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Sport and Exercise Science with Strength and Conditioning

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,D-B,C,C

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMP-DMM

UCAS Tariff

88-112

A typical offer will be a UCAS Tariff score of 88 - 112. A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Sports therapy

**Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?**
Our focus is on improving your employability, helping you gain simulated working experience and providing you with an in-depth understanding of the key skills required in the workplace in whatever discipline that may be.

Employers today want to see your skills and experience straight out of university. We understand this better than anyone, that's why we offer you a chance to gain both skills and experience in using them. We give you the chance to apply your learning wherever possible in simulated real-world environments, using industry standard facilities in our Human Performance Lab.

This course has been endorsed by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), the professional body for sport and exercise sciences in the UK. Graduating with an endorsed degree provides you with a competitive advantage that is recognised nationally and internationally. Using our partnerships with professional bodies, sports teams, athletes and local schools and colleges we have based your course on what’s needed out in the field today.

The quality of our links to industry speak for themselves. We’re currently linked with Watford FC, Wycombe Wanderers, Reading Ladies WSL and academy teams, Amateur Swimming Association, British Rowing, GB para-athletes and many community sports clubs, athletes and schools. Our lecturers are actively engaged in professional practice and have many years of experience in teaching and in industry. We've really been there at the highest level.

**What facilities can I use?**
Most of our work with you and our professional partners takes place in the Human Performance, Exercise and Wellbeing Centre. This is where the body can be fully tested and evaluated, using specialist equipment used by sport and exercise scientists everyday.

It contains a working clinic and human performance laboratory, and the learning you will complete here helps prepare you for your future career using evidence based insights and research. Additionally, the University has a commercially run sports hall and fitness centre giving you the opportunity to learn within a sports centre environment, with a student gym too.

**What will I study?**
Developed in line with the Chartered Institute of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) and aligned to Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach (GSCC) professional standards, this course will help develop your knowledge in Strength and Conditioning. Combining scientific principles with practical S&C training methods, you will study a variety of topics including exercise physiology, biomechanics, psychology, data analysis, performance analysis, sports injury, rehabilitation and more.

Over the three years you’ll spend on this course, you’ll develop a critical understanding of the fundamental principles that underpin strength and conditioning practice. You’ll learn a wide range of strength and conditioning training approaches including movement skills, weightlifting, resistance, plyometric, speed, agility, aerobic and anaerobic training methods.

We’ll show you how to analyse and evaluate performance needs, design and deliver training programmes with the goals of improving health and wellbeing, optimising performance and minimising the likelihood of injury.

**Career Prospects**
The blend of theoretical, practical and work-based learning you’ll experience in this course will set you up for a career within the fields of high-performance strength & conditioning. You can also choose to study for a postgraduate course like MSc Sports Therapy or MSc Sports Performance. You’ll also have the chance to go on to BASES membership which is a key membership and is now becoming required for many jobs in the industry.

Previous graduates have gone on to work in a range of roles such as personal trainers, fitness instructors, sports science, graduate sport programmes, and specialists in well regarded organisations. Many choose to go on to private practice.

Modules

**Year one**
**Core**
Applied Exercise Physiology
Approaches to Applied Sport and Performance Psychology
Applied Biomechanics in Strength and Conditioning
Applied Strength and Conditioning
Sports Nutrition
Military Research Methods and Data Analysis

**Year two**
**Core**
Advanced Strength and Conditioning
Sports Injury and Rehabilitation
Topical Issues in Strength and Conditioning
Strength and Conditioning in Tactical Populations
Military Research Dissertation

Assessment methods

Most modules within your course have only one summative assessment which will be either a written essay, report, presentation, or viva. (A summative assessment is a one-off test at the end of a module) However, several of the more applied modules have two practical summative assessments which is a one-off practical test at the end of the module.

All assessments are designed to make sure you are making progress towards the learning objectives, and we are adequately providing the learning criteria for each module. Failure to submit an assessment or upon failure of an assessment, a re-submit is required within 4 weeks. In addition, we will let you know of any deadlines at least 3 weeks before submission is required.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,000
per year
International
£15,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Buckinghamshire New University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/financial-support-bursaries-and-scholarships

The Uni


Course location:

Buckinghamshire New University

Department:

School of Human and Social Sciences

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

79%
Sports therapy

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sport and exercise sciences

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
92%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
74%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

74%
Library resources
75%
IT resources
83%
Course specific equipment and facilities
72%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
71%
Male students
29%
Female students
77%
2:1 or above
20%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
D

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Sport and exercise sciences

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
57%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

35%
Sports and fitness occupations
11%
Teaching and educational professionals
8%
Information technology technicians

One of the fastest growing subjects in the country, the number of sports science graduates went from under 3,000 in 2003 to over 10,000 in 2013. Numbers have fallen slightly since 2015, but we still have over 9,000 graduates in the subject. However, the good news is the country's appetite for good health and fitness - and the adaptability of graduates in the subject - means that sports science grads are less likely than average to be out of work. Sports science graduates, not surprisingly, tend to get jobs in sport, fitness and health - coaching and teaching especially - but they're found all over the economy. Management and business are also popular options for graduates from this subject — and sports science graduates are particularly found where drive, determination and physical fitness are an advantage.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Sport and exercise sciences

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£14k

£14k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here