Sport & Exercise Nutrition BSc (Hons)

Program Overview

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Sport & Exercise Nutrition BSc (Hons)

Overview

Nutrition and exercise are the most fundamental components of a healthy lifestyle, with inappropriate nutrition and/or insufficient exercise being the most common causes of a wide range of diseases. Correct nutrition is also essential for supporting and maximising sports performance and training adaptations. Our degree in Sport & Exercise Nutrition is therefore ideal for those interested in a future career where exercise and nutrition interact to promote health and sports performance.

Course Structure

Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups of around 15-20 students, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. Seminars are very often of a practical nature, taking place in the exercise science or nutrition laboratories. You will also have the opportunity to speak one-to-one with your tutor each week.

In your first year of study there are approximately 12 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 10 teaching hours in your second and third years. On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend approximately 30 hours studying independently for each week of your course, including studying in groups to prepare for any group assessments that you may have.

Assessment and Feedback

Assessment of your progress is made primarily via coursework, but with two exams in the summer term being taken each year. These exams are worth 33% of the first year and 25% of the second and third years.

A wide variety of assessments are used to enable all types of learners to excel and to prepare you for your future career. We therefore utilise individual and group presentations, laboratory reports, portfolios, case studies, essays and practical tests.

In your final year, you will complete a research dissertation focused on a research topic that you will discuss with one of the teaching team. Though guided by your tutor and normally related to your other areas of study, you will have a significant degree of independence in choosing the topic for your dissertation. In some cases, these dissertations have been presented at scientific conferences and recognised internationally as important pieces of research in the field.

Year One

Principles of Human Nutrition

During this part of the course students will learn about optimum macro and micronutrient intakes, as well as the implications of excesses and deficiencies. How digestion occurs in the human body will also be considered, as well as fluid and energy balance and the impact of alcohol and non-nutritive substances.

Exercise Physiology

Understanding the foundations of the physiological basis for exercise, with particular reference to the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular and metabolic systems. Introduction to the regulation and integration of these physiological systems alongside an overview of neural, digestive and urinary systems. A highly applied section of the program supported by an intensive programme of laboratory work where you will learn the fundamentals of human exercise testing and physiological evaluation.

Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism

Students will have an opportunity to develop their understanding of key principles regarding biochemistry, with a focus on the biochemical assemblage of macronutrients and their metabolism.

Food Systems

This part of the course will equip students with a clear understanding of the food supply chain and how this is linked to sustainability and health. Furthermore, students will also learn about key principles regarding food safety and allergen awareness, as well as having the opportunity to become certified in these areas by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Physical Activity and Health

Physical activity is central to the maintenance of health and the prevention of non-communicable disease. You will consider the “Landmark” studies that for the first time provided evidence for the prevention of disease through physical activity and exercise. You will also examine recommendations for how much physical activity should be undertaken and how this contrasts with typical physical activity undertaken by UK adults and children.

Nutritional Modification

Dietary modification is of core importance for a variety of career pathways in nutrition and sports nutrition. Students will learn how to assess and modify the diet of an individual using dietary analysis software and will have the opportunity to try out their own reformulated diet plans in our state-of-the-art food laboratories during several practical sessions.

Principles of Muscular Strength and Conditioning

An introduction to muscular anatomy and physiology, assessment of muscular function and the adaptations to muscle anatomy and physiology due to the training process

Year Two

Nutritional Assessment

Nutritional assessment is used to determine the nutritional status of individuals via the collection and interpretation of measures and information. Students will explore the ABCD of nutritional assessment. A is for Anthropometry, the measurement of the body. B for the Biochemical analysis of nutritional status. C for the Clinical signs of malnutrition and D for assessment of Dietary intake.

Physiology of Exercise Training

With a focus on the physiology of aerobic function, you will understand adaptations to exercise training and the measurement of key aerobic parameters such as the lactate threshold and maximal oxygen uptake. This forms a basis for understanding functional decline in disease and training intensity distribution for aerobic performance. Accompanied by a series of laboratory-based workshops where you will make direct measures of aerobic function.

Nutrition Throughout the Lifecycle

Energy and nutrient requirements differ depending on sex and stage of life. During this block, students will acquire knowledge and understanding of specific nutritional requirements needed for development, growth and optimal health. They will explore how dietary intakes and nutritional status during the early stages of the lifecycle, (i.e. fetal, childhood and adolescence), influence health, by increasing or decreasing the risk for dietary related disease at later life stages.

Sport Nutrition

You will study foundational principles of the role of muscle glycogen and carbohydrate ingestion on exercise performance and consider the volume, frequency and type of carbohydrate feedings that maximise sport performance. The controversial field of a high fat diet for sports performance will be addressed in addition to learning practical techniques to quantify fat and carbohydrate oxidation.

Training Programme Design

Effective training programme design and evaluation is central to maximising the effects of training. You will learn about the fundamental principles of strength, speed and agility training and how to program them within an overall training programme. Lectures are supplemented with practical sessions in the field to understand best practice in the measurement of these parameters.

Influencing Factors that Affect Health and Nutritional Status

Students will have the opportunity to explore how factors such as ethnicity, culture, religion and socioeconomic status influence food choice, dietary behaviours and health. Students will learn how nutrients interact with the human genome influencing long term health, with a focus on the contribution genes make to obesity.

Nutritional status and intakes can be enhanced at population level via the fortification and enrichment of commonly consumed foods. In addition, the possible interactions between nutrients and/or drugs and how these can potentially impede optimal nutritional status will be explored.

