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.
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.
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 *.
To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.
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.
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.
Interim Deputy Head of School
Professor in Exercise Physiology
Senior Lecturer
Senior Lecturer
Associate Professor
Senior Lecturer
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:
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.
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:
We’ll encourage you to improve your employment prospects by making connections with industry. We have links with a range of sporting organisations, including:
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.
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 Sport and Exercise Science degree from ARU gives you options. Whether you want to work with elite athletes, improve public health, shape policy, or push the boundaries of innovation, it’s a launchpad."
AndieBSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science
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