Overview

The programme is equivalent to the first two years of a relevant honours’ degree programme, and collaborative partnerships with several leading universities, provide multiple opportunities to progress to BSc honours top up in a relevant area. In year 1 students will study a Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Sport and Exercise Science. A Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science is completed in year 2 of the course.

You can complete year 1 Level 4 HNC and apply to Universities with your Level 4 HNC qualification if desired. This is a popular option for students applying to universities for a degree in Physiotherapy, Nutrition or Occupational Therapy.

The modules of the course are delivered predominantly at Millfield with Sports Massage delivered in our Sports Massage suite at the Castlereagh campus in order to allow the students access and use of some of the specialised facilities for strength and conditioning, sports massage and the sports science performance lab.

The programme has been designed and developed with leading employers, who have been instrumental in facilitating opportunities for work-based learning, and industry experience, which will enhance your employability in the burgeoning field of sport and exercise science.

This qualification examines the scientific principles which underpin health and sporting performance and will be of interest to anyone considering a career in the following.

Sport and exercise science

Sports nutrition

Sports psychology

Sports physiology

Biomechanics

Physical education

Physiotherapy

Performance analysis

Sports Coaching

The programme benefits from state-of-the-art facilities, including a sports science laboratory, biomechanics and performance analysis suite, sports massage therapy suite, Olympic standard strength and conditioning suite, and a wide range of cutting-edge equipment such as StatSport GPS, heart rate, video technology and Cortex Metalab Gas Analysis.

This is our most popular Higher Education course within the Sports Centre. Not only does this qualification examines the scientific principles which underpin health and sporting performance, but it is also delivered in a practical context and in normal class sizes. This makes the course substantially different from the more lecture-based delivery of Sport Science at some of the local Universities and it is consistently identified as a major strength of the course by our student surveys

Career Prospects

This is an academic course primarily designed to facilitate your progression to Level 6 at University but can also be used as a foundation piece for a self-employment career within the Sport Science sector.

Most popular University Courses after HND completion:

Sport and Exercise Science Top-Up degree

Physiotherapy

Strength and Conditioning accelerated degree

Sports Nutrition

The most popular career choices of former students are PE teachers, Allied Health Professionals, Performance Analysists, Strength and Conditioning coaches and Personal Trainer