Sport and exercise

Start your Undergraduate journey

What makes a good coach? What is the secret behind the world’s fastest sprinter? What role does psychology play in improving sports performance? You will be able to explore these questions, as well as many more, and find answers to some of sport and exercise’s most important challenges.

We offer three main undergraduate courses in the subject of sport and exercise.

• Our BSc Sports and Exercise Science degree combines learning from biology, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition and psychology in a science-based programme. With sport playing such a huge role in society, opportunities at both recreational and elite sporting level will turn your passion for fitness and health into a career.
• Our BSc Sports Performance and Coaching degree is ideal for those who want to coach people of a variety of levels and ages. With our links with national governing bodies such as Volleyball England, Basketball England, Rugby Football Union and Lawn Tennis Association, you will gain valuable experience working as a coach, and coaching education workshops and courses.
• Our BSc Sport and Exercise Psychology degree is perfect for students who want to immerse themselves in studying both the human mind and its application in the world of sport and exercise science. You’ll cover topics such as social psychology, emotion, health and active lifestyles, as well as psychological skills and strategies for improving sports performance.

Career prospects

The sport, fitness, health and leisure sectors are booming and provide a variety of careers for sports and exercise graduates from across our range of courses.

Many of our BSc Sports and Exercise Science graduates have gone onto build successful careers in sectors such as healthcare, teaching, as well as the health and fitness industries.

If you want to follow a career in coaching children, adolescents or adults across all levels of abilities, then our BSc Sports Performance and Coaching is for you. Our graduates now work in the fields of sports performance, sports management and sports development, health care, teaching, and the health and fitness industry.

Careers in sport and exercise psychology include being a counsellor, a psychologist for athletes and teams, and an exercise psychologist working with the public, developing exercise programmes and more.

Whichever course you pick, you will also develop your skills in numeracy, information technology, communication, and time management, which are important to all employers.

Masters degrees

Sport and exercise science combines learning from biology, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition and psychology in a science-based course. With sport playing such a huge role in society, opportunities at both recreational and elite sporting level will turn your passion for fitness and health into a career. You will be able to make a difference to the lives of people of all ages.

Postgraduate study at Essex will allow you to work alongside internationally recognised academics by collaborating on research on campus, using amazing facilities such as our Human Performance Unit. Some of our recent research includes working with performance dancers at the Royal Ballet School, investigating the healing power of drumming, looking at whether someone’s running personal best is down to genetics, and the benefits of exercise in social care.

Our multidisciplinary approach also means that you will be able to work in the field with external partners and other academic departments at the University.  

Course qualifiers

If you study the course MSc Sport and Exercise Science you will have the opportunity to focus your learning and research on one of four topics and receive a ‘qualifier’ on your degree transcript when you graduate. The specialist topics are: biomechanics, performance analysis, physiology, and sports nutrition. This qualifier allows you to demonstrate to future employers that you have directed your studies towards this topic and have a wealth of knowledge in that ever-growing area of sport and exercise science.

Sports Science Research Degrees

Within our multidisciplinary School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, we offer research supervision in all areas of sports and exercise sciences, including sport and exercise psychology, sports therapy, health and exercise sciences, physical activity, sport performance and coaching, and sport and exercise medicine.

As a research student at Essex, you’ll work at the heart of our strong learning environment which has an excellent reputation for research and teaching. Our ultramodern facilities include a wide range of ergometers and treadmills, stand alone and portable gas analysers, force plates, isokinetic dynamometers, a Vicon motion capture system, electronic timing gates, full blood gas analysers, (including pulse and co-oximeters), and a variety of EMG systems.

Why study at Essex?

• Access to a range of first-class facilities: including a wide range of ergometers and treadmills, stand alone and portable gas analysers, force plates, isokinetic dynamometers, a Vicon motion capture system, electronic timing gates, full blood gas analysers, (including pulse and co-oximeters), and a variety of EMG systems and also our Human Performance Unit and Sports Therapy Clinic.
• Are you a talented athlete also looking to progress your studies in Sports Science? Our Performance Sport Scholarship programme has been created for talented athletes playing at regional, national or international level, and offers a range of benefits.
• Our state-of-the-art Sport Arena houses the latest technology and facilities which you will have access to.
• We are ranked 18th in the UK for sport and exercise sciences (The Mail University Guide 2026).
• We are 23rd in UK for research power in sport and exercise sciences (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021).

Start your application with us

Explore our Sports and Exercise Science research by theme or your area of interest and find a supervisor that can support your through your studies. More information can be found about research degrees on our school pages. Our courses below will help guide you through the various research degree programmes we offer.