This increasing sought after degree is suitable for anyone who is passionate about sport and wants a career that is connected to the world of athletics or physical activity. The programmes are becoming much more popular as society starts to become more aware of the benefits of healthy eating and staying fit. For many people it is a perfect way to combine their love for a particular sporting activity with a education and potentially future paid occupation in a related field.

The modules are science based and aimed at helping graduates find employment in the leisure, sports, recreation and education industries. Students will be equipped with the necessary knowledge for a career is roles such as personal trainers, performance consultants, fitness instructors or nutrition experts etc. Some courses may involve workplace placements which will give students a taste of real life working conditions.

Course overview
These practical courses are all about studying; illness prevention, exercise, health and discovering how the body works. Students will concentrate on what is going on inside a athletes body just as much as external factors like training regimes, physiotherapy and diets. Broadly speaking they will gain an understanding of how to monitor, analyse and improve a individuals physical performance. All of these skills are much sought after in the health promotion, rehabilitation and research fields.

Courses also tend to have a strong tilt towards teaching good communication skills. These are necessary to enable graduates to communicate effectively with their patients and other medical staff. Most jobs in the sports and leisure fields require employees to work as part of a team with doctors, therapists and other healthcare professionals.

On a sports science degree course areas of study will include:

  • Learning how to assist athletes perform better.
  • The basics of coaching.
  • Gymnastics.
  • How muscles develop and repair themselves.
  • The relationship between sport and the media.
  • Psychology and how it can affect athletes.
  • Gym training.
  • The limitations of human performance on the sports field.
  • Rehabilitation after injury.
  • Exercise physiology.
  • The physiological impact of training.
  • The link between exercise and health.
  • Coaching techniques and processes.
  • The development and practical implementation of sports technology.
  • Techniques to monitoring and analysing the performance of athletes.
  • Sport and society
  • Biomechanical theories.
  • Exercise psychology.
  • Contemporary issues in sport.
  • The scientific theory of sport.
  • Medical conditions that can affect athletes.
  • Advanced training principles.
  • Sports massage techniques.
  • Injury prevention and management.
  • Strength and conditioning.
  • The importance of nutrition and diet in sports and exercise.
  • Drugs and steroids in the sports world.
  • Human anatomy.
  • Digestion, absorption and nutritional metabolism.
  • What causes injuries.
  • The importance of exercise to the health of the nation.

Skills you will learn on a sports science degree course

  • How to organise events and activities.
  • Improve your presentation and oral communication skills.
  • Customer focus and professionalism.
  • Investigating and reporting skills.
  • Project management.

Sports science personal statement

Below is a sports science personal statement written by one of our writers. You can use this example to gain an idea of how to structure and put together your own one. You are strongly advised not to copy or plagiarise it, instead use it as a resource to inspire your own creative writing.

Sports science personal statement example 1

“I am a person who was born with a strong intellectual mind and a naturally dextrous body. From a young age I academically excelled, particularly in Physical Education, outside of the classroom I was also a keen sportsman. Due to my natural all-round sporting abilities and being a very team minded person, I have throughout my life regularly play football, swam and also boxed.

So why do I want to study this particular subject? Well here are my reasons; I love sport, I want a challenging career, I love researching, and in the future I would like to have the option of teaching. As you can see this is a long list of ‘wants’, and after reviewing all of my academic options, I felt that a sports science degree will give me the opportunity of going forward and achieving all of these goals. I would also like to mention that I haven’t just jumped into this subject, I have talked to people who have previously studied this area, listened to their views, explained my ambitions and learnt from their experiences. At the end of my ‘consultation’ period, I concluded that this degree would give me exactly what I wanted, which is a behind the scenes look at the sports industry, exercise and health, coaching and also finding out more about how the body works.

Ideally after graduation I would want to work in a sports related area. I have looked into the various career opportunities, and found that sports science graduates are highly valued by employers in a wide range of industries. Overall I would say that it’s been a pretty easy decision for me in deciding to study this subject at university.

