Sport and Exercise Science with a Year in Industry - BSc (Hons)

Course structure

Duration: 4 years full-time

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Year in industry

The year in industry gives you the opportunity to gain valuable work experience. It is your responsibility to find a placement, but we will help and support you through this process and while you are there.

Please note that acceptance onto the course is not a guarantee of a placement. The responsibility of finding a placement is on the student, with help and support from the department. If you cannot find a placement, you will be required to change your registration for the equivalent BSc (Hons) programme without the year in industry option.

Stage 3

Fees

The 2021/22 annual tuition fees for this programme are:

• Home full-time £9250
• EU full-time £15400
• International full-time £20500

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Fees for Year in Industry

Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.

Fees for Year Abroad

Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.

Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status. 

Additional costs

All students who are part of the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences will receive a complementary Hoodie once they have started the course. 

General additional costs

Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.

Funding

University funding

Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details. 

Government funding

You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.

Scholarships

General scholarships

Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.

The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence

At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence. 

The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching involves practical laboratory and sports-based sessions, lectures, small group seminars and private study. You will have a number of lectures and practical sessions and a series of seminars each week – depending on the optional modules you select. You may also be required to spend time developing your practical skills and experience in placement or event situations.

Methods of assessment vary depending on the module but predominantly involve coursework, observed assessment, practical tests and, where appropriate, clinical assessments. Some modules are assessed via written exams.

Contact hours

For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours.  The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules.  Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.

Programme aims

The programme aims to:

• provide a multi-disciplinary education
• prepare students to meet the challenges of an expanding and rapidly changing sports industry, while providing them with a wide choice of careers paths.
• provide the skills to promote the health and performance of an individual or a group using a multidisciplinary approach
• enable a critical knowledge and understanding of the sport sciences
• make students aware of current research within sport and exercise science
• provide a curriculum supported by scholarship, research and intellectual debate.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• anatomical and physiological principles
• the human response to exercise
• the theoretical basis of qualitative and quantitative research
• the nutrition required to perform at an optimum level
• the ability to evaluate physical capacity and exercise training programmes
• the nature of skill and models relating to the acquisition and performance of motor skills
• exercise prescription for a range of population groups
• social processes which influence individual and group behaviour and participation/performance in sport.

Intellectual skills

You gain the intellectual skills to:

• engage in academic study including critical evaluation
• plan, execute and communicate a piece of independent work that requires a critical engagement with relevant data
• solve familiar and unfamiliar problems in order to develop reasoned arguments and challenge assumptions
• self-appraise and reflect on practice
• recognise and respond to moral, legal, ethical and safety issues that relate to your studies.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject-specific skills in the following areas:

• relating the concepts of anatomy, physiology and metabolism to the body’s response to exercise
• practical skills in the physiological interpretation of data from fitness testing
• the appraisal and evaluation of the effects of sport and exercise interventions
• the ability to analyse, interpret and show critical judgement in the evaluation of the sport sciences. 

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in:

• communication, presentation, numeracy and IT
• interactive skills and group work
• problem solving 
• self-appraisal and reflection on practice
• how to plan and manage your own learning.

Careers

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have gone on to work in:

• sports science support for elite athletes
• the NHS in physical activity, exercise referral or health promotion
• health and fitness clubs
• sports development as coaches
• national governing bodies
• community leisure centres
• professional sports teams
• sporting organisations (training athletes)
• teaching
• biomedical sciences.

Help finding a job

The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences has an excellent reputation and many links to professional bodies. This network is very useful to students when looking for employment.

The University also has a friendly Careers and Employability Service which can give you advice on how to:

• apply for jobs
• write a good CV
• perform well in interviews.

Career-enhancing skills

To help you to appeal to employers across a range of careers, you develop transferable skills in:

• computing and IT
• analysing data and problem solving
• writing and communicating well.

You can also enhance your degree studies by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.

Professional recognition

Graduates may be able to apply for accreditation from the Register of Exercise Professionals and also have the option to take an exam for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health Fitness Instructor qualification.

Independent rankings

For graduate prospects, Sports Science at Kent was ranked 11th in The Complete University Guide 2018, 13th in The Guardian University Guide 2018 and 14th in The Times Good University Guide 2018.

According to Which? University (2017), the average starting salary for graduates of this degree is £18,000.