Physical Activity, Health & Health Promotion

Building on your first year of study, you will develop your understanding of the relationship between physical activity and health to examine the effectiveness of different health promotion campaigns to promote physical activity across a range of different communities and environments, such as disability, minority groups and the workplace.

Nutritional Epidemiology and Public Health Nutrition Principles

Nutritional epidemiology is the study of the relationship between dietary exposure and the causes and pattern of diseases in populations. Students will critically appraise nutritional assessment, in addition to different research methods and study designs. Students will also explore the principles of Public Health Nutrition in promoting good health through healthy eating and preventing dietary related diseases in the population.

Research Methods

During this section of the course, you will learn about how research data can be collected and analysed. This will involve developing your knowledge in areas such as statistics, questionnaire design and qualitative research and will prepare you well for your final year where you will have the opportunity to conduct your own independent research study and put your research methods skills into practice.

Year Three

Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Sport

Students have an opportunity to learn about several key perspectives in the interrelationship between nutrition, physical activity, exercise, and health within this area. The role of body composition within health and disease and methods of assessment of body composition will be discussed. The difference between physical activity, physical fitness, sport, and exercise will be established with the critical appraisal regarding the impact of the complex association between these constructs with nutrition and health.

Clinical Nutrition

Within this area, the interrelationship between nutrition, obesity, and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer together with cognitive function and impairment will be discussed. The role of nutrition and weight management in the prevention of the above clinical conditions will be critically appraised as part of broader discussions of the association between lifestyle, holistic health, and wellbeing.

Sports Nutrition

You will study the evidence and practical applications underpinning the role of diet and dietary supplementation of carbohydrate and protein to promote sports performance and training adaptations. You will learn to critically evaluate the evidence in this space, particularly in respect of the typical diet and training status of the individual.

Ergogenic Aids

You will consider key ergogenic aids such as creatine, bicarbonate, beetroot juice and caffeine, and evaluate whether not they can enhance exercise performance. You will learn how to form judgements about the potential efficacy of ergogenic aids based on their potential mechanisms of action.

Public Health Nutrition

The topic area explores the key principles of public health nutrition, reflecting on the international, national, and local perspectives in the development of food and nutrition policies, to incorporate public health nutrition models into practice and explore practical considerations in devising and evaluating local food and nutrition policies.

Food Choice, Behaviour Modification and Nutrition Education

The theoretical models underlying food choice, and the ones explaining nutritional health behaviour will be explored while students critically appraise the traditional and modern strategies used for nutrition education and behaviour modification for enhancing nutritional status.

Physical Activity, Exercise & Health

With ever increasing rates of non-communicable disease, you will study best practice in prescribing exercise for the promotion of health in a range of different diseased and healthy populations, such as diabetes, osteoporosis, pregnancy and children.

Food Product Development

This section of the course will focus on the development of sports nutrition products and will also consider wider global health issues and the enhancement of sustainable food systems. You will also develop skills regarding the assessment of a product’s organoleptic properties using sensory analysis. Time will also be spent developing an in-depth knowledge of the processes and laws that guide global food and drink packaging systems, all of which are crucial when producing sports nutrition products.

Food Safety, Authenticity, and Food Quality Management

Acknowledgement of food allergens and sensitivities and maintaining food safety standards are legal requirements for food manufactures. Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of underlying legislation and obligations concerning these aspects and will learn about the specific steps and processes needed to achieve effective food safety and quality management.

Sport Nutrition Practice

Translating scientific evidence to best practice in the field requires the consideration of athlete lifestyle, overall training program, age, periodisation and training goals. Practitioners also need to acquire “soft skills” in order to transfer knowledge to the athlete and persuade them to change habits. In this focused area of study, you will learn these skills that can set you on a path to becoming a sport nutrition practitioner.

Research Dissertation

An independent research project with the purpose of discovering new findings in the field of Sport and Exercise Nutrition.

Entry Requirements

• A-Levels: BCC
• UCAS Tariff Points: 104 UCAS Tariff points must come from a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent). Additional points can be made up from a range of alternative qualifications
• BTEC: DMM
• Access to HE: 104 Tariff Points
• IB: 24
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 104 Tariff Points from Higher Level qualifications only
• Welsh Baccalaureate: This qualification can only be accepted in conjunction with other relevant qualifications
• T-Levels: Merit
• Subject Requirements: No specific subject requirements

International Entry Requirements

• Specific Country Requirements: Select your country
• IELTS: 6.0 overall (with reading and writing at 6.0) and no individual score lower than 5.5. We also accept a wide range of International Qualifications. For more information, please visit our English Language Requirements page.

Careers

Graduates of Sport & Exercise Nutrition are particularly well placed for a future career working as an applied sport nutrition practitioner in elite sport, or within the food and sport supplement industries.

Alternatively, graduates of this program would be highly suitable in supporting patients in their rehabilitation and treatment for disease or undertaking health assessments and advising on exercise and nutrition interventions. These careers can be found in the public and private sector.

Many of our graduates use our degree as a basis for further study at postgraduate level, such as a Masters or PhD.

Enhancement Opportunities

SALA

The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.

Study Abroad

As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.

Tuition Fees

The tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are £9,535* 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 £9,535*.

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.

*subject to Council approval.

Additional Costs

On top of your tuition fees, you need approximately £250 to purchase key textbooks during the course of your degree.

You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.

Scholarships

We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.

International Tuition Fees

The International Tuition fees for 2025/26 are £14,500.

Visit our International fees page for more information.

Course Combinations

This degree is only available to study as a Single Honours.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

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Objective:

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

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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.

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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.

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Outline:

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Course Structure:

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Teaching:

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

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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.

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Other:

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

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• 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.