Sport, Exercise and Nutrition

Sport, exercise, and nutrition is an applied science degree that examines the physiological, nutritional, and psychological factors that influence human physical performance and health. It draws together disciplines that are individually important, combining sports science with the nutritional science that underpins training, recovery, and long-term health, and applying both to the real challenges faced by athletes, coaches, and health professionals.

At the University of Northumbria at Newcastle you will study exercise physiology, sport and exercise psychology, nutrition science, and research methods, developing both theoretical understanding and practical skills in laboratory analysis, fitness testing, and nutritional assessment. You will examine how the body responds and adapts to exercise across different populations and conditions, and how dietary interventions can support performance, recovery, and health. The programme connects academic content to applied settings, so you develop the professional competence as well as the scientific knowledge that graduate employers expect.

This three-year full-time degree includes a sandwich year with a work placement and a year abroad, giving you both substantial professional experience and an international perspective on sport and exercise science. These are significant assets when you graduate, demonstrating adaptability, initiative, and real-world competence alongside your academic qualification.

Graduates go on to careers in sports coaching and performance support, nutrition and dietetics (often with further study), personal training and fitness management, health promotion, sport science support in professional sport, and research. Many continue to postgraduate study in sports nutrition, exercise physiology, public health, or dietetics, and some pursue registration as dietitians following additional training.