Choosing a Course

There are basically three types of sports and exercise courses. Those with an emphasis on sport, those that focus on science and those that give equal priority to both. Check that the emphasis is in an area that suits you. Similarly, the more broadly based courses that try to cover all options may lack the depth you want in certain areas.

Look, too, at the departments around sports science. Such a multidisciplinary course brings in a lot from other areas, so see how strong the institution is in biochemistry, physiology and soon, since those departments will feed into the teaching on your course. Try to get an idea as to how those departments view sports science. If there's a level of snobbery from certain areas of the university, it doesn't bode well for your cross-curricular study.

The facilities - both sporting and scientific - are obviously essential. A university with good sporting and clinical facilities is a must for sports science. Sporting arenas and facilities get tatty pretty quickly - it's the nature of the beast - so while a centre may seem new, see how well it has been maintained: these are issues of constant investment, not just showy one-off affairs, and that also gives an idea as to how highly they value the course. An institution that values its sport highly is more likely to value sports science too. In addition, there aren't many universities that don't charge their undergraduates to use these facilities - and this can work out to be quite costly.