BSc (Hons) Health and Exercise Science

Exercise can be an incredibly powerful tool – whether to drive elite athletic performance or to fight obesity, cancer, depression and a range of other conditions. Our BSc (Hons) Health and Exercise Science programme can help you master that tool, with a unique blend of human biology, physiology and psychology.

Studying a wide range of units, you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of the structure and function of the human body, exploring how it responds to various forms of exercise at different points across the lifecycle.

You’ll get a good grounding in the key scientific principles, before developing higher-level knowledge focused on responses to the physical, psychological and environmental stressors that affect sports, exercise and health. Then, in your final year, you’ll focus on the specialist area that interests you most with a major research project.

Join us and you’ll learn in a supportive environment from leading academics, with subject matter that’s shaped by the latest research. So, by the time you graduate, you should have what you need to pursue a range of possibilities in health or sport – with the specialist knowledge and practical skills to really make a difference.

Exercise is absolutely key to health in the modern era. Today, as we face an ageing population, widespread obesity and increasingly sedentary lifestyles, inactivity is a major global challenge.

For anyone interested in how the human body functions, this is a subject that offers a fascinating mix of human biology, physiology, biomechanics and psychology. It’s a combination that can equip you for a range of roles. Whether supporting athletes in the elite sports arena or treating patients in the healthcare sector, Health and Exercise offers the tools to make an incredible impact.

Studying with our Institute of Sport offers the chance to learn from experienced professionals in a friendly and supportive environment. While you’ll study a curriculum shaped by the latest research, you’ll also get the chance to work in state-of-the-art facilities, including an environmental chamber, clinical imaging, biomechanics assessments, sports performance laboratories and much more. And, just as we have the technology, we also have the network – with an impressive range of partnerships, from universities and health bodies to national sports bodies and elite teams.

Manchester provides a brilliant setting. It’s not only home to a wide range of healthcare providers and a hub for biomedical research excellence, but it’s a true capital of sport. Here, you’ll find two of the world’s biggest football clubs, a range of sports brands’ HQs, several national sport bodies and a range of venues that host major sporting events. If you’re aiming to forge a future in sport, exercise or fitness, there are few better places to start.

What is the length of the course?

• 3 years full-time
• 4 years with a placement