Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons)

Select the year

2026-27

2027-28

Start Dates

21 September 2026

Duration

3 years full-time

UCAS Tariff

112-104

Recent Awards For Excellence

Find out more about these awards

About this course

Overview

Our Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons) degree aims to develop your scientific and critical understanding of issues relevant to sport and exercise, to improve both performance and health. It brings together a diverse and fascinating range of subjects, including anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, psychology, and nutrition.

You’ll learn how the body responds and adapts to exercise, how to optimise sport performance and how to promote positive behaviour change to improve health. You’ll use the fantastic range of facilities and specialist equipment in our biomechanics and physiology laboratories: from measuring fitness through gas analysis and muscle strength through isokinetic dynamometry, to measuring reaction forces on the Kistler Force Plate, and capturing high-speed movements on our 3D motion analysis system.

Why study Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons)

Over 93% of students on this course who participated in the 2025 National Student Survey agreed that teaching on this course was high quality.

As well as delving into sport and exercise science on campus, you’ll gain real-world experience on a work placement in your second year, while also putting the skills and knowledge gained on the course to the test. This provides the opportunity to gain valuable real-world experience that employers are looking for in graduates. In your final year you’ll complete a student-led research project.

You’ll be taught by lecturers with a wealth of experience, who are research active and helping to shape real-world practice, meaning you’ll learn the very latest industry knowledge.

Reflecting our commitment to equipping you with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to effectively transition into roles in the sector, this course is endorsed by The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES)’ undergraduate scheme, BUES. It’s endorsed, also, by Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA)*. This enables you to gain industry-recognised standards and qualifications (including gym instructor or personal trainer, and work with people with long-term conditions) that are recognised by major employers in the sector aligned to your degree.

Following your degree, you could go on to work in sports science support and strength and conditioning, as well as a physical activity coordinator, performance analyst, health advisor, sports development officer, personal trainer, exercise referral specialist, or after further training, a teacher or lecturer in educational settings or a researcher.

If you’re interested in everything from sports performance to sports training, wellbeing, health-related behaviours, biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, this sports degree could help satisfy your passion for these subjects and more.

*Whilst studying the course, you can apply for annual student membership at a cost of just £5 per student (83 per cent saving). This provides access to e-learning, work placements, volunteering, job opportunities, and more. On successful completion of the course, you’ll be eligible to apply for CIMSPA graduate membership, at your own expense.

Who can apply?

Entry Requirements

BBC-BCC at A Level.
112-104 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications.
DMM-MMM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.
Pass at T level with grade C or above on core.
Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits at Merit or above.
112-104 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.

No specific subjects are required but subjects including Physical Education, Sports Studies, Sport Development and Coaching, Psychology, Health-related or Science subjects (Applied Science, Biology, Physics, Chemistry) provide a good foundation for our Sport degrees.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

What will you learn?

Course Details

Two branches of science, anatomy and physiology provide the foundation for understanding the body’s parts and functions. You'll be supported to develop an underpinning knowledge and understanding of the human body systems that are of most relevance to sport, exercise and health, as well as homeostatic control and how this relates to the pathophysiology of disease.

You'll be provided with a foundation knowledge within the area of nutrition, bioenergetics and metabolism. The relationship between what we eat, and nutrition will be explored by looking at the importance of the food groups that make up the diet, the nutritional needs for different population groups and the link between diet and disease. You'll also look at the role of macronutrients in the diet in terms of how energy is provided and metabolised.

Biomechanics is the study of the forces acting on and produced by the body. You'll be supported to develop an understanding of the academic and practical skills required of a sport and exercise scientist, providing you with knowledge to interpret biomechanical principles that govern human motion. Biomechanics is one of the key sport and exercise science disciplines recognised by British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

This module will investigate how people think, feel and behave in a sport and exercise context. You’ll have the opportunity to improve diet, exercise and physical activity levels, and gain an understanding of psychological skills and their influence on sports performance and exercise and dietary behaviour.

In this module you'll explore the specific roles of the coach in the context of youth sport. You'll be provided with opportunities to develop practical skills including communication and demonstration skills. It will also help you gain an understanding of underpinning principles of coaching including models of youth development, positive youth development through sport, and coaching styles.

This module focuses on establishing an understanding of the research process and developing the academic skills required to progress in higher education and successfully complete the course. You'll examine essential areas such as essay and report writing, referencing and the use of Summon in searching for information. You'll explore concepts of research design and the research process and you'll identify where support can be accessed to enable academic progression. This module will also introduce key concepts in Professional Practice to support future career goals.

Biomechanics is one of the key sport and exercise science disciplines recognised by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. Within this module you'll build on your understanding of the basic Biomechanical principles and will be supported in your development of an understanding of how these principles can be applied to real life situations. You'll also be introduced to more advanced aspects of biomechanical theory and practice.

In the first part of the module you'll learn about the nutritional and metabolic significance of energy and the role of the macro and micronutrients in the body. This will include their function, requirements, dietary sources and the effects of deficiency and toxicity. In the second part of the module you'll apply this knowledge to explore the relationships between diet and disease. This will include looking at the link between diet and diseases of affluence including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Factors influencing the nutritional status of individuals through the life cycle will also be considered, for example during pregnancy through to older adults.

