Sport Science and Management (with foundation year) BSc (Hons)

Program Overview

Nottingham Trent University's BSc (Hons) Sport Science and Management prepares students for careers in the sport and leisure industry through a combination of theoretical and practical experience. Combining the study of sport science and management, the program provides a foundation in core sport science while developing skills in business and marketing, equipping graduates with the knowledge and abilities to successfully navigate the dynamic sports industry.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This program, BSc (Hons) Sport Science and Management (with foundation year), is a four-year full-time undergraduate course offered at Nottingham Trent University. It combines the study of sport science and management, preparing students for careers in the sport and leisure industry. The program aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experience to work at a management level within the sport and leisure industry or beyond. The program emphasizes the application of management theory and sport science to real-world scenarios, fostering confident and work-ready graduates. Students will study the fundamentals of core sports science alongside sports management, gaining the ability to tackle the performance of sports and leisure organizations. The program also supports budding entrepreneurs in developing their business ideas.

Outline:

Year One (Foundation Year):

• Fitness, Training and Testing: This module teaches students how to assess fitness levels, gauge training effectiveness, and pinpoint areas for improvement.
Students will perform these tests, prioritize client needs, and communicate key findings while recommending training techniques for better performance. Students will learn anatomical terminology and the locations of organs, muscles, and bones.
• Academic Skills for Sport and Exercise Science: This module develops key academic skills such as writing, research, and collaboration.
Students will gain valuable research skills and learn how to critically use and evaluate information sources.
• Professional Skills for Sport and Exercise Science: This module runs for the entire foundation year and focuses on enhancing professional skills through learning tasks.
It emphasizes the importance of engaging in extra and co-curricular activities for professional growth.
• Current Topics in Sport: This module introduces students to current topics in sport science, coaching, management, nutrition, and health.
Students will explore current research and write a persuasive article addressing one of the current topics introduced in this module. Students will study evidence showcasing psychological benefits of physical activity and gain practical insights into applying theories to promote physical activity, focusing on strategies and interventions for improved health and wellbeing.
• The Internal Business Environment: This module introduces key topics such as managers, teams, organizational culture, structure, and communication.
Students will also study academic models and topics of law.
• The External Business Environment: This module explores various academic approaches to management.
• Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology: This module examines the psychological consequences of engaging in sport and exercise and the mental factors that impact quality sport and exercise experiences.
• Sport, Culture and Society: This module explores the importance of the social sciences in understanding sports and in the education of every sports professional.
• Developing Academic and Research Skills: This module provides an overall perspective of the research process in the context of sport, exercise, health, and leisure management, and teaches the research skills necessary to complete studies.
• Core Modules:
• Sports Marketing and CRM Systems:
This module introduces students to digital marketing systems and essential customer relationship management (CRM) principles and practices while also learning the unique nature of sports marketing.
• Strategic Management and Economic Analysis: This module aims to develop students' understanding of strategy and resource management and the role these play in establishing competitive advantage.
It also covers issues associated with supply and demand, broadcasting and sponsorship, and competitive balance.
• Integrated Applied and Professional Skills: Using inquiry-based learning, students will continue to learn about the research process and gain an understanding and experience of how research is conducted within the field of sport science and management.
• Optional Modules:
• Sociology of Sport, Health and the Body:
This module investigates the relationship between sport, exercise, physical activity, and health by developing a small research project.
• Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology: Through theoretical and practical study, students will learn how bouts of physical exercise alter the body's structures and functions and how these concepts can be applied to training.
• Practical Applications in Sport Psychology: This module introduces the concept of evidence-based practice and frameworks of assessment, intervention, and evaluation to address issues in sport, coaching, social and exercise psychology.
• Professional Practice: Through a short placement, students will learn to apply, analyze, and evaluate various vocationally relevant processes, enhancing their employability and preparing them for the world of work.

