Sport and Exercise Sciences

Sport and Exercise Sciences is a discipline that applies the principles of physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and nutrition to the understanding of how the human body moves, performs, and adapts to the demands of sport and physical activity. It is a field at the intersection of fundamental science and direct practical application, generating knowledge that is used to enhance athletic performance, promote physical health across populations, support rehabilitation, and understand the mechanisms by which exercise affects both body and mind.

At Durham University, this three-year, full-time degree is developed and delivered by an academic team actively involved in research, ensuring that what you study reflects both the traditional foundations of sport and exercise science and the emerging questions at the frontiers of the field. You will build a solid grounding in physiology, psychology, and physical activity, nutrition, and health, examining traditional and emergent sport and exercise problems from a variety of academic disciplines and perspectives. The degree includes a sandwich year, work placements, and the option of a year abroad, providing substantial professional and international experience that significantly enhances your employability.

Graduates work across performance sport, clinical exercise physiology, public health, sports coaching, strength and conditioning, sports science support for national and professional sporting organisations, and research. The breadth of the scientific training, combined with practical placements in real professional settings, opens doors in both elite sport and in the growing number of roles that apply exercise science knowledge to health promotion and disease prevention across the wider population. Postgraduate study in sport science, exercise physiology, sports psychology, or physiotherapy is a natural next step for those who wish to develop specialist expertise.