Sport and Exercise Science

Sport and exercise science is the systematic study of how the body performs and responds to physical activity, and how exercise can be applied to support both sporting achievement and broader health and wellbeing. It draws on physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and nutrition to build a comprehensive picture of human physical performance, and it is a discipline that connects laboratory science with the realities of coaching, clinical practice, and public health.

At the University of Aberdeen this four-year, full-time programme explores how sport and exercise can improve health and quality of life, and how the body survives the extreme physiological stresses imposed during demanding physical activities across a wide range of environmental conditions. You will study the science of exercise from the cellular level through to the whole-body response to sustained training, developing both theoretical understanding and the practical skills needed to work in sport and health settings. A year abroad is built into the programme, giving you the opportunity to study at a partner university and to engage with sport and exercise science in a different academic and cultural context.

Graduates of sport and exercise science at Aberdeen work in elite sport, community health, clinical exercise science, strength and conditioning, sport development, coaching, and physical education. Many move into roles working with professional or semi-professional athletes in sports clubs, institutes of sport, and national governing bodies. Others build careers in exercise referral, rehabilitation, public health, or corporate wellness.

The four-year programme and year abroad give graduates a more mature scientific grounding and a broader perspective than a standard three-year degree, and many go on to postgraduate study in sport and exercise science, sports psychology, physiotherapy, or sports medicine, developing specialist expertise in a particular area of practice.