Sport and Exercise Nutrition (Professional Placement Year)

UCAS code: SEN2

Here's what Bath Spa University says about its Sport and Exercise Nutrition (Professional Placement Year) course.

Explore the science behind diet, sports performance and health on our Sport and Exercise Nutrition degree.

• Learn through a multidisciplinary approach that includes physiology, biochemistry and psychology.

• Develop the knowledge and practical skills needed for a wide range of career paths.

• Join a close-knit community of staff and students and be assigned a personal tutor from day one.

On this Sport and Exercise Nutrition degree, you'll learn about the nutritional requirements for exercise, improved performance and health, and explore the social and psychological aspects that influence diet and physical activity. Taking a multidisciplinary, scientific approach, you'll learn how to develop and deliver evidence-based dietary guidance, for general fitness and health through to elite-level competition.

BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Nutrition incorporates scientific theory alongside opportunities for you to develop your practical and research skills. The course has been developed in consultation with industry experts and employers, and is designed to prepare you for careers in areas such as health and wellbeing, food and education.

With expert advice from our dedicated tutors, you’ll be able to tailor your degree through module choices, your dissertation topic, and work placements that are relevant to your career aspirations.

More about the Professional Placement Year A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

Course structure - year one You’ll be introduced to a broad range of subjects underpinning the study of exercise and nutrition. Learn about anatomy and physiology, biochemistry and the fundamentals of nutrition for physical activity and health. Emphasis is given to key skills including communication (both written and oral), problem solving and the use of a range of laboratory and digital techniques, including specialist diet and physical activity analysis software.

Course structure - year two In your second year you’ll build on what you’ve learned so far, investigating the role of diet and physical activity in health and as a risk factor for disease. Importantly, you’ll gain an understanding of the ethical and professional framework you'll work within as a graduate of this degree. You’ll be trained in research methodology and you’ll increasingly become an independent and autonomous learner.

You’ll also explore future career opportunities through an optional, but encouraged, work placement.

Year three - Professional Placement

Course structure - final year Core to your third year will be your independent dissertation project. This will enable you to integrate the practical and theoretical aspects of sport, exercise and nutrition. The dissertation includes elements of project management, completing appropriate ethical and risk assessments, logistical planning and detailed data analysis. Also in your final year, you’ll critically explore the complex nature of issues related to sport and exercise science.

Many of your assessments will mimic tasks, ways of working, or reporting that are used by professional practitioners. We think that you should experience these ways of working as they help you to prepare for employment, be that in industry or the health sector, or as a consultant, teacher or researcher. Some examples of methods used for assessment on this programme include:

• diet and physical activity analysis
• reports and evaluations
• practical report writing
• essays
• case studies
• group and individual presentations
• lab skills assessment
• literature reviews
• exams

On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement.