Sport and Exercise
Apply onlineSport and Exercise at Winchester equips you to develop your expertise in a specific aspect of sport and exercise. It offers bespoke postgraduate provision from a wide range of sport and exercise-focused backgrounds, giving you the opportunity to tailor your programme of study to your own specific areas of interest.
Course overview
You have the opportunity to focus on physiology, biomechanics, coaching, sociology, strength and conditioning, business, exercise and health, or medicine. You are supported in making this choice, and your specialism is reflected in the title of the degree you are awarded. The programme also offers you the opportunity to undertake a substantial year-long research project of your choice under the guidance of expert staff from the Department of Sport and Exercise.
You study core modules including Scientific Research Methods, Scientific Research Review, along with the extended research project. You are also encouraged to actively participate in seminar and workshop sessions and to develop your ability to reflect critically on your own experiences and share these reflections with others. The tutors support you in your enjoyment of autonomous learning, and foster your passion for the subject and the process of learning.
What you need to know
Course start date
September
Location
Distance learning only
Course length
- 1 year full-time
- 2 years part-time
Apply
Apply online
Typical offer
A first or second-class honours degree
Fees
From £9,250 pa
Course features
- Focus on your chosen sport and exercise specialism
- Complete a year-long research project of your choice
- Discuss your research in workshops and seminars
Course details
Learning and teaching
Start date:
September
Distance learning:
This course is offered as distance learning only
Teaching takes place:
Daytime
A diverse range of teaching methods are employed including seminar and workshop sessions interspersed with more formal lecture-style presentations from teaching staff and guest lecturers. Fostering critical self-reflection, and the ability to share these reflections with others, is central to learning on the programme. It encourages active participation, autonomous learning and passion for the subject and the process of learning. Students draw on their own experiences in a variety of ways throughout the programme.
Assessment
A wide variety of assessment types are used. These include written assignments (including essays and case studies); presentations (including oral and poster presentations); portfolios (a flexible combination of assessment types which usually include providing evidence of acquired skills/competencies and critical reflection on personal development); projects; and research proposals. Students also complete a substantial independent research project.
Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.
We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes.
Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found by attending an open evening or contacting our teaching staff.
Feedback
We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.
Further information
For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures section.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions.
Modules
This module provides a broad overview of the conception, design and implementation of research in the sport, exercise and health sciences. The module will explore a range of ontological, epistemological and methodological perspectives relevant to various sport, exercise and health science domains by studying and critically evaluating peer-reviewed journal articles. Specific computer-based sessions will be delivered using IBM SPSS (statistical analysis package) to enhance students’ understanding of statistical data analysis, while various forms of qualitative data analysis will also be incorporated in the module (e.g., interpretive phenomenological analysis).
This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth review of current knowledge and understanding in a subject linked to their proposed extended research project. The student, in negotiation with the module leader, will agree a chosen area of interest for the completion of the review. The student will be required to adopt a systematic approach to the review of literature and to be able to comprehensively summarise current understanding in their chosen field. Students will robustly engage in processes aligned with searching for articles through different online databases, how to identify relevant sources, screening and data extraction, reporting guidelines, risk of bias and quality scores, and study write-up. Students will also be introduced to meta-analyses and qualitative considerations including qualitative data synthesis.
This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to undertake a substantial independent research project. The module requires the student to plan, design, organise and conduct research drawing upon the research methods and skills, and ethical considerations, that the student has developed in the earlier part of the programme. A secondary purpose of the module is to prepare students to undertake a more substantial research investigation at doctoral level.
The students will work closely with an academic supervisor to define the aims and objectives of the research and to develop a detailed proposal and plan. Supervisors will provide critical advice and guidance on the application of the methods, the interpretation of the data and the communication of the research in the form of a journal article submission, oral presentation and critical reflection of the student’s research experience.
Entry requirements
Normally a first or second-class Honours degree or professional experience in the area of study.
If English is not your first language: IELTS 6.0 (including 5.5 in academic writing) or equivalent.
Course enquiries and applications
Normally a first or second-class Honours degree or professional experience in the area of study.
If English is not your first language: IELTS 6.0 (including 5.5 in academic writing) or equivalent.
Course enquiries and applications
How to Apply
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by emailing our International Recruitment Team at International@winchester.ac.uk.
Late applications can be accepted throughout the remainder of the application year, for more information see our Send us a message section.
2025/2026 Course Tuition Fees
| UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland |
International |
|
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | £9,250 | £11,820 |
| Part-time | £4,625 | £5,910 |
| Total | £9,250 | £11,820 |
Additional tuition fee information
If you are a UK student starting your degree in January / September 2025, the first year will cost you £9,250**.
If finance is a worry for you, we are here to help. Take a look at the range of support we have on offer. This is a great investment you are making in your future, so make sure you know what is on offer to support you.
**The University of Winchester will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year.
Additional costs
As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the mandatory and optional costs for this course:
Optional
Core Text
Multiple copies of core text are held within the library and e-books are identified where possible, however due the popularity of some books, there will not be enough copies for every student. It is advised that students seek to purchase their own books - second hand copies are often available. Indicative cost is £350.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards section.
CAREER PROSPECTS
Graduates progress to a wide range of professions, including academia. A particularly strong route is going onto a Doctoral research programme (PhD) or obtaining professional qualifications in the sport and exercise sciences (BASES). Other avenues include coaching, teaching, and working in the sports business industry.
OUR CAREERS SERVICE
"This course taught me the necessary skills to flourish as an academic researcher. The professional staff within the department have helped me to be more confident and develop as an independent scholar. I intend to progress onto a PHD here at Winchester."