I have a wide range of relevant practical skills and theoretical knowledge which I feel will be valuable when studying this subject. My strongest ‘skill’ is my ability to accurately appraise and evaluate the effects of sport and exercise on individuals. I also posses extensive knowledge of the latest sports technology and terminology, as well an understanding of the relationship between sport and the media. Very recently I have been learning about the physiological impact and psychology of training, as well as the impact prolonged sporting activity and exercise can have on the body.

Over the summer months I worked as a unpaid assistant to a qualified fitness instructor. I did this primarily to gain practical work experience of the sports industry. Although I spent most of the time at a gym, I also visited leisure centres, gyms, health clubs and sports venues. I learnt how to write and develop fitness programmes, conduct health checks, inductions and fitness assessments, and also maintain exercise equipment.

At college I studied Physical Education at A level, and I really enjoyed the experience, it seemed to just get better and better. I was introduced to a whole range of athletic equipment, and also learnt about specialised nutritional assessments and follow ups. It was at college that I got my first taste of physiological testing and monitoring, personal development and sports physiotherapy and massage.

My aim right now is to join an academically and vocationally balanced degree course that will provide me with the knowledge and skills relevant to both sports science and coaching competencies.

I have applied to university because I was impressed by the dynamic course content and structure that is being taught lecturers, who when I met them appeared to be very enthusiastic and experts in their respective fields. Your sports facilities and teaching rooms are brand new and built to the highest specification, thereby ensuring that students have the best possible experience. I have also noticed that many of your classes have capped the number of students allowed in them, thereby ensuring they are small in size and subsequently meaning that individual students receive a more personally tailored and unique learning experience.”

Sports science personal statement example 2

“As a keen sports person I have throughout my life tried to reach and stay at peak physical performance. This has never been easy, however one of the positive consequences of my endeavours is that I have learnt a lot about and gained an interest in trying to understand how the human body works. All of this has dedication, passion and research has naturally led me to consider a career as a sports scientist, a vocation that will allow me to combine my enthusiasm for competitive sporting activity with a financially rewarding career. The areas I would most like to work in after completing my degree would be professional training i.e. Physical Training Instructor or as a consultant in the athletic conditioning sector.

I find sport to be a perfect way to stay fit, keep healthy and socialise at the same time, indeed some of my closest friends are people I met on a training ground. As an individual I have a competitive nature and am constantly challenging myself by setting goals and then working hard to achieve them. Right now I feel that I have the right temperament, discipline and dedication that is required to become a successful graduate.

At college I excelled at sport related activities both in the classroom and out on the field. I was captain of the college football team and also a member of the cricket and swimming teams. Subject wise I studied Physical Education, Biology, and Business Management, all topics which I feel have helped prepare me for a sports science degree. The things I enjoyed most about studying PE was having the opportunity to work on new training equipment and technologies as well as being able to conduct experiments in laboratories and thereby better understanding what I had learnt in theory.

To further gain an insight into the realities of work and to see how well I would cope with the pressures of employment I took a voluntary job as a assistant to a practising physiotherapist. This role at a local sports centre lasted from June until September and was an excellent learning experience for me. It was at this time more than any other that I realised just how incredible the human body is.

I became interested in your university specifically because of all the good reports I’d heard about it.
So on a open day I decided to visit your campus and have a look around. During the visit I quickly saw that not only were the academic facilities great but that you had superb sports amenities and training equipment which is ideal for me as it means I can keep training at a professional level whilst studying. It was all of these factors along with the modules on the course curriculum that swayed my decision and made me apply to your university.”

More sports science personal statements 

University interview questions

Why do you want to enrol on a Sports Science degree course?

Answers

  • It gives me the opportunity to study sport and exercise from a academic viewpoint.
  • My ambition is to become a physiotherapist and I believe that this degree is a first step in that direction as it will teach me the methodological and systematic approach required to improve physical performance at all levels of participation.
  • This degree is a ideal springboard for my future career options whether within the sports industry or other related fields.
  • I want to learn how science can maximise a athletes performance.
  • I want to further develop my skills and enter the profession as a consultant, researcher or lecturer.
  • In the future it may give me a opportunity to work with professional athletes, which is something I have always dreamed of.

 

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