The multi-disciplinary School of Sport, Health, and Exercise Science has been at the forefront of sport related study in the UK for more than three decades. The presence of leading researchers in its staff list has earned the School a huge reputation for research and teaching, especially in the fields of sport and exercise psychology, motor control and learning, and exercise physiology. The staff are engaged in training national and international squads including gymnastics, ice-skating, rugby, orienteering, sailing and canoeing teams and bring their rich professional experience to the lecture hall.
Rankings
The School was placed in the top ten in the UK for Sport Science in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The results confirmed the School's well-established reputation for the highest quality research, with 80% of research work being judged as either world leading or at an international level. The School's submission of all academic staff (17) to the exercise made it one of the few Sport Science departments to do so. In addition to the RAE results, the School is regularly rated in (or near) the top ten of Sport Science Schools in University League Tables.
Postgraduate Study
The School's excellence in research feeds directly into all postgraduate programmes whether they are taught postgraduate degrees or postgraduate study by research (MRes, MPhil, PhD). Students are taught and supported by the researchers who drive the knowledge base in the subject areas they study. The School is proud that this support has been complimented by External Examiners and is regularly confirmed by student surveys and comments.
The School offers six taught MSc programmes including the British Psychological Society accredited MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology. The School was the first UK Sport Science School to gain this accreditation. For students who wish to gain more extensive training in research in sport, health and exercise sciences, the School also offers three MRes programmes which involve fewer taught modules and a greater research element than an MSc. The MRes programmes are aimed at students who may be interested in pursuing a PhD/research career. All Masters programmes have been designed to be flexible and relevant to the individual needs and interests of students, with a strong emphasis on the application of theory to professional practice.
Research
Research activity levels have grown over the past decade with increases in research active staff and PhD student numbers. Research areas have diversified as new academic staff have joined the School making new and exciting research groupings possible. Research is now grouped around four research groups:
- Institute for Psychology of Elite Performance (IPEP)
- Extremes Research Group
- Perceptual-Motor Group
- Health, Exercise and Rehabilitation Group
Student Experience
The School maintains an excellent student experience and high levels of student satisfaction. It has a reputation for its friendly close-knit community, smaller teaching groups and access to academic staff for one-to-one tutorials. Students appreciate this and recognise the important link between research and teaching, and the quality this brings to their education. Student satisfaction with the School has been reflected in National Student Survey results (2011 91% : GPA 4.6 overall satisfaction).
Location and facilities
The School is well resourced for the scientific study of sport, health and exercise with an extensive range of laboratories and state-of-the-art equipment, all housed in buildings overlooking the Menai Strait with some of the best views in the country. The School's physiology laboratories are accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES).
Facilities include three exercise physiology laboratories including an Isokinetic Dynomometer and environmental chamber - to measure reactions when a body undergoes extreme conditions. The School was the first UK Sports Science School to install a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanner and use it for research to provide measurements of tissue composition and seen as the gold standard for measuring body composition.
A motion analysis laboratory is equipped with a state-of–the-art 12 camera passive marker system to analyse whole body movement, and an active marker system to allow for the videoing and analysis of smaller, part body movements.
Other research facilties include biochemistry and cell biology labs; a suite of psychomotor experimental rooms and psychology testing lab for computer based testing of psychological processes.
Bangor is located between the majestic Snowdonia mountain range and the dramatic coastline of Anglesey and North Wales. This setting provides many opportunities for pursuing sport and outdoor activities and makes it one of the most picturesque university settings in the UK.
