Sport & Exercise Nutrition

Sport and exercise nutrition is a rapidly developing field that applies the science of nutrition to the demands of physical performance and active health. The discipline sits at the intersection of sports science, physiology, biochemistry, and dietetics, addressing how what we eat affects energy production, recovery, adaptation to training, body composition, and long-term health in athletes and active populations. As sports performance has become increasingly evidence-based, nutrition has emerged as one of the most important variables that coaches, athletes, and support teams need to understand and manage.

This four-year programme at Liverpool Hope University includes a foundation year that develops the academic skills and foundational knowledge needed before you progress to degree-level study, with particular focus on academic writing, independent learning, critical thinking, and time management. Once into the degree proper, you will study the science of nutrition in depth, from macronutrient and micronutrient physiology through to the practical application of nutritional strategies for different sports and populations. The programme includes a sandwich placement year and a year abroad, alongside embedded work placement opportunities, giving you direct professional experience in sport science, nutrition, or performance contexts and broadening your international perspective on the field.

Graduates go on to work as sport and exercise nutritionists, performance nutritionists, health and wellness coaches, and in roles supporting elite and recreational athletes across a wide range of sports. The NHS, professional sports clubs, national governing bodies, fitness industry organisations, military and emergency services, and public health agencies all employ nutrition professionals with a sport and exercise focus. Many graduates pursue further postgraduate training in dietetics, sports nutrition, or public health nutrition, and some go on to research and academic careers in the field.