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Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,B

You do not need to have studied a PE or Sports Studies A level to apply. Specific subjects excluded for entry: General Studies and Critical Thinking. Information: Applicants taking Science A-levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This refers only to English A Levels.

Access to HE Diploma

D:30,M:15

We require 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 (or equivalent). Applicants may be required to meet additional subject-specific requirements for particular courses at Durham. Please contact departments for further information.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

D3,D3,M2

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

36

665 in Higher Level subjects.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2,H3

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DDD

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

DDD

Subjects Required: We will prefer this qualification to be from a related subject area, e.g. Sport or Exercise focus.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A,B

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,B,B

Departments will normally make offers based on Advanced Highers. In the absence of 3 Advanced Highers, where these are not offered by the applicant’s school, offers comprising of Advanced Highers and Highers or a number of Highers may be made on a case by case basis.

At Durham we welcome applications from students of outstanding achievement and potential from all educational backgrounds.  We will consider applicants studying T level qualifications for entry to many of our courses. Where a course requires subject specific knowledge and this is not covered within the T level being studied, you may need to supplement your T level studies with a suitable qualification to meet this requirement, for example at A level.  Where this is needed this will be clearly stated in our entry requirements. Detailed entry requirements can be found on individual course entries on our courses database. https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/courses/c603/#entry-requirements-1237517

UCAS Tariff

136-160

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Sport and exercise sciences

Do you have a passion for sport and a concern for social issues within sport and exercise? Are you keen to play a part in reducing inequalities, promoting social justice, and improving health and wellbeing through sport, exercise and physical activity?

On the BA Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity course you will explore a wide range of topics from grassroots to elite level sport. You’ll also investigate some of the connections between sport and issues such as discrimination and inequalities, the environment, sedentary lifestyles and obesity.

The core and optional modules, developed by an academic team involved in leading-edge research, centre on the key areas of sport sociology, sport policy and sports development. The curriculum also offers the flexibility to select modules from the wider sport and exercise sciences, including physiology, psychology, physical activity, nutrition and health. These modules have been carefully designed to enhance your research and academic study skills, and the final-year dissertation is an opportunity to engage in deeper investigation of a sport, exercise or physical activity topic that particularly interests you.

With a focus on employability, there will be opportunities for you to develop your skill set and take sport and exercise placement modules. You also have the choice of applying to add an industry placement year or a study year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four.

Our approach to learning, teaching and assessment emphasises the application of academic knowledge to real-life examples and practices in sport, exercise and physical activity. This enables you to develop your intellectual capacities and personal qualities, while acquiring a broad range of practical, professional and employability skills that can be applied to a range of careers in the sport and leisure sector and beyond.

Modules

Year 1
Core modules:
Critical Skills for Sport and Exercise Sciences develops the essential skills required for degree-level study in the sport and exercise sciences, as well as for the workplace. You will develop skills in personal effectiveness, verbal and written communication, critical thinking and problem solving, information and research, numeracy, and digital literacy.

Introduction to Sociology of Sport introduces social issues and sociological enquiry that forms the basis for learning for subsequent years. You will acquire a basic knowledge and understanding of the role of sport in contemporary society and how sport can impact upon people’s lives, including issues of inequality, and how social processes influence the structure and organisation of sport.

Examples of optional modules:
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology
Introduction to Anatomy and Exercise Physiology
Introduction to Physical Activity, Diet and Health
Introduction to Sport and Exercise Industries.
Year 2
Contemporary Research in Sport and Exercise Sciences develops conceptual knowledge and understanding of the qualitative, quantitative and mixed research methods used in sport and exercise sciences with a contemporary and applied focus. This includes an understanding of ethics, designing a research study, collecting and analysing data and developing abilities in statistical analysis.

Advanced Sociology of Sport gives insight into key sociological concepts, theories and ideas as applied to sport and exercise. It enables you to understand social issues and sociological problems in the context of sport and exercise.

Sports Development looks at the impact of improvements in participation and volunteering, development of systems for elite sport success, and the role of sport in youth development. You will also begin to recognise and develop some of the skills required to deliver and manage sports development programmes.

Examples of optional modules:
Sport, Health and the Environment
Nutrition for Sport and Health
Advanced Sport and Exercise Psychology.
Year 3 (Year 4 if undertaking a placement or year abroad)
The Dissertation is a detailed and critical examination of a relevant area of sport and exercise sciences. It develops your ability to plan and manage your own learning and provides you with an opportunity to research a specific topic of your choice in greater depth and present your findings and conclusions.

Applied Sociology of Sport provides a critical understanding of sociological and policy concepts and theories to interrogate contemporary social issues, problems, and key debates in sport. You will develop a critical reasoning to comprehend issues such as discrimination, violence, trauma, work, fandom, risk, and activism.

Physical Activity, Sport and Inequalities enables you to gain a critical understanding of how physical activity and sport participation are influenced by social, cultural, political, policy factors, and inequalities. You will cover a range of topics including: ageing, gender, dis(ability), race, social class, illness and health.

Examples of optional modules:
Active Communities Placement
Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology
Futures in Sport, Exercise and Health.

Assessment methods

Your degree will mostly be assessed through a range of coursework assignments, which may include analysing real-life sports development programmes and creating infographics and podcasts.

Methods of assessment vary between modules and have been designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of course material, test critical thinking skills, enhance written and oral communication skills, and assess your ability to relate your learning to real-world issues.

The final-year dissertation project enables you to undertake in-depth exploration of a specific topic that you are passionate about, the dissertation makes up one-third of your final-year marks.

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
£26,500
per year
International
£26,500
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

The Uni


Course locations:

Durham City

College allocation pending

Department:

Sociology and Social Policy, Centre for Applied Social Studies

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.

74%
Sport and exercise sciences

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

78%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
76%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
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

70%
Library resources
76%
IT resources
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
63%
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?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
60%
Male students
40%
Female students
72%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
B
A

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.

£17,652
med
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education
56%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

21%
Sports and fitness occupations
15%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
12%
Teaching and educational professionals

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.

£20k

£20k

£25k

£25k

£32k

£32k

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 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.

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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

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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?

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