BSc in Sport and Exercise Science Manchester Metropolitan University

Whether your ambition is to help an athlete smash world records, or improve the quality of life for recovering patients, we can give you the tools to achieve it.

Our sport and exercise science degrees cover a broad spectrum of themes across sports and health. Here, you will gain an understanding of the key disciplines of biomechanics, physiology, and psychology. Building on these foundations, you’ll develop specialist skills and knowledge according to your strengths and interests. You'll also have the opportunity to spend an extra year expanding your horizons, working on a placement in the industry.

Study sport and exercise science at Manchester Met and you’ll have the support of our team of accredited sports scientists and experts who work with business, the NHS, government and international athletes. With our network of local sports organisations and health providers, you’ll have plenty of great opportunities to apply your knowledge and secure work placements.

What’s more, in our new £26m Institute of Sport building, you will have access to the latest technologies and world-class facilities, including human performance laboratories, a state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner and an environmental chamber that simulates extreme temperatures and altitudes.

This course is also available with a foundation year.

Features and benefits

• Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport harnesses our expertise across the world of sport from our new £26m state-of-the-art building.
• We are also investing heavily in our existing sites at the John Dalton building, Platt Lane Sports Complex and Sugden Sports Centre.
• You can opt to spend your third year getting a taste of professional life in a sports or health organisation with the four-year placement route.
• Our sport and exercise science course is endorsed by the British Association of sport and exercise sciences.
• Our academics feed cutting-edge knowledge into the course – whether it’s from their research or their work with Olympic and Paralympic medal-winning athletes.
• Take advantage of our partnerships, which include Manchester City Football Club, Manchester City Women’s Football Club, City in the Community, and the Manchester Giants basketball team. We have an excellent reputation in sport and exercise science – we provide scientific support to businesses and government, and we’re the lead partner in a sport-related SOCRATES European exchange network.

Course information

Our sport and exercise sciences programme is taught via a blended approach of theory and practical classes. In Year 1, you will study anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, and psychology as core units. As you progress through the degree, you will have the opportunity in Year 2 to select options relating to health or performance. You will also have a number of options to choose from in your final year, which will enable you to focus more on specific areas of interest or select units with a broader, interdisciplinary focus.

The programme is delivered by academics who have pioneered imaging techniques for human physiology, impacted the classification of Paralympic athletes, and developed new insights into applied physiological and biomechanical techniques. This means you can be assured that your education is keeping pace with the sector, laying the foundations for your future career success.

The assessment range of this degree reflects the nature of the skills required to work in sports and exercise. Assessments may include group work, presentations, class-based tests, and written work (including essays, reports, seminar papers and research articles).

Studying with our Institute of Sport offers the chance to learn from experienced professionals in a friendly and supportive environment. While you’ll study a curriculum shaped by the latest research, you’ll also get the chance to work in state-of-the-art facilities, including an environmental chamber, clinical imaging, biomechanics assessments, sports performance laboratories and much more. And, just as we have the technology, we also have the network – with an impressive range of partnerships, from universities and health bodies to national sports bodies and elite teams.

Manchester provides a brilliant setting. It’s not only home to a wide range of healthcare providers and a hub for biomedical research excellence, with the university working closely with local hospitals, the Nuffield Trust and local and national medical device manufacturers. It’s also a true capital of sport. Here, you’ll find two of the world’s biggest football clubs, a range of sports brands’ HQs, several national sports bodies and a range of venues that host major sporting events. If you’re aiming to forge a future in sport, exercise or fitness, there are a few better places to start.

Year 1

The first year of our sport and exercise science degree will introduce you to the key sport science disciplines of anatomy, physiology, psychology, and biomechanics, whilst also providing you with a background in the areas of coaching, social issues, and research skills using a blended approach of theory and hands-on practical classes. Units typically include the following (the list is indicative and may change).

Core units

• Academic Skills
• Functional Anatomy
• Fundamentals Of Sport Coaching
• Introduction To Biomechanics
• Introduction To Physiology
• Introduction To Psychology
• Methods Of Enquiry
• Social Issues In Sport And Exercise

Year 2

During the second year, you will develop more detailed knowledge of the disciplines of physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition. You will also select from option units typically covering sports performance, injury, strength and conditioning or health and fitness, which will enable you to shape the programme of study to match your interests and aspirations. Units typically include the following (the list is indicative and may change).

Core units

• Biomechanical Principles And Measurement Techniques
• Introduction To Exercise Nutrition
• Research Methods 1
• Research Methods 2
• Sport And Exercise Physiology
• Sport And Exercise Psychology

Optional Units

• Biomechanics Of Injury
• Performance Analysis
• Psychophysiology Of Sport And Exercise
• Assessing Fitness
• Work Experience In Sport And Physical Activity
• Performance Physiology
• Strength And Conditioning

Year 3

If you opt for the four-year placement route, your third year will be spent on placement.

During the final year, you will build your knowledge and skillset to gain the experience and confidence needed to secure graduate employment. You will typically undertake units in interdisciplinary sport science and exercise prescription and select optional units to ensure the course matches your interests. You will also undertake a research project in an area of your choice, working alongside one of our experienced academics. Units typically include the following (the list is indicative and may change).

Core units

• Sports Technology
• Contemporary Issues In Sport And Exercise
• Interdisciplinary Exercise Prescription
• Interdisciplinary Sport Science
• Project In Sport And Exercise Science

Optional Units

• Public Health And Physical Activity
• Sport And Enterprise
• Advanced Strength And Conditioning
• Advanced Performance Analysis
• Psychological Issues In Rehabilitation
• Clinical Biomechanics

Placement options

Our sports and exercise science degree offers the chance to spend a year getting a taste of professional life. If you choose to go down this route, your degree will take one year longer, with the third year spent working in the industry. These optional placements not only give you the opportunity to develop your core skills and learn about how a business really operates in your industry but also show employers that you’re ready to get to work. We offer a range of services to help you find the right placement, including employer presentations, advice and placement fairs.

Thanks to recent high-profile sporting events in the UK, sport and exercise are in the spotlight as important ways to improve health and wellbeing. It’s an exciting time to get involved and there are a huge number of opportunities in the sector.

There are a number of careers directly relevant to our sport and exercise science degree. You might want to work as a sports scientist with professional athletes and clubs, within the NHS, or with private healthcare providers. Or maybe you’d like to work as a personal trainer, an exercise professional in a rehabilitation unit, or as an entrepreneur in the leisure industry.

Some of our sport and exercise science graduates choose to go into teaching after studying for a PGCE, while others opt to carry on their studies with a master's or PhD.