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Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity at Durham University - UCAS

Durham University

Degree level: Undergraduate

Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity

Course options

2024 - 20252025 - 2026
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Durham University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

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 method

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.

How to apply

This course has limited vacancies, and is no longer accepting applications from some students. See the list below for where you normally live, to check if you’re eligible to apply.

EU

Wales

England

International

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Republic of Ireland

31Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
C603
Institution code:
D86
Campus name:
Durham City
Campus code:
O

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Our contextual offer for this programme is A level BBB or ABC (or equivalent). To find out if you’re eligible, please visit: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/how-to-apply/what-happens-to-your-application/contextual-offers/.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://www.dur.ac.uk/study/ug/apply/entry/

English language requirements

Durham University welcomes applications from all students irrespective of background. We encourage the recruitment of academically well-qualified and highly motivated students, who are non-native speakers of English, whose full potential can be realised with a limited amount of English Language training either prior to entry or through pre-sessional and/or in-sessional courses. It is the normal expectation that candidates for admission should be able to demonstrate satisfactory English proficiency before the start of a programme of study, whether via the submission of an appropriate English language qualification or by attendance on an appropriate pre-sessional course. Acceptable evidence and levels required can be viewed by following the link provided.

English language requirements

https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
61%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
92%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Republic of Ireland £9250 Year 1
Channel Islands £9250 Year 1
EU £26500 Year 1
England £9250 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 Year 1
Scotland £9250 Year 1
Wales £9250 Year 1
International £26500 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

There may also be additional course costs for things like books (if you want to purchase them), field trips etc.
Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity at Durham University - UCAS