Sport & Exercise Nutrition BSc (Hons)

Program Overview

Through a combination of lectures, seminars, and practical sessions, students gain expertise in sport nutrition practice, food/supplement industry, and public health nutrition. The program's focus on hands-on experience and research prepares graduates for careers in various fields related to sports and exercise nutrition.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Objective:

To provide students with a thorough understanding of the roles of exercise and nutrition in promoting health and sports performance.

Description:

This program delves into the science behind exercise physiology, nutritional biochemistry, and food systems, equipping graduates with the knowledge and practical skills to excel in various career pathways related to sports and exercise nutrition.

Focus Areas:

• Sport Nutrition Practice:
Prepares students for careers as applied sports nutrition practitioners, advising athletes and supporting their performance through dietary interventions.
• Food/Supplement Industry and Product Development:
Equips students with expertise in developing and marketing specialized food and supplement products for the sports nutrition market.

Outline:

Course Structure:

Lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratory sessions, and independent study.

Workload:

Approximately 12 teaching hours per week in the first year, reducing to 10 hours in subsequent years. An additional 30 hours of independent study is expected per week.

Modules:

• Principles of Human Nutrition: Covers optimal macronutrient and micronutrient intake, digestion, fluid and energy balance, and the impact of alcohol and non-nutritive substances.
• Exercise Physiology: Explores the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular, and metabolic systems in the context of exercise.
• Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism: Focuses on the biochemical composition and metabolism of macronutrients.
• Food Systems: Explores the food supply chain, sustainability, food safety, allergen awareness, and certification processes.
• Physical Activity and Health: Examines the role of physical activity in preventing non-communicable diseases and analyzes current physical activity recommendations.
• Nutritional Modification: Teaches students how to assess and modify individual diets using software and practical sessions in food laboratories.
• Principles of Muscular Strength and Conditioning: Introduces muscular anatomy and physiology, assessment of muscular function, and adaptations due to training.
• Nutritional Assessment: Covers various methods for determining nutritional status, including anthropometry, biochemical analysis, clinical signs of malnutrition, and dietary intake assessment.
• Physiology of Exercise Training: Focuses on adaptations to aerobic exercise training, measurement of key aerobic parameters like lactate threshold and maximal oxygen uptake, and practical laboratory sessions.
• Nutrition Throughout the Lifecycle: Explores specific nutritional requirements for different stages of life, from fetal development to old age.
• Sport Nutrition: Investigates the role of carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake on exercise performance, considering various dietary strategies for optimal results.
• Training Programme Design: Teaches the principles of strength, speed, and agility training and their integration into effective training programs.
• Influencing Factors that Affect Health and Nutritional Status: Analyzes the influence of ethnicity, culture, religion, socioeconomic status, and genetic factors on food choice, dietary behavior, and health outcomes.
• Physical Activity, Health & Health Promotion: Develops understanding of effective health promotion campaigns to increase physical activity across diverse communities.
• Nutritional Epidemiology and Public Health Nutrition Principles: Studies the relationship between dietary exposure and disease patterns in populations, applying research methods to assess public health nutrition strategies.
• Research Methods: Equips students with the skills to collect and analyze research data, preparing them for conducting their own independent research study in their final year.
• Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Sport: Focuses on the interrelationships between these elements, exploring body composition assessment, and the impact of complex interactions on health.
• Clinical Nutrition: Examines the relationship between nutrition, obesity, and non-communicable diseases, and explores the role of nutrition in weight management and disease prevention.
• Sports Nutrition: Analyzes the evidence and practical applications of carbohydrate, protein, and creatine supplementation for enhancing sports performance and training adaptations.
• Public Health Nutrition: Explores the principles and international, national, and local perspectives on the development of food and nutrition policies.
• Food Choice, Behaviour Modification and Nutrition Education: Analyzes models underlying food choice and nutritional behavior and evaluates traditional and modern strategies for nutrition education and behavior modification.
• Physical Activity, Exercise & Health: Focuses on best practice in prescribing exercise for promoting health in various populations, including those with specific diseases and healthy individuals.
• Food Product Development: Develops skills in designing, assessing, and marketing sports nutrition products, considering global health issues and food system sustainability.
• Food Safety, Authenticity, and Food Quality Management: Covers food allergens and sensitivities, food safety standards, and processes for effective food safety and quality management.
• Sport Nutrition Practice: Equips students with the skills to translate scientific evidence into practical sports nutrition interventions, considering athlete lifestyle, training programs, and individual needs.
• Research Dissertation: An independent research project culminating in the discovery of new findings in the field of Sport and Exercise Nutrition.

Assessment:

• Primarily through coursework assignments, with two exams in the summer term each year.
• Assessments use individual and group presentations, laboratory reports, portfolios, case studies, essays, and practical tests.
• Final year research dissertation assessed based on its originality, critical thinking, and scientific rigor.

Teaching:

• Teaching methods:
Lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratory sessions, and independent study.

Careers:

• Applied sport nutrition practitioner:
Working with athletes in elite sport settings to optimize performance through dietary strategies.
• Food/supplement industry:
Developing, marketing, and promoting specialized food and supplement products for athletes and health-conscious consumers.
• Public and private sector health professionals:
Providing nutritional guidance and support to individuals in their rehabilitation, disease treatment, or overall health goals.
• Further study:
Pursuing postgraduate qualifications like a Masters or PhD to specialize in specific research areas within the field.

Other:

• Field trips and guest lectures:
Offer additional insights and experiences beyond the classroom.

• The tuition fees for the 2024/25 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
• If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
• The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
• You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university.
• The International Tuition fees for 2024/25 are £12,500.