The body is an incredibly advanced and complex machine. Millions of processes occur at any given time, from the cellular level all the way up to whole-body level; and that is just at rest. When the body is ‘challenged’ by physical exertion, our nervous system and muscles become more active, initiating an exciting and intricate series of processes. This module is designed to expose you to classic and contemporary issues in sport and exercise physiology, uncovering both the fascinating way our body reacts to exercise, and how this can be harnessed and trained to improve athletic performance and our general health.

You'll be introduced to a variety of methods and approaches that are widely used in sport and exercise psychology when working with population groups. In sport psychology, you'll apply and evaluate sport psychology theory in a practical coaching setting. In exercise psychology, you'll explore why many individuals do not meet current recommended physical activity levels and look at theories of motivating and encouraging them to do so. You'll learn how to conduct, transcribe and interpret an interview in a sport and exercise psychology setting. You'll also consider and evaluate the implications of these approaches.

This module will help you further develop the skills and knowledge of research methods you learnt in Year 1, supporting you to produce a more considered research proposal for your final year project. You'll focus on the applications of research methods to different kinds of problems, allowing experiential learning to take place. This will help you to become better equipped to undertake your own research and offer a critique of the research of others.

This module provides the opportunity to gain work experience in an industry placement and develop an understanding of the core purpose and management of the organisation. You’ll complete 100 hours on placement where you'll identify, develop and maintain a role as a working member of the team, appreciating the rights and responsibilities of yourself and the organisation.

You'll have the opportunity to develop practical research skills by investigating a specific aspect of sport, exercise or nutrition by reviewing the most up-to-date research literature available. You'll produce a project, which will be individually negotiated with a university appointed supervisor and, in some cases, an employer or work-based supervisor who will provide ongoing support. All research projects will be approved by the University’s School Research and Ethics Panel.

This module is designed to give you an advanced understanding of human physiology within a sport and exercise context. Building on study in Years 1 and 2, you will explore how we respond and adapt to sport and exercise in a variety of contexts. You will also explore the scientific evidence for using an active lifestyle as a treatment for a range of long-term conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, to develop the knowledge and skills to plan safe and effective exercise interventions.

In this module you'll focus on the practical application of basic and advanced principles of biomechanics. Application of biomechanical principles can aid athletes and coaches in improving performance and technique, as well as aiding recovery and rehabilitation. You'll be supported in both the development of your practical skills and in your understanding and interpretation of data produced from biomechanical tests.

This module explores current practice in applied sport psychology and will introduce you to intervention techniques that are widely used. You'll have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in this module to undertake problem solving and design appropriate interventions.

The role of a strength and conditioning coach is one that is constantly evolving, requiring not only the ability to coach, but also the ability to critically understand developments in the science of exercise training and injury management. This module will explore the scientific principles that underpin effective application of strength and conditioning training interventions to optimise and develop training programmes. It will also introduce you to information and skills that provide the framework for making judgements to deliver appropriate remedial and rehabilitation advice throughout all stages of the recovery process, considering common sport and exercise injuries and their management.

What we eat affects our health; for athletes, the optimum diet is essential for optimum performance. Consequently, nutrition is of direct relevance to sport, exercise and health professionals. Throughout this module you'll be encouraged to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to critically evaluate nutritional requirements and to give evidence-based advice to a range of individuals within sport, exercise and health.

For more information on when and how we update our modules please see the ‘Legal Information’ section below.

Teaching and Assessment

Discover what to expect from your tutor contact time, assessment methods, and feedback process.

Global Professional Award

At Huddersfield, you’ll study the award-winning Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* — so you’re ready for the career you want, whatever subject you choose.

Interested in a placement?

Placements

The course includes a compulsory 140-hour work placement in your second year, in an appropriate environment, helping you to relate theory to practice and develop skills in a real work context. The teaching staff have developed excellent links with local employers and can provide assistance in finding a suitable placement.

Previous placement providers have included strength and conditioning, professional sports clubs (performance analysis and sport science support), primary and secondary schools, further education colleges, local authority sport development and physical activity units, primary care trusts, research assistants and private physical activity and sport providers. The University also has strong links with local professional sports clubs, so there may be opportunities for you to work with these athletes, for example Huddersfield Town FC and Huddersfield Giants.

I undertook two placements, one at Huddersfield Giants RLFC as the strength and conditioner of the academy team, and the other at Halifax RLFC working alongside the head coach and the first team providing performance analysis stats for the team during and post-match.

- Kim Field
graduated Sport Science BSc(Hons), now Performance Analyst at Halifax RLFC

Where could this lead you?

Your Career

Previous graduates from the Division of Sport, Exercise and Public Health have gone on to work in education, research, teaching, community and social services in organisations including the NHS (Dietetic Assistant), Huddersfield Giants RLFC (Community Development Officer), Halifax RLFC (Performance Analyst), Barnsley Council (Senior Public Health Officer), Kirklees Active Leisure (Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor), Huddersfield Town FC (First Team Performance Analyst), Liverpool FC (Academy Fitness Coach), Everton FC (Lecturer and Coach), Manchester United (Sports Performance Analyst), Leicester City FC (Women's First Team Performance Analyst), Project Sport (Sports Coach) and Nuffield Health (Performance Lead).

