Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity
Durham University
UCAS Code: C603 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Durham University
UCAS Code: C603 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
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.
Access to HE Diploma
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
GCSE/National 4/National 5
Grade 5 in GCSE English Language or equivalent.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
665 in Higher Level subjects.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Subjects Required: We will prefer this qualification to be from a related subject area, e.g. Sport or Exercise focus.
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Higher
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.
UCAS Tariff
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
**Course details**
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 high performance sport, as well as other forms of physical activity. You’ll also investigate some of the connections between sport and physical activity with issues such as discrimination and inequalities, the environment, sedentary lifestyles, and obesity.
**Why Durham University?**
Durham University's Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences is passionate about the benefits of sport and physical activity for all, from recreational participation through to competitive and high performance sport.
Our staff are known around the world for the work they pioneer, using findings from their research to inform the undergraduate curriculum and keep it relevant to the real world.
This approach gives you a valuable insight into developments in the sector and the confidence to put your developing knowledge to use in analysing, engaging with and enhancing real-world practices across the sport and exercise industries.
This approach gives you a valuable insight into developments in the sector and the confidence to put your developing knowledge to use in analysing, engaging with and enhancing real-world practices across the sport and exercise industries.
**Facilities**
These facilities, which support researchers, undergraduate students and athletes alike, were built as part of the University's £33m investment in the Sports and Wellbeing Park at Maiden Castle. Alongside these facilities are an indoor cricket hall, a 12-court multi use sports hall, a fitness centre, a high-performance weights room and a range of outdoor sports pitches.
The departments facilities include the Human Performance Laboratory which houses a range of exercise and monitoring facilities that analyse our responses to exercise and nutrition.
**Rankings**
**World Top 100** in the QS World University Rankings 2024
**4th** in The Complete University Guide 2025
**Top 10** in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
**Career Opportunities**
We have an excellent graduate employment record. The quality of our degree courses is reinforced by employers who have identified Durham as a World Top 100 source of the most competent, innovative, effective graduates.
Our students progress into a wide range of careers in the field of sport and health and beyond. They have taken up roles in elite sport, sport management and sport development, including management roles in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Others lead development projects for local councils and major charities, and have taken up roles with sporting organisations like Sport England, English Cricket Board and Williams F1.
We also have graduates working in media roles with organisations such as Sky Sports, BBC Sport and British Eurosport, as well as in health promotion and clinical settings.
Modules
For current information please scroll to the bottom of the page for Provider Information and select Visit our Course Page under Course Contact Details.
Assessment methods
You will mostly be assessed through a range of coursework assignments, which may include analysing media and sports policies, and creating infographics and podcasts.
Methods of assessment vary between modules and are designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of course material, test critical thinking skills, enhance written and verbal 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.
In addition to the help provided by your subject lecturers, you can also access extensive support for your assessments through ASC, the Academic Skills Centre. See below for details: https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/centres/academic-skills-centre/
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Durham University offers a range of scholarship opportunities to academically well-qualified and highly motivated students. For further details, including deadlines for application, please visit: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/scholarships/
The Uni
Durham City
Sociology and Social Policy, Centre for Applied Social Studies
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
Top job areas of graduates
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.
£18k
£30k
£29k
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 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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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
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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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