Sport and Exercise Medical Sciences BSc
London, Bloomsbury and London, Hampstead (Royal Free Hospital)
Sport and Exercise Medical Sciences BSc (2024)
This BSc Sport and Exercise Medical Sciences degree prepares you to work in both athletic performance and in clinical environments. It provides a strong understanding of how the human body works in health and disease, and how it responds to exercise for health and for performance. We also provide a strong understanding of injury management, which sets this degree apart from other sport science courses.
Study mode
Duration
UK tuition fees (2023/24)
Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)
Programme starts
September 2023Application deadline
25 Jan 2023UCAS course code
Entry requirements
- Grades
- AAB
- Subjects
- Biology and either Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics required.
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade B or 6.
Contextual offer information
- Grades
- BCC more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- Biology and either Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics with Biology at grade B.
- GCSEs
- English Language and Mathematics at grade C or 5.
- Points
- 36
- Subjects
- A total of 17 points in three higher level subjects, including Biology and either Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics, with no higher level score below 5. For Mathematics, the programme will accept either 'Analysis and Approaches' or 'Applications and Interpretation' at higher level.
Contextual offer
- Points
- 30 more about contextual offers
- Subjects
- A total of 15 points in three higher level subjects, including Biology and either Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics, with no score higher level below 5. For Mathematics, the programme will accept either 'Analysis and Approaches' or 'Applications and Interpretation' at higher level.
UK applicants qualifications
For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:
Equivalent qualification
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (QCF) or BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (RQF - teaching from 2016) with Distinction, Distinction, Distinction to include Distinction in Biology and either Chemistry, Maths or Physics.
Pass in Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 30 credits at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit, all from Level 3 units. Please note, where subject specific requirements are stipulated at A level we may review your Access to HE syllabus to ensure you meet the subject specific requirements prior to a final decision being communicated.
Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades AAB. Biology and either Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics required.
A,A,B at Advanced Highers (or A,A at Advanced Higher and B,B,B at Higher), including Biology and either Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics at Advanced Higher.
D3,D3,M1 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects. Biology and either Chemistry, Mathematics or Physics required.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.
International applications
Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.
Access and widening participation
UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates
The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.
Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.
For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.
English language requirements
The English language level for this programme is: Level 2
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Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.
A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.
Course overview
This Sport and Exercise Medical Science degree provides expert insight into the application of exercise for clinical and healthy populations. You will explore how exercise is used to prevent and manage disease, assess injury, and to inform rehabilitation and exercise performance. Our unique degree provides a strong understanding of injury management, which is not taught on other sport science courses.
The programme begins with the foundations of human biology and medicine, covering how the body works, what goes wrong in disease and how to treat it. We then introduce you to how the body responds during exercise.
In year two, we teach the foundations of sport and exercise medicine, from the principles of exercise training and performance optimisation to the behavioural psychology and skills to promote appropriate physical activity for health and in disease. You learn essential medical research and statistical skills to start your research project. There are also optional modules.
Year three comprises a research project and modules covering exercise prescription, sports nutrition, assessment and management of musculoskeletal and sports injuries, and their rehabilitation and prevention.
What this course will give you
This Sport and Exercise Medical Science degree is a unique cross-faculty programme designed to turn top students of today into leading health professionals and scientists of the future.
It will ground students in medical sciences with a focus on exercise medicine, sports injuries, human health and performance, and disease. This leads to careers across healthcare, industry, academia and elite sport.
The programme is taught by leading scientists, clinicians and academics at the prestigious Bloomsbury and Hampstead campuses and at the world-leading Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH).
There are opportunities to learn alongside peers on related programmes, and collaborate on research across UCL, the ISEH and its partners including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and University College London Hospitals (UCLH).
UCL is ranked 7th in the world for Medicine and 21st for Sports-related subjects (QS World University Rankings, 2022). The Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health is one of twelve International Olympic Committee (IOC) members. UCL's excellence and the ISEH's invaluable international network in both elite performance and public health provides prestigious career opportunities for our best students.
Teaching and learning
In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Medical Sciences.
Modules
Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.
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In the first year, you gain a strong basis of human physiology in health and in disease, sports anatomy and imaging, and exercise physiology.
In the second year, you build on your knowledge of health, disease, and adaptations to exercise to design exercise training programmes for healthy populations. You also broaden your knowledge by studying immunity, nutrition and psychology.
In year three, you bring together everything you have acquired in the first two years by studying injury assessment and rehabilitation, sport performance optimisation and exercise medicine. Students also complete a research project in the third year.
Compulsory modules
Compulsory modules
Your learning
This is a highly practical programme. You will learn through a combination of lectures, interactive workshops, group discussion, laboratory work, biomechanical and clinical assessment, exercise training and performance testing.
The development of your employability skills is strongly supported throughout the degree.
Assessment
Formative assessments are embedded throughout the degree to support you develop your learning and academic skills. These include Problem Based Learning workshops, informal presentations, interactive workshops, gamification, and peer feedback.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.
The foundation of your career
Employability
You will emerge an experienced sports graduate with hands-on experience, competence in clinical applications of exercise, insight in injury management, and an interdisciplinary vision of sport and exercise science. Graduates will have advantages over sport scientists as this degree consolidates your knowledge of clinical physiology, injury management, exercise medicine and disability sport.
The world of sport, exercise and health is vast and provides broad professional opportunities for graduates, from biomechanists, physiologists and coaches to performance analysts and clinical exercise practitioners. You will be well equipped to work as a professional in sport performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation, sport science research and industry, clinical exercise prescription and population health.
This programme differs from traditional sports science or sport and exercise science programmes offered in the UK as it provides an in-depth medical and clinical grounding to sport and exercise performance. This equips students for broader career choices, including patient-facing careers that serve to improve health, longevity and quality of life.
Graduates are also well placed to apply for higher research degrees, such as an MSc, PhD and NHS scientist programmes, or vocational graduate programmes in medicine or physiotherapy.
Accreditation
There are no additional requirements for you to work in the field of sport and exercise once you complete your degree. However, to enhance your CV further, you have a few options. You may wish to apply for accreditation as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sport Medicine (ACSM) with this degree and 1,200 hours of clinical experience. You may wish to apply for accreditation as a Certified Exercise Practitioner with this degree and any Level 4 Exercise certification (eg. REPS or ACSM Level 4 personal trainer).Fees and funding
Fees for this course
| Fee description | Full-time |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees (2023/24) | £9,250 |
| Tuition fees (2023/24) | £32,100 |
The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2023/24 academic year. The UK fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2023/24 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.
Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/funding-your-studies.
Additional costs
There are no additional costs directly related to the course. All equipment and learning resources are provided by the University.
You will be expected to travel between campuses for specific modules (Bloomsbury, Royal Free Hospital). For this, you will incur travel costs within London once or twice a week, depending on your choices.
A guide including rough estimates for these and other living expenses is included on the UCL Fees and funding pages. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).
Funding your studies
Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.
Scholarships
The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.
Next steps
Your application
Prospective students will be academically able and demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and professional behaviours that future public- or patient-facing careers would require. We will be looking for examples of these skills in personal statements and in references. You should also demonstrate the value of physical activity, drawing on your own experiences.
How to apply
Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.
Selection
For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.
We will use your predicted or achieved academic qualifications, your personal statement and your reference to decide whether to offer you a place.
Got questions? Get in touch
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