and many of our previous graduates have gone into managerial and service delivery roles in leisure and health centres, as well as teaching and research.
Graduates who are more interested in the medical and health applications of exercise science can choose to go on to work within cardiac and other rehabilitation teams within the NHS, or with local councils within sports development or exercise for health schemes.
Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and helping to give you a competitive edge in the graduate job market upon successful completion of your course. The university’s Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your future career options. They can also help you to apply for suitable work placements* and give you advice on how to get the most out of them.
Where our graduates work
Some of our previous graduates have gone on to work with sports teams including Coventry City FC and British Cycling.
How to apply
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UK Students
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply for this course through UCAS. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
Part-time students should apply directly to the university.
If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.
Chat with our admissions team
Complete our contact form.
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International Students
Full-time students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.
How to applyFor further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.
You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.
Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.
Chat with our admissions team.
Complete our contact form.
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Disclaimers
Student Contract
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the 2021/22 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.
Tuition fees
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
Accreditations
The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.
Facilities
Facilities mentioned on this page may not be relevant for every course. Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to COVID-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Placements and study abroad opportunities
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any placement or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
Additional costs
This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to), equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas).
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