You’ll study on a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recognised programme which will allow you to complete the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist qualification near graduation. During your time with us, you’ll cover the three main disciplines of sport science: physiology (including nutrition), biomechanics and psychology. You’ll learn about human anatomy, sports performance, and strength and conditioning. You’ll use the performance labs to learn how to assess and improve sporting performance. What’s more, you’ll gain invaluable knowledge on the role exercise plays in improving health and wellbeing.
Many of your lecturers are accredited or chartered with professional bodies. These include the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) and the British Psychological Society (BPS). This means you’ll learn from lecturers who are recognised for their high standards of knowledge and skills. They’ll be there to ensure those standards are transferred to you. You’ll spend around eight hours in lectures per week, and eight hours in practical sessions. Some of these will take place in our labs, others are interactive workshops and seminars.
Herts is one of the few Universities with an Active Students and Staff programme. This means we offer free sports and exercise sessions to all our students and staff. This gives you an excellent opportunity to do research on the effects of sport and exercise on wellbeing. You could even get a part time job working for them as an Activator – leading your own exercise sessions or assisting with qualified instructors. Maybe even play some new sports yourself.
In your first year, you’ll learn the foundations of human physiology and nutrition, as well as musculoskeletal anatomy, psychology and the principles of biomechanics. You’ll gain the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to excel. There is a special module to teach you how to perform and analyse fitness testing and exercise prescription. You’ll study the acquisition of skills and motor control. To help you settle into university life, you’ll take a module focused on developing the academic skills you need to be a successful student.
Your second year builds on what you learnt in first year. You’ll study the applied biomechanics of performance, applied sport and exercise psychology and exercise physiology. The module on research design helps you understand the principles and methods that underpin scientific research. You’ll be able to use this to critique and understand research done in this field. It’ll also come in handy for your final year project in third year. There are also a few optional modules for you to choose from. Learn about exercise for a health population, sports conditioning or functional anatomy and clinical biomechanics.
Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or do a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about but will also give your CV a boost. If you’d rather go straight to your final year, that’s fine too. You’ll decide in your second year with us, so there is still plenty of time to think about this.
In your third year, there is only one compulsory module: your final year project. You’ll get a personal supervisor and together you will produce an independent sports research project. This means you’ll design and undertake you own project on a topic relevant to your area of study. You’ll present this in the form of a poster presentation and journal-style report. All other modules are optional and allow you to specialise in the areas you like best. Learn about technology in sport, advanced biomechanics or strength and conditioning. There is one module that allows you to gain 70 hours of work experience*
For a full list of modules, see the section under ‘What will I study?’
*Depending on the COVID-19 guidelines and developments
