Our Sports and Exercise (Study Abroad) BSc will offer you the knowledge, skills and values required to become a confident, competent and analytical sports and exercise scientist of the future.
Led by experts in their field at Lancaster Medical School, you will be set up to succeed in a supportive and forward-thinking environment with excellent lab facilities.
Explore the science behind human performance
Do you dream of working with elite athletes or sports teams to enable them to reach peak performance?
Perhaps you see your purpose in supporting people to live active, healthy lives following illness or injury.
Whatever your aspirations, our Sports and Exercise Science BSc (Study Abroad) will offer you the knowledge and skills to support people to achieve their potential through physical activity.
Choosing our Sport and Exercise Science (Study Abroad) BSc, is an ideal opportunity to explore different perspectives on sports and exercise science, while gaining experience of what it is like to live and study in a different country and educational environment.
A course you can make your own
This is a degree that you can tailor to suit your passions and interests.
- In Year 1, you will get a grounding in the core disciplines of biomechanics, physiology and psychology, alongside topics such as nutrition, digital technologies and data analysis.
- In Year 2, you will take a deeper dive into sports and exercise, studying biomechanics, psychology and physiology in greater detail. You will also begin to explore sports and exercise medicine and research methods.
- You will spend Year 3 studying at one of our trusted overseas partner universities, immersing yourself in a different culture, meeting new people with diverse perspectives and developing a confident and well-rounded outlook for your final year back in Lancaster.
- In Year 4 you will undertake a research project on a topic of your choice to make a unique contribution to sports and exercise science research. With a greater choice of optional modules in themes including elite performance, science communication and performance and rehabilitation, you will have the opportunity to explore the themes in exercise and health or sports that most interest you.
You will graduate equipped with a professional profile ready to embark on a successful career or further study.
A friendly and welcoming place to learn
As a Sports and Exercise Science student at Lancaster, you’ll join a supportive and thriving community with high levels of student satisfaction as demonstrated in the results of the 2025 National Student Survey.
Our academics will get to know you as an individual and small-group practical sessions are a great way to make friends with your fellow students.
Taught by Lancaster Medical School
Our Sports and Exercise Science (Study Abroad) BSc is one of only a few courses of its kind to be delivered within a medical school. This means that you will:
- Learn in a highly respected and academically rigorous environment.
- Benefit from our connections with clinicians, health practitioners and sports professionals.
- Be taught by research and industry experts within Lancaster Medical School.
- Use clinical processes and equipment such as blood tests and analysis, electrocardiogram (ECG) readers, glucose and lactate analysis machines, cortex gas analysers, which assess a person’s lung, heart and metabolism at rest and under stress and 3D motion capture to measure how joints move.
Hand's on experience from the start of your studies
From your first weeks with us, you will learn to use cutting-edge, professional-standard equipment, tests and techniques.
With outstanding facilities located across our £25m sports centre and modern Health Innovation Campus, you will capture and analyse physiological and biomechanical data. You will also explore psychological
interventions to maximise performance and improve health.
Human Performance Laboratory
You’ll spend a lot of time here, getting hands-on experience with a range of research-grade equipment.
Our blood analysis station will allow you to determine red blood cell count, the uptake of glucose following a dietary intervention, or the amount of lactate in response to exercise.
Our professional-standard treadmill with gas analyser facilitates assessments of physiological responses to exercise across a range of sporting and clinical populations.
We also have an Isokinetic Dynamometer, which offers the most sophisticated assessments of joint strength, the same equipment used by international sports teams.
Human Biomechanics Laboratory
As a sports and exercise science student at Lancaster University, you will have access to our new human biomechanics laboratory in biomechanics modules.
The equipment in this laboratory is the gold-standard for measuring biomechanical function, similar to that used to create Computer Generated Images (CGI) in movies.
We are one of very few universities that have 3D markerless technology, which uses AI to track how
our joints and limbs move. We also have 3D motion capture where markers on the body track movement.
In addition, the laboratory includes two force platforms and electromyography which measure how
much force we exert on our bodies and how active our muscles are.
Health Innovation Campus
As part of Lancaster Medical School, Sports and Exercise Science is based at Lancaster’s modern Health Innovation Campus. This purpose-built facility is home to an ecosystem of multidisciplinary experts working on some of society’s most significant health challenges. It’s where you will use our biomechanics laboratory and provides plenty of space for collaborative working or quiet study.
Sport at Lancaster
Our 100-station fitness suite is split across two levels and features high-specification fitness equipment, from high-quality cardio machines to our competition-standard strength and conditioning room. With a 25m indoor pool, 8.5m climbing wall and a wide range of courts and pitches, you’ll find the facilities you need to excel in your sport.