Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity
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. 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
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
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. 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
We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.
About this course
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:
The Uni
Durham City
College allocation pending
Sociology and Social Policy, Centre for Applied Social Studies
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.
£20k
£25k
£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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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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