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Study the science of winning medals, improving health and transforming communities at our world-class Institute of Sport.
The importance and appeal of sport and exercise is universal. From improving public physical and mental health and wellbeing, to working with professional athletes, there are many specialisms and career opportunities out there. And when it comes to jumping higher, swimming faster, burning more calories or living longer, understanding the science of sport and exercise matters.
On this course you'll gain an advanced, scientific understanding of the impact of sport and exercise. As part of our Institute of Sport, you’ll have opportunities to draw on the expertise of our academics and sport professionals from many disciplines. You’ll also benefit from being part of a large and diverse sporting community actively learning and researching specialist areas. For example, a...
1 year full-time
Michael“Manchester Met has some of the best facilities on offer to sport and exercise students. The facilities and equipment in the new Institute of Sport provide a range of exciting opportunities, and I wanted to be part of that!"
MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology student
Sport and exercise is a dynamic and fast-growing sector, and our MSc Sport and Exercise Science prepares you for a career in health, exercise intervention and sport education.
This course – designed for graduates and people currently working in sport and exercise science or a related area – offers the mix of critical thinking, expert knowledge and professional skills that employers seek.
It’s flexible, combining classroom, lab, sport facility and industry learning with a varied programme of study across a wide range of topics.
Learning takes place at two outstanding sporting facilities - the Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport and Manchester Met’s Platt Lane Sports Complex. The Institute unites expertise from across the University creating a wealth of opportunities to harness knowledge and collaborate beyond any single academic or sporting field. Our Sports Complex offers top-quality facilities including an indoor dome, outdoor football and rugby pitches, a fully equipped gym and a laboratory used by professional sportspeople and coaches.
On this course, you’ll gain the professional skills needed to confidently advise others and the research skills to carry out ethically sound, independent scientific research. Throughout, you’ll be taught by experts in their field and have access to hi-tech laboratory and field-based equipment. You could, for example, be recording real-time movement of respiratory activity and hi-res images with access to our MRI scanner. Our climate chamber offers a chance to study the effect of different climates on blood flow, joints, posture, the mind and more, from sub-tropical heat to the top of Everest. Or maybe you’ll be trying out our virtual reality technology showing in detail how our eyes track a ball.
You’ll also get to further specialise in the main sciences in sport and exercise. Choosing physiology, biomechanics or psychology, you’ll learn how to work in a multidisciplinary team to achieve a shared goal. Crucially, from the word go you’ll have opportunities to address and discuss real-life issues in sport and exercise including the key areas of diversity, equality and inclusion.
Whether you’re interested in supporting people recovering from injury, becoming a senior researcher or a coach for a professional sports club, we’ll also help you to find a work placement that gives you valuable insight into your chosen career path. This is made possible thanks to our long-standing industry partnerships and is the best way to develop your skills in real world settings.
Whether you've already made your decision about what you want to study, or you're just considering whether postgraduate study is right for you, there are lots of ways you can meet us and find out more about postgraduate student life at Manchester Met.
We offer:
Your studies are supported by a department of committed and enthusiastic teachers and researchers, experts in their chosen field.
We often link up with external professionals too, helping to enhance your learning and build valuable connections to the working world.
These typical entry requirements may be subject to change for the 2025/26 academic year. Please check back for further details.
You’ll need a UK honours degree – at least a 2.2 – typically in a related area or in an area of study accompanied by professional or personal experience. Applicants with relevant extensive professional experience in this field will be considered for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Accredited Prior Experience (APE) entrance, even if they do not have the required qualifications.
IELTS score required for international students 6.5 with no element below 5.5.
Further information for international students is available for applicants with non-UK qualifications is available at mmu.ac.uk/international
Full-time fee: £10,250 per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
Full-time fee: £20,000 per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
A masters qualification typically comprises 180 credits, a PGDip 120 credits, a PGCert 60 credits, and an MFA 300 credits. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of study provided the course is completed in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
Compulsory estimate: £50
Optional estimate: £240
Travel: Students will be required to travel between specialist facilities, such as our All Saints and Platt Lane sites, and may need to travel if taking work experience placements. An annual bus pass for travel around Manchester costs approximately £240 (indicative).
Kit: Students are required to contribute a one-off payment for kit of £50 at the point of course entry. Any replacement kit required over the period of study will be supplied and paid for by the Department. This kit should be worn at all practical and lab sessions.
Compulsory estimate: £700
Students often choose to buy a laptop for their course (costing approximately £400 - £500) and a printer (costing £50 - £100 including print consumables). All of the readings required for the course are available from the library, but some students may choose to purchase key textbooks (costing approximately £100).
Sport and exercise is a growing and exciting industry, with around 400,000 people working in the physical activity sector in England alone (Sporting Future Strategy, UK Gov). Hugely popular and successful events like the UEFA European Women's Championship and the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games are having a big impact and driving the demand for ever more highly qualified professionals to work in this field.
Our MSc could lead to a wide range of possible career opportunities and professions. These include academic research, elite sport, public health and wellbeing or employment in major businesses, sporting bodies or clubs. You might even decide to work for yourself, perhaps in the fast-growing digital fitness sector or running your own coaching or consultancy business.
Previous graduates from the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences have worked with professional football teams, become personal trainers, gone on to take a teaching qualification and worked in schools, or go into sport administration. Some have also worked for sporting governing bodies, in higher education and in health settings within the NHS.
Whatever career path you choose, with a strong and solid grounding in the science behind sport and exercise, you’ll have a lot to offer and many possibilities to explore.
Manchester Graduate School of Sport
We’re one of a kind – the UK’s only graduate school of sport and part of the Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport. Together, we’re a large and diverse sporting community that gives you the springboard you need to launch your career.
Take a look inside our facilities, learn about our partnerships, and discover what being part of the Manchester Graduate School of Sport means for you.
Please contact our course enquiries team.
Get advice and support on making a successful application.
You can review our current terms and conditions before you make your application. If you are successful with your application, we will send you up to date information alongside your offer letter.
Programme review
Our programmes undergo an annual review and major review (normally
at 6 year intervals) to ensure an up-to-date curriculum supported by the
latest online learning technology. For further information on when we
may make changes to our programmes, please see the changes section of our
terms and conditions.
Important notice
This online prospectus provides an overview of our programmes of study
and the University. We regularly update our online prospectus so that
our published course information is accurate. Please check back to the
online prospectus before making an application to us to access the most
up to date information for your chosen course of study.
Confirmation of regulator
The Manchester Metropolitan University is regulated by the Office for
Students (OfS). The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education
in England. More information on the role of the OfS and its regulatory
framework can be found at
officeforstudents.org.uk.
All higher education providers registered with the OfS must have a student protection plan in place. The student protection plan sets out what students can expect to happen should a course, campus, or institution close. Access our current student protection plan.