Sport, Exercise and Nutrition BSc (Hons)

How will I learn on this course?

The Sport Exercise and Nutrition course shares common modules that have been developed for the whole of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation to encourage multidisciplinary collaboration between students across sport science, sport and exercise nutrition, sport coaching, sport management and physiotherapy. Additional modules on the course will allow you to broaden your horizons and learn from your peers in other areas.

You'll learn through a wide range of methods including lectures, presentations by visiting professionals, seminars, laboratory sessions and workshops – all supported by an e-Learning platform (eLP) and other technology.

Lectures will provide a conceptual framework and draw attention to important and controversial issues, whilst seminars, laboratory sessions and workshops will offer a range of activities from experiments to the critique of case study scenarios.

You will have the opportunity to do a variety of add on courses, which may have an additional cost. These might include 'working with people who have disabilities', 'working with children', 'first aid', 'ISAK Level 1/2 Body Composition Analysis' and more to enhance your employability prospects and graduate readiness upon completion of the Sport, Exercise and Nutrition Course. 

Assignments are designed to reflect the modern multi-cultural world and ethical considerations including sustainability, and therefore you will be encouraged to develop an understanding of, and respect for, the diverse needs of participants and clients from different clinical groups and cultural backgrounds, whilst recognisnng the need for sustainable interventions (i.e. plant-based diets, digitical campaigns and home-based intervention programmes).

Furthermore, assessments are student-centred, and many of the methods of assessments have an element of choice which will enable you to pursue issues and research questions of personal interest, giving you the opportunity to be creative and demonstrate individual passion, and to pursue your own vocationally relevant interests.

Example assessments include reporting on scientific data, providing feedback to clients, case conference and individual presentations, written exams and practical exams, sometimes in 'real-world' settings depending on the population of interest, such as primary school settings.

The programme has an ‘applied’ focus recognising the need for sport and exercise scientists to work in a multi and inter-disciplinary manner and therefore these traits are reflected in the real world nature of many of the assessments on the modules. 

• See all the Modules for this course

Who will teach me during my Sport, Exercise and Nutrition degree?

Your tutors speak at national and international conferences and have published hundreds of research papers in their areas of expertise. You will be working with HEA, BASES, HCPC CPsychol, HCPC Physio, UKSCA, NSCA, SENr accredited staff. Many staff have also worked in the sports industry, including coaching athletes competing at international, world and Olympic standards to bring that real-life experience to your learning.

We also have a fantastic Technical Support Team who help facilitate our laboratory and coaching practical’s and who go above and beyond to support our students with their studies, especially their practical competency skills.

View all staff profiles.

Where will I study during my time at Northumbria?

You’ll be learning and training in some of the best campus sport facilities in the country.

The state-of-the-art BASES accredited sport and exercise science labs provide the perfect environment to develop your knowledge and vocationally relevant. Repeat sessions with small class sizes also enable you to gain the relevant and necessary hands-on experience, useful for a career in Sport and Exercise Science.

The facilities we have are among the best students could hope for, including our £30 million purpose-built Sport Central. The equipment within the labs is also state of the art meaning that you will be taught vocationally relevant skills in an exciting and stimulating setting. The facilities you will have access to are - specialist physiology, biomechanics and nutrition laboratories, strength and conditioning suites, indoor sprint track environmental chamber, DXA bone scanner.

How is research applied to the teaching on this course?

Northumbria is at the forefront of the delivery of Sports Exercise Science UG programmes in the United Kingdom. Our key research activity focuses on health promotion and physical activity, including optimal performance, health and well-being, maintenance of health, prevention of illness and treatment for long-term conditions.

Our teaching team are actively involved in a diverse range of research projects and they’ll be keen to share their knowledge and expertise to enhance your learning.

As part of your studies you’ll be encouraged to get involved in research projects including supporting postgraduate research students with their PhD studies. You’ll also develop your ability to search for and review literature and learn essential lab-based research techniques.

Your final year dissertation will offer you the chance to run your own research study, enabling you to create your own research philosophy and demonstrate academic rigour, independent project management and creative exploration of a research question.

How does this course enhance my employability?

This course is geared towards developing graduates who have the knowledge and skills to secure a successful career in the fields of sport, exercise or nutrition, including public health and well-being, sports development and management, coaching, fitness instruction and more.

A distinctive feature of the course is its alignment with the scientific knowledge requirements and competencies detailed in the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr). The course has been mapped to the SENr knowledge competencies at an introductory level. Therefore, whilst the undergraduate degree would need to be supplemented by an appropriate postgraduate qualification for you to be accepted onto the Graduate Register, SENr approval denotes that this programme appropriately prepares students for further post graduate study in the field of sport and exercise nutrition. Such recognition is becoming increasingly important for securing jobs in the field.

You’ll be equipped with the knowledge, practical skills and confidence to work in a variety of roles associated with sport and exercise nutrition and will have the opportunity to do a variety of add on courses. This might include 'working with people who have disabilities', 'working with children', 'first aid', 'ISAK Level 1/2 Body Composition Analysis' etc.*, to enhance your employability prospects and graduate readiness.

You’ll leave with a fantastic mix of skills, combining in-depth subject knowledge, excellent practical and interpersonal skills plus hands-on work experience, which will open doors to some really exciting career opportunities.

Graduates from this course can go on to work in a range of fields, including sport and exercise nutrition, sport and exercise physiology, the food industry, health promotion, exercise on referral, dietetics, research and more.

*Additional cost may be required.