Sport and Exercise Science BSc (Hons) - 2023/4

Other information

The BASES Undergraduate Endorsement Scheme (BUES) awards endorsement to sport and exercise science degree courses that provide undergraduates with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills essential to enter into the profession.

BASES endorsement is awarded to courses that meet criteria covering the necessary foundation of sport and exercise science knowledge, technical skills and professional development competencies required to succeed in the profession. When reviewing a course, BASES considers the curriculum, the practical experience gained by students and the resources and facilities of the institution. Further details of the criteria and application process are provided below.

To gain BASES endorsement, applicants must demonstrate that an undergraduate degree satisfies the criteria outlined in the BUES Application Form, which is structured around the following sections:

¿ Scientific knowledge
¿ Technical skills
¿ Application of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills
¿ Understanding and use of research
¿ Professional development and practice
¿ Employability and career readiness:
¿ Professional accreditation and affiliations of academic staff

The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) provides professional standards and accreditation for the Sport and Fitness sector. The programme is a Higher Education Partner is CIMSPA allowing to equip students with the skills, knowledge and experience needed to effectively transition into roles in the sector by aligning courses with professional standards.
CIMSPA endorsed degree programmes are certified as meeting professional standards set by the most highly regarded employers in the sector. CIMSPA endorsement of sport and exercise science degrees reflects the inclusion of content that maps to standards required in roles within the physical activity and fitness sector e.g personal trainer, fitness instructor.

This programme is aligned to the University of Surrey¿s Five Pillars of Curriculum Design and design, namely (in alphabetical order), Digital Capabilities, Employability, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Resourcefulness & Resilience, and Sustainability. Specifically, these pillars are covered in this programme in the following ways:

Digital Capabilities: Throughout the programme, students learn to navigate and utilise Surreys' Virtual Learning Environment (SurreyLearn) and other digital resources and online databases to aid their learning and undertake research. Students are also introduced to, and gain proficiency in, sport and exercise science-specific digital tools, including but not limited to performance analysis, physical activity, sleep and motion capture software Nutritional analysis and flow-cytometry. We will also ensure all our students are proficient in generic software platforms such as MS Office, referencing and statistical packages, building their skills to assess exercise and training and metabolic performance, generate, analyse, and present data. Students are encouraged to use social media such as Whatsapp, TikTok, Twitter, Teams, Zoom, and cloud/file sharing for communication and teamwork. Appropriate use of digital media and communication platforms is increasingly important for the modern exercise scientist, and through use and discussion, these students gain an awareness of their roles, plus their limitations and misuse, which can have a broader impact (e.g., to digital well-being)

Employability: The programme is accredited by the British Association for Sport and Exercise Science (BASES)s such, the programme is already designed to equip students with all the core competencies required of employable sport scientists. While on the programme, everyone can register with BASES as a student member. Upon completion of the programme graduates are eligible to enter the BASES register as a full member. The programme also is an official HE partner of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). As such, students receive further nationally recognised vocational qualifications in gym instructing, personal training and working with people with long-term conditions. These additional qualifications are offered at no additional cost to the student. In addition, they will learn essential job-related skills and many transferable (soft) skills required in the current employability market. Throughout the course, students are taught by a broad range of internal and external speakers exposing students to the variety of specific roles sport and exercise scientists have in the workplace. The tasks and assessments undertaken across the modules are specifically chosen to be authentic tasks/assessments to equip students with knowledge and skills that are key to the role of a modern Sport and Exercise Scientist. Key to this, and underpinning everything through this programme, students develop the ability to critically appraise evidence and the appropriate application of this knowledge to specific individuals, groups, or populations, in the development of new training methods, advancing research or creating new health or performance interventions or enterprises.

Global and Cultural Capabilities: the programme is taught interactively and collaboratively in a cohort that commonly represents a variety of nationalities and backgrounds. Students are encouraged to engage with and learn from diverse perspectives through interaction and teamwork. Current evidence in exercise science originates from cross-cultural studies, and differences between ethic groups are explored and appreciated as key to understanding the interrelationship between the different fields of sport and exercise science and how they might have differing levels of impact in varying cultures and populations in performance, health and disease. Students also develop an understanding of inequalities in access to sport science support and access to appropriate health care support, including using exercise as a medicine. Invited speakers contribute to diverse global perspectives in sport and exercise science, in addition to specific lectures on equality and diversity in applied and clinical exercise science.

Resourcefulness & Resilience: From early in the programme, students are introduced to the expectations regarding teaching, learning and assessment to facilitate self-efficacy. Timetabling encourages organisation in planning workloads, and preparations for sessions which employs aspects of ¿flipped learning¿. Formative and summative assessments are designed to ¿feed-forward¿ to assessments within modules and future programme modules. We encourage and foster collaborative learning, communication, and peer support as a cohort. Throughout, we build independent learning, critical thinking, dynamism, risk assessment and problem-solving attributes using in-class activities and assessments (both formative and summative). The nature of the programme requires students to draw upon individual and collective resourcefulness. Within practical and professional elements of the programme, students will also experience the athlete/patient/participant and the sport scientist¿s perspective. The importance of leadership, self-efficacy and resilience in the role of a sport scientist, and in rising to the challenges of the (applied) sport and exercise science profession is emphasised across the programme.

Sustainability: From the very beginning of the programme, students begin to consider the foundations of exercise science knowledge in the context of the UN Sustainable Goals. Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages is one of the programme's primary aims. Seminars and tutorials allow students to explore specific topical aspects of sustainability, including the national and international health and physical activity targets and how exercise can improve health and well-being in the UK and globally.