AIT’s modern state-of-the-art sports science equipment and facilities makes studying sports science at Athlone different from other colleges. With brand new equipment AIT provides students with the opportunity to gain practical experience with the most up-to-date sports science equipment and technology. AIT places an emphasis on practical development equipping students with the skills to enter sports science employment once they complete the degree programme. This includes a four month work placement on Year 3 of the programme.
This four-year BSc (Hons) in Sports Science with Exercise Physiology will equip students with the necessary skills to meet the needs of elite athletes, as well as the health and fitness requirements of the general population. The degree combines areas such as performance testing, nutrition, exercise therapy for recovery, analytical techniques used for screening performance-enhancing drugs, and biomechanics. Over the course of four years, you will learn how the human body operates, from the physiology of the heart, to the operation and interaction of the respiratory, nervous, urinary and reproductive systems.
What will I experience?
You will also learn about the physics of sport and how mechanics can be applied to biological systems to improve performance. Furthermore, you will study the pathophysiology of injuries and diseases and the use of exercise in rehabilitation from these conditions. You will develop expertise in testing and analysing athletes’ performance, including the physiology of the high performance athlete in a state-of-the-art sports science laboratory (featuring treadmills, exercise bikes designed for resistance training, ergometers, Douglas bags and a gas analysis system, a blood lactate analyzer, force dynamometer for vertical jumping/gait analysis and sphygmomanometers).
The degree also includes modules on sports psychology and coaching. As a student on the degree, you will be facilitated in acquiring coaching qualifications in your chosen sporting activity by liaising with the relevant national governing body and timetabling the training sessions on a specific day. A unique part of this programme is the four-month work placement undertaken in the summer of third year. This will provide you with valuable experience of the working environment in the sports science and exercise physiology field.
Further Information:
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Sports Science with Exercise Physiology
