Nutrition and Sport & Exercise Science BSc

ABOUT THE COURSE

Nutrition and exercise are the most fundamental components of a healthy lifestyle, with inappropriate nutrition and/or insufficient exercise being the most common causes of a wide range of disease. At the same time, correct nutrition is essential for supporting and maximising sports performance and training adaptations. Our degree in Nutrition and Sport & Exercise Science is therefore ideal for those with in interests in both of these fields as a future career. You will gain the knowledge, skills and experience with which to forge a career working with clinical populations or elite sports performers.

You will develop the essential knowledge, understanding and skills that a nutritionist requires, with a focus on the delivery of five core competencies (Nutritional science, Food chain, Social and behaviour sciences, Health and well-being and Professional conduct). You will learn the skills needed to become a sports scientist, with an understanding of how to maximise sports performance while focusing on psychology, physiology, biomechanics, performance analysis, nutrition and strength & conditioning. 

Study with us and you will have full access to the multi-million-pound, state-of-the-art Health Science Building and Sports Complex, incorporating dedicated research space and specialised nutrition teaching laboratories focused around clinical nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, food sensory analysis and food product development. The facility also houses ultra-modern equipment where you will learn to conduct complete physiological, biochemical and anthropometric assessment using indirect calorimetry, breath-by-breath expired gas analysis, blood analysis, vascular and cardiac screening, body composition analysis, eye-tracking, electromyography and motion capture, to name but a few.

You will leave with the skills to become a nutritionist and a sports scientist, able to work in public health settings providing specialist advice for populations at risk of non-communicable disease or support and coach elite sports performers. You will be taught by tutors who are active researchers in the field of Nutrition and Sport & Exercise Science, all of whom regularly publish their work in the scientific literature that you will read as you progress through your degree.

COURSE STRUCTURE

Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups of around 15-20 students, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. You will also have the opportunity to speak one-to-one with your tutor each week.

In your first year of study there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 10 teaching hours in your second and third years. On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend approximately 30 hours studying independently for each week of your course, including studying in groups to prepare for any group assessments that you may have.

ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK

Assessment of your progress is made primarily via coursework, but with two exams in the Summer term being taken each year. These exams are worth 33% of the first year and 25% of the second and third years. 

A wide variety of assessments are used to enable all types of learners to excel and to prepare you for your future career. We therefore utilise individual and group presentations, laboratory reports, portfolios, case studies, essays and practical tests.

In your final year, you will complete a research project or research dissertation a research topic that you will discuss with one of the teaching team. Though guided by your tutor and normally related to your other areas of study, you will have a significant degree of independence in choosing the topic for your dissertation. In some cases, these research dissertations have been presented at scientific conferences and recognised internationally as important pieces of research in the field.

We support our students by ensuring the marking criteria is available in advance, with specific taught sessions dedicated to understanding the requirements for all of our assessment. Following submission, we provide a comprehensive, online package of feedback and future support for every piece of coursework. This can be downloaded wherever you are and saved for future reference.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

2021 Entry

During the August/September admissions period we are able to offer some flexibility in our entry requirements for courses that still have vacancies.

We are also offering a Foundation Year on many of our courses for students who have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualification level to enter directly onto our degree programmes.

Please e-mail us to discuss the options available to you: clearing@hope.ac.uk

CAREERS

Graduates of Nutrition and Sport & Exercise science can work in a wide range of careers; examples include working for NHS, Sport Nutrition and supplement industries, or taking public health roles. Graduates can go on to work as Sports Scientists within elite and professional sport or work on local initiatives to improve the sport provision, health and well-being of local populations. Each of these options provides a varied, rewarding and often exciting career.

Many of our graduates choose to go on to further study at postgraduate level, such as a Masters or PhD. Alternatively, you may consider further study as a means to a career in research and academia. Therefore, our graduates often enter careers in Business, Management and Consultancy.

ENHANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

SALA

The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.

Study Abroad

As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.

TUITION FEES

The tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.

If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.

The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

On top of your tuition fees, you need approximately £250 to purchase key textbooks during the course of your degree.

You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.

SCHOLARSHIPS

We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.

INTERNATIONAL TUITION FEES

The International Tuition fees for 2021/22 are £11,400.

Visit our International fees page for more information.

COURSE COMBINATIONS

This degree is only available to study as a Single Honours.