Did anyone's dc do a Sport and Exercise Science degree?

[Thepleasureofyourcompany]

Where did they go and what they are doing now? Did they enjoy it? I'd be grateful to hear as dd is thinking about it. Currently doing PE, RS and Psychology A levels and working at AAB currently. Thanks!

a friend of mine did, but then also did more in psychology and is now a sports Psychologist for some of team GB which I thought was really cool.
l Don't think it's that high pay though (depending on your opinion of high).

Well, yes, but 1000s of people want to become barristers but don't, or video game designers but don't, or journalists but don't.

My ex did - he now works as a fitness instructor and personal trainer. That was always his plan, he loves his job even though the pay isn't great.

To be fair, HR director is not sports related and can be done with any degree. Or, in fact, without a degree at all, Also becoming a doctor has required a different degree. It can be done without a sports science degree first. So worthy that these jobs are, neither needed a sports science degree.

Plenty of careers require non specific degrees.

My company has recruited sports science grad from Bath and Loughborough into our Graduate Data Analyst programs.

Sporting teams, football, cricket etc are also heavily using data and stats, hitting in Performance Analyst roles. Lots of opportunities to use the knowledge from Sports Science and add on new transferable data skills.

DH did, then a masters and went into pharma and earns v well. Friends from his course have a variety of jobs including teaching, premiership football teams, private health care companies high level corporate roles - those who'll earn the most did do further studies moving away from straight sports science.

Plenty of careers require non specific degrees

100% agree - aside from those in the medical field and some in the STEM sector, I'd say the majority of professions/careers can be entered into without a specialist degree.

You may need a conversion course (e.g. Teaching, Law) but not a main degree. Plenty of people in IB, Accounting, Advertising, IT careers etc who did Classics

Plenty of careers require non specific degrees

+1 to that. In my earlier example of hiring Sports Science Grads into Data Analyst roles. They were not hired for their course a degree with a 2:1 was the key requirement.

A few of DS friends did , one went on to do a masters in same subject and is now in retail management , one is now a financial adviser , the last is also in retail
one of DDs friends started , but quit after a year and is now an estate agent

No, the main thing is doing a degree that is useful to your future career path. There is an over-supply of people with sport science degrees, even in teaching!

Lots do, but there is obviously more competion for them than jobs that require a specific degree. It's basic supply and demand, and some companies that would take "any degree" in the past now prefer to take people with no degree, on an apprenticeship. They are cheaper and just as trainable as someone with "any degree".

Totally agree with this - as a degree, it is very attractive to sporty kids! An acquaintance of mine did work for a couple of Premier League teams and then moved to LA for a few years to work with one of the football teams over there so DS1 thinks that is totally achievable and realistic for him 🤷‍♀️ my friend was one of the very lucky ones but obviously DS1 doesn't see that!

Many of them are badly advised by teachers and parents from the "any degree will do" generation. Fine, if you want to spend £30k+ studying something you won't use, but what a waste of time, talent and money! They could be doing a degree or apprenticeship in something for which there is a skill shortage, and still do sport as a hobby.

A teacher friend told me a surprisingly high proportion of the teachers at her school were originally employed as PE teachers, but are needed to teach other subjects, so if they have sports science degrees they often end up teaching science, maths, pshce, citizenship, etc, and only doing a small number of PE lessons a week. This is because there is an over-supply of trainee PE teachers, and an under-supply of many other subject teachers. If they want to do pure PE, they may need to relocate to find a school that needs them.

Yes this is the same at my school. Our PE teachers teach food tech, engineering, health and social care and media to help plug the gaps.

If young people do this degree and expect to work in sport, it’s a bit of a lottery. If they want to teach and have the confidence to teach maths and science, great. I’ve no doubt some schools would be concerned about their broader skills. Others won’t care. Teachers might as well do a straight science degree in the first place with sport as a hobby. I think many young people see sports science as a vocational degree encompassing something they love. If they want a job any other grad could apply for, it might not be quite so desirable and obviously moves away from the original reason for doing the degree. There are thousands and thousands doing sports science. Is it really the best degree to do? Or would biology with sport as a hobby be better?

Psychology is massive in sport currently.

I'd suggest that whilst he studies he attached himself to a sport club nearby and gets lots of hands in experience.

My ds is a swimmer. His city club is by a uni that does degrees and masters in sports degrees. The students have come to support S and C and psychology and goal setting etc.

Great for them to gain experience and great for the athletes to have such good input by people studying latest theories and who are enthusiastic to support them.

Win win

Good luck to him whatever route he takes.

Apprenticeships and graduate jobs are very different.

The degree itself sounds really rigorous and interesting. I think proper Sports Science is quite different to Sports Therapy/Management/Physical Education degrees.

Thanks, she's a dd, but that is good advice. She's already involved in low level coaching and enjoys it, but is fairly academic also.

Because physiotherapy courses are really competitive to get onto?
My dc got offered sport science degrees from 3 of the 5 unis she applied to do physio at.

It’s an expensive way of spending 3 years enjoying yourself!

I have a couple of friends who teach sports related degrees and they said that very few graduates go on to work in sports.

What exactly is it that he finds appealing about doing a degree course?

Also my niece didn't take biology A level which was a prerequisite of a physio degree.

Not sure. Why not ask your friends what they found appealing about it?

…sorry, just saw she is a daughter.