Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity

Course details
Do you have a passion for sport and a concern for social issues within sport and exercise? Are you keen to play a part in reducing inequalities, promoting social justice, and improving health and wellbeing through sport, exercise and physical activity?
On the BA Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity course you will explore a wide range of topics from grassroots to high performance sport, as well as other forms of physical activity. You’ll also investigate some of the connections between sport and physical activity with issues such as discrimination and inequalities, the environment, sedentary lifestyles, and obesity.

Why Durham University?
Durham University's Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences is passionate about the benefits of sport and physical activity for all, from recreational participation through to competitive and high performance sport.
Our staff are known around the world for the work they pioneer, using findings from their research to inform the undergraduate curriculum and keep it relevant to the real world.
This approach gives you a valuable insight into developments in the sector and the confidence to put your developing knowledge to use in analysing, engaging with and enhancing real-world practices across the sport and exercise industries.
This approach gives you a valuable insight into developments in the sector and the confidence to put your developing knowledge to use in analysing, engaging with and enhancing real-world practices across the sport and exercise industries.

Facilities
These facilities, which support researchers, undergraduate students and athletes alike, were built as part of the University's £33m investment in the Sports and Wellbeing Park at Maiden Castle. Alongside these facilities are an indoor cricket hall, a 12-court multi use sports hall, a fitness centre, a high-performance weights room and a range of outdoor sports pitches.
The departments facilities include the Human Performance Laboratory which houses a range of exercise and monitoring facilities that analyse our responses to exercise and nutrition.

Rankings
World Top 100 in the QS World University Rankings 2024
4th in The Complete University Guide 2025
Top 10 in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Career Opportunities
We have an excellent graduate employment record. The quality of our degree courses is reinforced by employers who have identified Durham as a World Top 100 source of the most competent, innovative, effective graduates.
Our students progress into a wide range of careers in the field of sport and health and beyond. They have taken up roles in elite sport, sport management and sport development, including management roles in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Others lead development projects for local councils and major charities, and have taken up roles with sporting organisations like Sport England, English Cricket Board and Williams F1.
We also have graduates working in media roles with organisations such as Sky Sports, BBC Sport and British Eurosport, as well as in health promotion and clinical settings.