Sport and Exercise Sciences with Integrated Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

This is a four-year version of our popular BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Sciences course, with an integrated foundation year. Equip yourself with the skills and knowledge needed to work in the exciting sport and leisure sector. Specialise in coaching or deepen your knowledge of sport and exercise physiology, psychology, biomechanics, personal training, performance analysis, treatment of sports injuries.

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Overview

This is the broadest of our suite of sports courses.

You will gain practical experience in the fields of psychology, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition and injury rehabilitation. You will combine these disciplines to analyse and develop strategies to optimise performance in sport and exercise, which will be supported by our excellent teaching team

Why us?

Our Sport Sciences courses are ranked 15th in the UK (The Guardian University league tables, 2021)
This course enables students to work with cutting-edge state-of-the-art resources to develop their knowledge and skills in applied areas of sport and exercise sciences
We are a University that is nationally recognised for supporting learners particularly from non-traditional backgrounds and many students come to us with no formal qualifications but with valuable work experience

We have great links to clubs in the local area, including Sunderland Association Football Club and Durham County Cricket Club
There is an option to apply to the Elite Athlete Bursary Scheme
Our Sports Science courses were ranked 3rd overall in the UK in the 2018 UK Engagement Survey
Our Sports Science courses were ranked 3rd in the UK for Assessment and Feedback, 3rd in the UK for Retention and Progression, and 3rd in the UK for Employability in the 2018 UK Engagement Survey

Course structure

Our teaching methods are designed to develop not only your knowledge but also skills that enhance employability. Methods include small group work, practical activities, workshops, lectures, tutorials, computer-based learning, presentations and independent learning.

As well as assessments that count towards your degree, there are also on-going assessments for feedback and consolidating your learning. Assessment methods include essays, reports, practical work and presentations.

Foundation year

The Sport, Physical Education and Rehabilitative Therapies Integrated Foundation Year includes five modules:

Core:

Foundations of Sport, Physical Education and Rehabilitative Therapies (40 credits)
Practical Skills and Applications (20 credits)
Foundation Project (20 credits)
Essential Study Skills (20 credits)

Optional (choose one):

Practical Numeracy Skills (20 credits)
Practical Statistical Skills (20 credits)

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Year 1 (national level 4):

Academic and Professional Skills (20 credits)
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Anatomy (20 credits)
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology (20 credits)
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Physiology (20 credits)
Introduction to Athlete Testing (20 credits)
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Biomechanics (20 credits)

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Research Design and Analysis (20 credits)
Motivating Physical Activity (20 credits)
Physiology of Fitness and Training (20 credits)
Biomechanical Analysis of Human Movement (20 credits)
Performance Analysis (20 credits)

Optional modules (Choose one):

Injuries and Rehabilitation (20 credits)
Exercise Testing and Prescription (20 credits)

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules

Dissertation (20 credits)
Sport and Exercise Biomechanics (20 credits)
Athlete Assessment Placement (20 credits)

Optional modules (choose three):

Sport and Exercise Physiology (20 credits)
Sport and Exercise Nutrition (20 credits)
Strength, Conditioning and Prehabilitation (20 credits)
Exercise and Diet Behaviour (20 credits)
Exercise for Special Populations (20 credits)
Sport Psychology (20 credits)

Biodex Room 360
Our City Campus features a state-of-the-art facility called CitySpace. Students use this facility for teaching and the space includes:
- Sports hall
- Fitness suite/gym
- Strength and conditioning room
- Injury prevention and support suite
- Climbing wall
CitySpace
Used by students across a range of Sport courses, our Clinical Biomechanics lab contains equipment that measures motion, muscle activity and forces on the body during high intensity sports and the activities of daily living.

Facilities include:
- 3D motion capture systems including Vicon® systems and Xsens® motion capture suits
- Software such as Kinovea® and LongoMatch® software to capture live action images for match tagging and coaching feedback
- Movement tracking tools such as Actigraph® and Catapult®
- Delsys® Trigno electromyography equipment to see how the muscles of the body are working
- Kistler® force platforms and Batak® reaction walls to analyse sporting performance
- Novel® Pedar systems to analyse foot pressure
Clinical Biomechanics Lab
Clinical Biomechanics Lab 360
Clinical Rehabilitation & Exercise Therapy Suite 360
This lab is used for advanced clinical health and exercise research, with gas analysis, cycle ergometers and treadmills for fitness testing. The AlterG© treadmill allows assessment of running in a low gravity environment to understand physical responses during rehabilitation and training.

