If you’re contemplating a Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise and Sport Science) at USYD, you’ve come to the right place!
We’ve talked to Tess, an Exercise and Sport Science student, and we’re going to be looking at the pros and cons of this degree. However if you’d like to know a bit more about the actual course, check out what it’s like studying a Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise and Sport Science) at USYD here.
Let’s jump right in!
Why should you study an Exercise and Sport Science degree at USYD?
Top 3 Pros of an Exercise and Sport Science Degree
Top 3 Cons of an Exercise and Sport Science Degree
Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make
Things to Know Before Starting USYD Exercise and Sport Science
What Makes this Degree Different
Motivations for Studying USYD Exercise and Sport Science
Potential Career Paths
Why should you study an Exercise and Sport Science degree at USYD?
The great thing about Exercise and Sport Science at USYD is that it covers a whole range of areas relating to health and fitness. This course then becomes a great pathway for entry into courses like nutrition, anatomy, physiology, teaching and physiotherapy!
Tess said, “If you’re not sure what career you want specifically, this course is helpful to get you into a similar pathway. This course gives you a little taste into every field so that you can specialise into something else.”
Further, if you have a general interest in sports, health and fitness, this course is great to help you gain skills in the field, preparing you for a number of different professions.
Top 3 Pros of an Exercise and Sport Science degree
#1: A balance between practical and theory work
The great thing about Exercise and Sport Science is that you get a mixture of both practical and theoretical work. So you’re given the opportunity to apply your skills in different contexts.
#2: The students are all from diverse backgrounds
Tess said, “There’s people from diverse backgrounds, so it’s just really interesting, and you have large groups of friends because the classes are pretty big.”
It’s always great to be able to make connections with different people, and cooperate well with large groups of peers. These social skills, although not entirely relevant to the content of the course, are great for employability and entering different workplaces.
#3: Teaching staff are great!
“The lecturers and tutors, and the whole teaching staff, are very friendly and approachable,” Tess pointed out.
The faculty at USYD are also experienced in their field! Many tutors and lecturers have a second job in the industry of sport and exercise science, so they’re able to provide practical advice and share their experiences from work.
It’s a great way to gain first hand insight and to also understand how the skills you’re currently learning will be applicable in the future.
Top 3 Cons of an Exercise and Sport Science degree
#1: Can be very content heavy
“At times, this course can be very content heavy, especially with subjects like anatomy,” Tess said.
Although there are practical components to this course, you will have a fair share of science based subjects, which make the course content heavy. However, as Tess mentioned earlier, the practical aspects are great for breaking up the theory aspects of the degree!
#2: Many hours spent in classes
In Exercise and Sport Science, you can expect 20 to 25 contact hours a week. This ties in a little with theory based subjects having long lectures, alongside the extra practical classes and labs.
Tess said, “The duration of classes can be really long, which makes us have long contact hours, so you’re at uni a lot.”
#3: Timetables aren’t flexible
“The timetable wasn’t very flexible — they’d have set days, so you could only change the timing,” Tess said.
Essentially, subjects would often have all their tutorials on one day of the week, meaning you didn’t have a choice in terms of what days you can have classes. Therefore, you may not be able to compact your classes into a couple days a week.
This gets pretty tricky with work schedules too, especially if you’re in a part time or casual position because you’ll need to change your work hours to fit around your uni timetable. So you might need to consider a job where you have a bit of flexibility in the shifts you take.
Any regrets?
Tess said, “The only regret is probably participating less than I could have in the practical lessons, because that’s when you learn a lot of the content. So if you participate in the practical classes it saves a lot of study time.
“By the end of the semester, especially for anatomy, if you weren’t involved in your practical classes, there wasn’t much you could do for assessments… so you just have to stay engaged.”
What do you wish you had known before starting the degree?
“I just didn’t know how broad it was, and I’m not sure why but I thought there would be less science, even though it is ‘sport science’. There was so much biology, there was so much chemistry and so much physics. Although the assumed knowledge is chemistry and mathematics, there’s a lot of biology too,” Tess said.
This is something you might like to take into consideration if you’re looking to study Exercise and Sport Science, and are in the process of subject selection!
What makes this degree different from the ones offered at other universities?
Some of the main differentiating factors for USYD are the use of cadavers, the teaching faculty and employment opportunities. Although USYD doesn’t have as much industry placement or work experience compared to other universities, the amount of practical classes help compensate for this.
Tess said, “USYD is known for using cadavers, rather than just x-rays or images. We had access to a lot of equipment, (gym and anatomy) and also professionals in the industry who have become lecturers, so they gave us practical and first-hand advice.
“USYD is also really up there with employment rates and getting students into the workforce, especially with their placement options, and connections with different opportunities.”
What inspired you to choose this degree?
“Honestly, the PE teachers at high school… A lot of them did this course, and I never knew what I wanted to do, so they all suggested it to me. I didn’t have any university in mind, but because I had the marks for it I thought I may as well go to USYD.
“I also think it was the travel for me — it was just easier to get to, and more convenient,” Tess said.
What are the possible career paths?
Being a considerably broad degree, having completed a Exercise and Sport Science at USYD, you can enter a number of different professions including:
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- Strength specialist
- Conditioning specialist
- Sports coach
- Community health worker
- Fitness instructor
- Personal trainer
- Exercise scientist
- Sports scientist
- Medical scientist
This degree is also a really great pathway for a number of other specialist jobs, such as physiotherapy, physiology, secondary education, nutrition, and more.
There you have it — the good, the bad and the in-between of a Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise and Sport Science) at USYD!
Nandini Dhir is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Marketing) and a Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications), as a Dalyell Scholar, at Sydney University. She enjoys covering local issues in her area and writing about current events in the media. Nandini has had one of her pieces published in an article with the Sydney Morning Herald. In her free time, Nandini loves doing calligraphy, ballet, and sewing, or is otherwise found coddling her cats.