Year Three:

• Core Modules:
• Event Management in the Sport and Leisure Industry:
This module helps students develop their knowledge and skills in all appropriate management functions to plan for, develop, and manage an event effectively.
• Entrepreneurship and Enterprise: This module teaches about entrepreneurship, critically evaluates business environments, and develops the knowledge, skills, and techniques required to create a start-up company business plan effectively.
• Sport Project and Dissertation: Students will produce original and independent work in a specialist area of sports science, coaching, exercise science, or sport and leisure management, depending on their focus of study.
• Optional Modules:
• Contemporary Issues in the Sociology of Sport:
This module considers core sociological questions relating to the distribution of power in society, the nature and effects of social inequality, the potential role of sports development in social change, and the meaning of sport in diverse cultural spaces.
• Strength, Power and Endurance for Sport and Exercise: This module typically focuses on six topics related to applied exercise physiology and strength and conditioning research.
• Talent Development in Sport: This module explores a critical view of the role of talent development in sports, focusing on the psychosocial, environmental, and personal factors that can influence the talent development process.
• Advanced Topics in Sport and Exercise Psychology: This module familiarizes students with selected areas such as motivational climate, athletic identity, mental toughness, psychology of injury, and morality in sports.
The emphasis of this module is placed on current primary research.
• Challenging Critical Issues in Sport: Students will analyze complex problems such as sports injury, drug use in sports, and inequality and develop potential solutions using positive social changes.
• Hormone and Immune Function in Sport and Exercise: This module introduces students to the endocrine and immune systems, exploring how they operate as separate entities and looking at areas where they overlap.
Using this knowledge, students will then be introduced to exercise immunology and endocrinology, considering the physiological and molecular mechanisms that determine the function of both systems.

Year Four (Sandwich Placement Year):

• Students have the opportunity to take a year's work placement (sandwich placement) after their second year.
This provides a chance to gain vital experience and put their knowledge into practice.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed using various methods relevant to the specific modules, including:

• Coursework: Group projects, consultancy reports, and dissertations.
• Practical: Oral presentations, practical laboratory reports, and client interviews.
• Written: Formal essays, presenting work in a journal article or blog, and examinations.

Teaching:

Teaching methods include:

• Traditional lectures and seminars
• Practical workshops
• Working with business-to-business contacts within the community of Nottingham
• External visits
The remainder of the students' time is guided by independent study.

Careers:

Graduates from this program have secured roles at companies including:

• British Swimming
• Norwich City Football Club Academy
• David Lloyd
• Hilton Hotels
• Leicester City and Exeter Football Clubs
They have gone into a wide variety of job roles including:
• Events Officer
• Football Services Officer
• Logistics Manager
• Customer Insight Executive
• Marketing and Promotions Assistant
• Management Trainee
On successful completion of the course, many graduates choose to undertake further study on one of the university's Masters-level courses or MPhil and PhD research degrees.

Other:

• The program has received professional recognition for its unique combination of theory with practical experience.
• Students have the opportunity to take their CIMSPA Gym Instructor and Personal Trainer qualification alongside their degree.
• Students can work in the Sport and Wellbeing Academy, applying theory in a real-world environment and developing skills needed for working in industry.
• NTU's sports teams are currently in the top ten in the BUCS league (British Universities and Colleges Sport).
• The program is taught by staff who are actively involved in research tackling real-world issues.
• The University Language Programme (ULP) is available to all students, offering the opportunity to learn a new language or improve existing skills.
• NTU is one of the most employment-focused universities, offering work experience opportunities across all subject areas.
• The university has strong links with various leading sports and leisure organizations and professional bodies.
• Students can work with sporting organizations and clubs such as Nottingham Forest Football Club, Nottingham Rugby Club, Nottingham Wildcats Basketball Club, and Derby Rugby Club.
• Industry partners include the British Olympic Association, England Hockey, British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (accredited physiologists), and The British Psychological Society (sport and exercise psychology division of chartered psychologists).
• Students have the opportunity to turn their ideas into a viable business with help from NTU Enterprise, NTU's purpose-built Centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise.
• The university has a wide range of sporting and health-related facilities across three of its campuses, including sport coaching, sports injury clinics, fitness suites, specialist facilities, and more than 40 sports clubs.
• The university has fully equipped laboratories, including a British Olympic Association (BOA) Approved Environmental Chamber and a Biomechanics and Performance Analysis Suite.
• Students have access to a Culinary Skills Teaching Kitchen and the Clifton Sports Hub Nutrition Suite.
• The School also features IT, Sport Psychology, and Management Suites.