Sport and Exercise Science with Strength and Conditioning with Foundation Year
Buckinghamshire New University
UCAS Code: CC64 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
UCAS Tariff
A typical offer will require a UCAS Tariff score between 32 - 56. Every application is considered on an individual basis. For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our General Entry Requirements pages.
About this course
This course includes a Foundation Year, so it is a 4-year course. The additional Foundation Year will allow you to develop your skills and build confidence in your academic abilities, identifying your strengths and weaknesses so you can progress onto the undergraduate programme.
The course is aimed at serving Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors (RAPTCIs), Royal Air Force Physical Training Instructors (PTIs), and Royal Navy/Royal Marine Physical Trainers (PTs), with an additional year to prepare for academic study at degree level.
**Why study at BNU?**
BNU is already successful at developing and delivering flexible and applied programmes, specific to the needs of military students. You can be sure that you’ll receive a high-quality education with us, utilising our multidisciplinary experiences and in-depth first-hand knowledge.
Furthermore, the programme is closely mapped to the new United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) and Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA) Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach (GSCC) professional standard.
With our university campus being within a 30-minute commute of London and 35-40 minutes from Heathrow airport we are an accessible, open and welcoming university with easy access links no matter where you are based. In addition, our programme offers you the opportunity to take your learning online which helps you fit around your schedule.
We have been able to build great links within local emergency services, military, police and other organisations, and our course has developed a good reputation for quality in these areas amongst our peers.
**What will I study?**
On the course, you will develop an understanding of the concepts, theories, and techniques which underpin effective strength and conditioning practice. Areas of study will include biomechanics, physiology, sports psychology, nutrition, applied strength and conditioning, performance analysis, research skills, skill acquisition and learning, sports injury and rehabilitation, topical issues in strength and conditioning and the application of strength and conditioning in tactical populations.
Our course is a part-time, blended learning programme of study aimed at serving Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors (RAPTCIs), Royal Air Force Physical Training Instructors (PTIs), and Royal Navy / Royal Marines Physical Trainers (PTs).
This course is an opportunity for any of these instructors to undertake a bespoke programme of higher education. Our course content has been aligned to the core requirements of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA), and the Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach (GSCC) professional standard.
Our course has been designed to address the specific educational needs of service PTI’s and will increase your knowledge in both in-service strength and conditioning applications and civilian life. The discipline of strength and conditioning requires you to be both an effective coach and a knowledgeable sport scientist.
**Career prospects**
Upon completion of the programme, as a graduate you will be encouraged to sit the UKSCA accreditation assessment and the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam.
At the end of this course, you will be well prepared to take your knowledge of strength and conditioning to a higher level. You will have gained new skills, new insight and a greater understanding of the disciplines of sport science, strength and conditioning and physiology. Should you choose to take this knowledge into civilian fields, or advance further within your current organisation, the skills gained here will be invaluable.
In addition, students who graduate with a 1st or 2nd class BSc (Hons) will also be well prepared to go onto postgraduate study at MSc level, such as our MSc Sports Performance course.
Modules
**Year one**
Introduction to Sport Development and Performance
Preparing for Success Knowledge and Creativity
Preparing for Success Self-development and Responsibility
Inquiry Based Learning
**Year two**
An Introduction to Coaching Theory and Practice
Foundations of Exercise Physiology
Data Analysis in Sport and Exercise
Foundations of Biomechanics
Introduction to Health Physiology
Foundations of Sport and Exercise Physiology
Fundamentals of Strength and Conditioning
Human Anatomy
**Year three**
Coaching and Athlete Development
Research in Sport and Exercise
Applied Exercise Physiology
Sports Nutrition
Applied Biomechanics
Performance Analysis in Sport
Applied Sport and Performance Psychology
Applied Strength and Conditioning
**Year four**
Contemporary Coaching Issues
Research Dissertation
Advanced Strength and Conditioning
Sports Injury and Rehabilitation
Topical Issues in Strength and Conditioning
Skill Acquisition and Learning in Sport
Exercise Referrals
Assessment methods
By studying our BSc (Hons) Strength and Conditioning course, you’ll always learn through a combination of theoretical and practical methods.
Our expert academic staff will teach you through lectures, seminars, practical/lab sessions and tutorials, and importantly you’ll also participate in work placements and independent study.
We also offer all our students the opportunity to visit or be visited by external industry partners so you can hear from the professionals currently working on the ‘front line’ of sports therapy.
Each module will have its own assessment criteria, but you’ll largely be working on presentations, vivas, reports and essays, case studies, work-related and practical assessments.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
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
Buckinghamshire New University
School of Human and Social Sciences
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.
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.
£14k
£22k
£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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Post-six month graduation stats:
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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:
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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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