89.6%
graduates from the school of Human and Health Sciences were in work or further study 15 months after graduation

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 21/22, UK Domiciled

How much will it cost?

Fees and Finance

£9,790 per year

This information is for Home students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy.

From January 2027 the UK government is launching a new student funding system for people starting university education. Read more about the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/study/fees/

£17,600 per year

This information is for international students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy.

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/international/fees-and-funding/

If you are competing at a regional or international level you could be eligaible for a Sports Scholarship:

Performance Netball - University of Huddersfield

Performance Basketball - University of Huddersfield

Scholarships and Bursaries

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What’s included in your fee?

We want you to understand exactly what your fees will cover and what additional costs you may need to budget for when you decide to become a student with us.

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If you have any questions about Fees and Finance, please email the Student Finance Team.

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What does the univsersity offer?

Gallery

Halifax FC pre-season testing with sport students

Plyometric testing with professional footballers

Halifax FC Players carrying out VO2 Max Testing

Pre-season fitness testing with Halifax FC

Explore More

Facilities video

Students Lily and Rohaan provide a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment you'll use when studying a course in Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at the University of Huddersfield.

Halifax FC pre-season testing

Our Physiotherapy and Sport students collaborated with academics, technicians, and FC Halifax Town to deliver a comprehensive pre-season testing event. This invaluable experience supported player performance and rehabilitation while providing students with hands-on experience with professional athletes.

Placement story

Emily and Michael talk about what it's like working at a Premier League club, how it links to their course and how they feel it will enhance their career prospects. Paul Bower, Lead Academy Physical Performance Coach at Huddersfield Town, talks about the value of work placements through the link between the University and the football club.

What is sport and exercise science?

From working with footballers and elite athletes, to helping those in extreme environments and the emergency services, and even improving public awareness around physical activity, sport and exercise science is an exciting field to be in.

Why Hud

Explore the unique opportunities and resources that make our institution a top choice for students seeking a well-rounded and future-focused education.

Explore Huddersfield

Make Huddersfield your home. A Yorkshire town, surrounded by beautiful countryside, with easy access to neighbouring cities; Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield. You’ll find plenty of places to eat, drink, shop and socialise, there’s ambitious plans for future development. Our campus is situated next to the town centre - making your commute a breeze.

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Your Student Experience

Get involved in great opportunities helping you to make friends from all across the world and create lifelong memories. Join one of over 100 societies with the Students’ Union, experience new cultures through global events, earn whilst you learn and build your skills via our Global Professional Award.

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Budget Friendly

Huddersfield is not only one of the friendliest towns, it also offers you a lower cost of living than most big cities. This means you could have more money to spend, making your uni experience even better. On campus you’ll also find plenty of facilities and services to help you budget and make your money go further.

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Sustainability Matters

We’re committed to sustainability and aim to be carbon neutral by 2030. Our plan includes reducing emissions, enhancing biodiversity, and improving wellbeing through sustainable buildings. We’re investing in digital solutions, low-impact travel, and embedding sustainability into teaching and research, investing over £1m in carbon reduction.

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Committed to Your Future

Since 2015, we’ve invested £198 million to create spaces where you can learn, collaborate and thrive. We’re continuously investing in our campus with your wellbeing in mind—adding features that make our buildings healthier, more supportive and better places for you to succeed.

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More Info

Careers support

We know you’re coming to university to study on your chosen subject, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.

Find out more about careers support

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you’ll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you’ll soon discover that you’re never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey.

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Teaching Excellence

Great teaching is engaging and inspiring — it helps you reach your full potential and prepares you for the future. We don’t just teach well — we excel — and we have the awards and recognition to prove it.

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Inspiring Academics

Our researchers carry out world-leading work that makes a real difference to people’s lives. Staff within the Department of Allied Health Professions, Sport and Exercise may teach you on this course.

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Research Excellence

You’ll be taught by staff who want to support your learning and share the latest knowledge and research.

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Accommodation

Looking for student accommodation? Huddersfield has you covered. HudLets has a variety of accommodation types to choose from, no matter what your preference. HudLets is the University’s approved accommodation service, run by Huddersfield Students’ Union.

Take a look at your options

Further Study

If you want to continue your learning beyond your undergraduate degree, there is a range of financial support available for postgraduate study, including discounts for Huddersfield graduates.

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Legal information

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and if you are unhappy with the change we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff being unable to teach due to illness, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to pandemics, other disasters (such as fire, flood or war) or changes made by the government.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will consult with affected groups of students and any changes would only be made in accordance with our regulations. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you let us know before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for any additional tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so and you may be eligible for an exit award depending on how far through your course you are.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons)

Overview

Why choose Huddersfield for this course?

Accreditation and Professional Links

Why study Sport and Exercise Science BSc(Hons)

Entry Requirements