Person using breath-by-breath oxygen analysis system in a sport science lab
BSc (Hons) Placement year available

Sport and Exercise Science

Learn to support elite sportspeople, talented younger players, or the wider population on our nationally endorsed Sport and Exercise Science degree.

Turn your love of sport and fitness into a lifelong career.

Study in the Cambridge Centre for Sports and Exercise Sciences, with its accredited exercise testing and human movement facilities. Here, you’ll learn to work safely and ethically as a sport and exercise scientist. You’ll explore the four key disciplines of sport and exercise science – physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition – and get hands-on experience working with athletes and members of the public.

We welcome talented athletes and offer financial support through our Sport Scholarship.

  • Two students in an exercise testing centre

    Hear more about studying BSc Sport and Exercise Science in Cambridge – and preparing for a career in the fast-moving field of sports science.

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Why ARU?

  • Study a leading Sports Science course – ranked second in the UK and 17th in the World (Shanghai Rankings 2023).

  • Discover what makes great sports performers in our accredited high-performance labs.

  • Join an industry-approved course, endorsed by CASES and CIMPSA.

  • Gain experience testing athletes and members of the public in our Exercise Testing Consultancy.

  • Bring the world of work to life through Live Briefs, developed with employers to give you exposure to ‘real world’ problem-solving.

  • We’re delighted to be Cambridge United Football Club’s Official Education Partner which supports opportunities such as work experience at the club or volunteering with the Cambridge United Foundation.

Logo: THE Awards 2023
 

Study at an award-winning university

We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.

Course options

Key facts

Looking for different course options?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1
  • Multidisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science 1 (30 credits)
  • Introduction to Sport Coaching and Development (30 credits)
  • Practical Delivery of Sport and Physical Education (30 credits)
  • Multidisciplinary Sport and Exercise Science 2 (30 credits)
  • Professional Development - Level 4
  • Into ARU
Year 2
  • Applied Research Skills (15 credits)
  • Practical Competencies in Biomechanics
  • Physiological Profiling for Strength and Power
  • Psychological Profiling for Sport (15 credits)
  • Professional Development - Level 5
  • Ruskin Module (15 credits)
  • Nutrition for Health and Exercise (15 credits) *
  • Perceptual Motor Skills (15 credits) *
  • Strength and Conditioning (15 credits) *
  • Biomechanics: Analysis of Motion *
  • Physiological Profiling for Endurance *
Year 3
  • Physiological Responses to Training
  • Physiological Basis of Training
  • Undergraduate Research Project (30 credits) *
  • Advanced Work Placement (30 credits) *
  • Applied Biomechanics *
  • Applied Sports Psychology (15 credits) *
  • Advanced Strength and Conditioning (15 credits) *
  • Performance and Exercise Nutrition (15 credits) *
  • Current Topics in Biomechanics *
  • Exercise Medicine (15 credits) *
  • Contemporary Issues in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology (15 credits) *
Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.

Year 1
  • Foundation in Sports Science
Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.

Year 3
  • Work Placement - Psychology and Sport Sciences (120 credits)
Module details

At ARU, you’ll learn from expert staff including practising sport therapists, coaches, psychologists, nutritionists and conditioning specialists. There’s the chance to hear from world-leading guest speakers too, through our Excellence in Sports seminars.

Facilities

CASES Registered Laboratory logo

At ARU you’ll be based in our Cambridge Centre for Sports and Exercise Sciences, with facilities accredited by the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES).

The Centre includes:

  • five dedicated laboratories (cardio-respiratory physiology, metabolic and anaerobic physiology, body composition, biomechanics and strength and conditioning)
  • electrocardiography (ECG)
  • near infrared spectroscopy for monitoring of blood oxygenation
  • body composition systems
  • isokinetic dynamometer for the assessment of muscular strength
  • heat chambers
  • an array of ergometers: treadmills, cycles and rowers
  • GPS monitoring technology
  • breath-by-breath oxygen-analysis systems
  • haematology suites
  • accelerometers.

Take a guided tour and meet our students.

Accreditation

The Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES)

This course is endorsed by the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES), the professional body for sport and exercise sciences in the UK. You can read about the benefits of choosing a CASES-endorsed degree course on the CASES website.

The Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES) logo

Careers

There are wide-ranging employment opportunities for sport scientists, from introducing people to sport and exercise, to helping take them to the top. Among other roles in the applied health and physical activity and the health and fitness industry, you could work as:

  • an athlete-support scientist
  • an exercise consultant
  • a performance analyst
  • a clinical psychologist.

We’ll encourage you to improve your employment prospects by making connections with industry. We have links with a range of sporting organisations, including:

  • Living Sport (Cambridge and Peterborough Sports Development)
  • British Paralympic Association
  • British Cycling
  • British Judo Association
  • Cambridge United FC
  • European Space Agency
  • British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences
  • Physiological Society
  • European College of Sports Medicine
  • American College of Sports Medicine
  • England and Wales Cricket Board

ARU ranked in the top 10% in the country for graduates in employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2024), and 5th in the country for the proportion of UK undergraduates who are employed as managers, directors, or senior officials 15 months after graduating. We're also in the top 10% in the country for the number of graduates in employment and further study who agreed they are using what they learnt during their studies.

Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us, of course. You might decide to stay at ARU and study a postgraduate degree such as our MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

Employability and personal career development

Informed by employers, our sports science courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.

To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore placements, internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.

Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.

A student wearing a respiratory mask to measure breathing when exercising

"Seeing a career pathway for me to continue researching is an exciting opportunity for me."

Georgia

BSc (HONS) Sport and Exercise Science

5 Reasons that inspired me to study Sport Science

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