Sports Science in Relation to Medicine

By the end of this course, you should:

• have an understanding of the contribution of the disciplines of sports science to the understanding of performance enhancement in its various forms.
• be able to demonstrate a broad appreciation of each of the major sports science disciplines (biomechanics, exercise physiology, motor control/sports psychology)
• have an in-depth appreciation of at least one of the disciplines, and their relationship to exercise and/or sport.

You'll be introduced to state-of-the-art techniques currently in use in research laboratories and will have an understanding of the mathematical, theoretical and conceptual foundations of biomechanics, exercise physiology, motor control and sports and exercise psychology.

You'll also develop analytical, evaluation and design skills necessary for work in a research environment.

Health and exercise is a key issue for both medical practitioners and for sports scientists and this course will provide an added dimension and focus for your medicine related studies.

A major feature of the course is the research project, which will enable you to bring your own perspective to a group project, and to work alongside staff at the forefront of their area of research.

Research projects

Projects can be either laboratory or field based. In both case state of the art equipment is used to collect data. Project titles cover the full breath of disciplines in sport and exercise science for example; attention and joint coupling in jumping tasks, sudden cardiac death during active sports: would screening be cost effective?; Can ventilator efficiency provide an effective measure of performance?; The role of physical activity in psychological recovery from chronic disease and disability. The research project itself is written up as a journal article and this lends itself well to some students having the opportunity for publication.

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Modules Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Research Project in Sport and Exercise Science II 40 credits
• Inter-disciplinary Issues in Sport and Exercise Science 20 credits
• Advanced Exercise Physiology 10 credits
• Sport Medicine, Health and Nutrition 10 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Sports Science in Relation to Medicine BSc in the course catalogue

Assessment

Teaching will be through lectures, practical classes, seminars, small group teaching, tutorials and a research project. Assessment is similarly varied, including in-course assessment (formative and summative) and written examinations. The in-course assessment exercises include tests of practical skills, essay writing, data manipulation and problem solving. The research project will be assessed throughout the project and on the final written report. Degree classification will be based upon the marks obtained in each of the component modules, with the appropriate credit weighting applied.