Overview
If you see yourself turning your passion for sport and exercise into an exciting global career, this BSc (Hons) Sport, Health, and Exercise Sciences dual degree course is for you.
Based in Portsmouth and Perth, Western Australia, you'll explore areas such as sports psychology, biomechanics and exercise physiology, and develop skills to help everyone – from elite athletes looking to set new records to those who play sports for fun – get the most out of exercise.
You'll experience another culture, get access to further expertise and high-tech equipment, and gain an international perspective that will help set you apart when you embark on your career.
Advantages of dual degrees
This course is a dual degree (also known as a double degree).
When you complete the course successfully, you'll have 2 degrees:
- BSc (Hons) Sport, Health, and Exercise Sciences from the University of Portsmouth
- BSc International Exercise and Sports Science from Edith Cowan University
Dual degrees allow you to achieve 2 degrees in 3.5 or 4 years rather than 6 years.
You'll benefit from a global education experience and the high-calibre teaching expertise, latest research and modern facilities at 2 universities. You'll also develop a more comprehensive knowledge of global sport and exercise science than on a single degree and gain an understanding of different cultures, which will help you work more effectively with people from different backgrounds.
All of this will help you stand out in a competitive job market after you graduate.
Location
You'll be based in Portsmouth in years 1 and 2, and for 6 months at the end of the course. You'll spend year 3 in Perth, Western Australia at Edith Cowan University.
You'll get support with travel arrangements, visas, finding accommodation and accessing loans and other funding that can help pay for your study and living costs when you're in Australia.
Edith Cowan University is one of the top 100 young universities in the world one of the top 100 universities in the Asia-Pacific regions (Times Higher Education 2019 and 2020). The Good Universities Guide 2021 gives the University 5 out of 5 stars for its learner resources, student support, teaching quality and overall experience.
Like Portsmouth, Perth offers a mix of city and outdoor living. It's a great base for exploring Western Australia and beyond.
What you'll experience
- Build practical experience using industry-standard tech in our labs, including an immersion pool and swimming flume, motion capture systems and climatic chambers for manipulating temperature, humidity and altitude – one at sub-zero temperatures for polar preparation
- Explore new aspects of sport and exercise science while studying in Australia, such as clinical and rehabilitation techniques essential for careers in healthcare
- Be able to get specialist qualifications that match your career aspirations in areas such as first aid, coaching and gym instruction
- Put what you learn into practice using links to local sports and healthcare providers
- Learn from expert staff who are actively engaged in research projects that inform the future of sport and exercise science
Work experince and career planning
To give you the best chance of securing the ideal job when you graduate, our Careers and Employability service can help you find relevant work experience during your course.
We'll work with you to identify placements, internships, voluntary roles and freelancing opportunities that will complement your studies and allow you to use the skills you've learnt.
We'll also be available to help, advise and support you for up to 5 years as you advance in your career.
Work experience
This course includes a work-based learning core module. You'll complete 20 hours of work experience across a range of industry sectors related to sport, health and exercise science, with direct mentorship from academic members of staff.
You'll get to see a range of career journey presentations from alumni and subject experts and we'll use these links to encourage work based activities across the sectors of sport, health and exercise science.
Module Details
Each module on this course is worth 15, 20 or 40 credits.
In each year, you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 20 credits and 1 module worth 40 credits.
In your final year, you'll complete your dissertation worth 40 credits, alongside taught modules worth 80 credits.
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry and some optional modules may not run every year. If a module doesn’t run, we’ll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Programme Assessment
You'll be assessed through:
- practical assessments
- client reports
- video submissions
- blogs
- infographics
- essays
- portfolios
- presentations
- exams
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
Teaching methods on this course include:
- lectures
- seminars
- workshops
- lab-based activities
The course also uses a range of blended and flipped learning techniques throughout information technology infrastructure at both the University of Portsmouth and Edith Cowan University.
Teaching staff at Portsmouth and ECU have a range of academic and professional experience which brings added value to the course. Examples of professional memberships include:
- British Association of Sport and Exercise Science
- British Psychological Society
- The Health and Care Professions Council
- Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity
- UK Science Council
- The American College of Sports Medicine
- Exercise and Sports Science Australia
Teaching staff at both universities are also engaged in research. This means you'll learn about the latest theories and concepts from academics at the forefront of sports and exercise science research and innovation.
You can access all teaching resources on Moodle, our virtual learning environment, from anywhere with a Web connection.
Student Destinations
Sport, health and exercise science focuses on the scientific principles behind exercise performance. It combines physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition management skills to examine the relationship between exercise and the human body, revolutionising the way sportspeople train and condition themselves.
A report by The Physiological Society found that over the course of their careers, sport and exercise science graduates earn on average £667,000 more than their non-graduate peers. What's more, the experience you gain during your year at Edith Cowan University in Australia will be invaluable to your employment prospects.
As part of this thriving industry, you'll have the skills to develop and rehabilitate athletes of all ages, or take a non-scientific career route such as teaching, sports journalism, sports marketing or advertising.
You could also study sport, health and exercise science further at postgraduate level, such as with our Sports Performance MSc or Human and Applied Physiology MSc.
When you graduate, you could work in areas such as:
- health and fitness training
- teaching and education
- strength and conditioning
- sports therapy
- physiotherapy
- sport science support (UK Sport, EIS, professional clubs)
- cardiac rehabilitation
- postgraduate study or research
Roles you could take on include:
- PE teacher
- fitness instructor
- NVQ coordinator
- sports development officer
- sports and exercise scientist
- sports therapist and physiotherapist
- cardiac rehabilitation technician
- clinical exercise psychologist