There is also an environmental chamber within the teaching space which is used to assess physiological response to heat, humidity and altitude.
Human Performance Lab
Human Performance Lab 360
The facility is used for cardiovascular exercise testing and health and fitness related components. You will have access to gas analysis; cycle ergometers for fitness testing and a variety of blood marker testing.
Human Physiology Lab
Human Physiology Lab 360
Across the Sunderland area you'll have access to the following sports facilities:
- 50m Olympic size swimming pool
- 95m artificial ski slope
- Warehouse climbing wall
- Football training pitches at Sunderland AFC’s Academy of Light
- Marine Activities Centre for sailing, canoeing, kayaking and powerboating
- LTA approved indoor tennis centre with 13 indoor and outdoor courts
- Floodlit athletics tracks
Sport facilities
Anatomy is taught by experienced staff in a specialist clinical lab using skeletons, anatomical models, Anatomage Table, 3D software, online material and human subjects. You will learn techniques for sports injury rehabilitation, including the use of sports massage and ultrasound equipment.

Access to our Anatomy building enables students to visualize the human structure in real life through human cadavers.

You will also examine balance and stability using our Biodex® stability and balance trainer and assess strength imbalances using our sophisticated Biodex® dynamometer and new BTE Primus® rehabilitation equipment. You can investigate how new techniques such as thermal imaging are being used in injury assessment with Flir® IR cameras.
Sports medicine and anatomy
The Sciences Complex is based on our City Campus. It has benefited from multi-million pound investment in modern facilities in recent years and continues to develop as our health sciences offer grows.

It is the central hub for many of our health and sciences courses and is made up of a variety of teaching and learning spaces, including labs, problem-based learning classrooms and facilities that encourage interprofessional learning. A lot of academic staff offices are based here, with an open-door policy in place.
The Sciences Complex
Map and directions

Facilities

Sunderland's outstanding facilities include laboratories with the latest fitness equipment and technology.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

Entry requirements are provided for guidance only and we may offer you an entrance interview which will help us determine your eligibility for your chosen degree. This enables us to consider making you an offer if you are perhaps a mature student who has been out of education for a period of time, or you have gained significant knowledge and skills through employment rather than traditional education.

Eligible entry qualifications:

1. Normally a minimum of three Level 2 qualifications (NVQ, GCSE or equivalent), including Maths and English at grade C or above** and a minimum of 40 UCAS tariff points from Level 3 qualifications (e.g. A or AS Levels, T Levels, BTEC certificates/diplomas, access courses or equivalent)
OR
2. Demonstrable evidence of appropriate knowledge and skills acquired from at least three years of post-school work experience.

If you are unsure of whether you think you might be suitable for the course, please contact us!

** If you have studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above. Equivalent alternative qualifications are also accepted, such as Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you have not achieved a grade C in Maths and English we may be able to work with you to ensure that you are able to gain these in the first year of the course, depending on your experience.

If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The annual fee for this course is £9,250 if you are from the UK/Ireland/EU settled/pre-settled.

If you are a full-time UK/Irish/EU settled/EU pre-settled student you may be eligible to receive financial support to cover your fees for the full four years. UK and EU settled students may also be eligible to receive a maintenance loan.

Please note, this course is not available to international students.

Learn more about settled status, pre-settled status, special discounts, visa requirements and Common Travel Area (CTA) agreements for the Republic of Ireland applicants in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

Sunderland’s strong links with regional and national sporting organisations, local hospitals and authorities, and health and fitness centres helps you get to know potential future employers. You will also gain first-hand experience of how Sport and Exercise Sciences can be applied in working environments. There is a major focus on career planning for both employment and further study at all stages in the Sport and Exercise Science course. You will be prepared for supervised experience, the initial stage in the process towards becoming a professionally recognised Sport and Exercise Scientist accredited through the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES).

Vocational qualifications

We are working towards reaccreditation from the professional development body for the Sport and Physical activity sector in the UK, to award vocational qualifications (related to the health and fitness industry) to students who successfully complete specific modules and additional assessments.

Career options

Potential employers for graduates of this course include national sports associations, sports and leisure companies, recreation services, local authorities, health bodies including the NHS, schools and colleges.

During the course, you will be encouraged and supported to obtain National Governing Body Coaching Awards to support future development in the area. This will allow you to develop the skills required to become an effective coach across a range of activities.

Job roles include the following (some require further training):

Sports coach/instructor
Sports and exercise psychologist
Fitness centre manager
Teacher of PE

Meet the students

Related courses

BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Sciences

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing.

Page last updated: 07 February 2023

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.

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Sport and Exercise Sciences with Integrated Foundation Year BSc (Hons)

Overview

Why us?

Course structure

Foundation year

Year 1 (national level 4):

Year 2 (national level 5):

Core modules:

Optional modules (Choose one):

Final year (national level 6):

Core modules

Optional modules (choose three):

Facilities

Entry requirements

Fees and finance

Career ready

Vocational qualifications

Career options

Meet the students

Meet the team — BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Sciences with Integrated Foundation Year

Related courses

Contact

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