Program Overview

An International Foundation Year at our International Study Centre prepares you for your degree at Lancaster University. You will focus on English language, university-level study skills, and academic modules that relate to your degree subject.

Supporting your progression to the University
At the International Study Centre, we take every measure to ensure you are supported in your academic journey. Our programmes allow for increased time spent learning, researching and developing your skills. By studying with us, you will benefit from:

• Formal assessments at the end of each term.
• An improved English language module, Academic English Skills, providing greater opportunity for informal assessments and feedback.
• Combining and reducing the number of module assessments allowing more time to prepare.
• A personal tutorial system with a focus on your academic progress at key points of the academic year, creating action plans based on your performance and progession options.

Life Sciences
The International Foundation Year in Life Sciences leads to a choice of degrees in the Faculty of Health and Medicine and in the Faculty of Science and Technology. To prepare for your degree, you will study subject modules and core English language modules. Degree options include Biochemistry, Biomedical Science, and Ecology.

You will learn about cell structure and function, as well as physiological processes in animals. Other areas of study include plant biology, genetics and ecology. Mathematic techniques are part of the course, and you will apply your understanding to real-life situations.

Sports and Exercise Science
Lancaster University’s BSc Sports and Exercise Science is one of the first in the UK to be delivered by a medical school. Lancaster Medical School is recognised for its subject expertise, supportive community and satisfied students. This is your chance to study sports and exercise science within an academically rigorous environment and to combine scientific knowledge with professional practice.

You will explore the science behind human performance in sports, exercise and health. The course balances scientific focus with employability, so you will study anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and psychology alongside subjects such as nutrition, digital technologies in sport and exercise, and data analysis.

The mix of lectures, workshops and laboratory sessions also includes valuable experience of sports and exercise science research. You may find yourself analysing warm-up strategies to prevent injury, developing effective training and nutritional approaches for high-performing athletes, or assessing the effects of exercise for weight loss in obese people. You will also be encouraged to consider the increasing prominence of exercise and physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle, and to engage with current debates on public health and disease management.

You will be taught by Lancaster Medical School’s research-active academics with expertise in sports and exercise science, plus specialists ranging from bioscientists and clinicians, to sports nutritionists and public health experts.

Our brand new Human Performance Laboratory gives you access to specialised sports facilities featuring cutting-edge technology used by today’s elite athletes. You will learn anatomy using Lancaster Medical School’s life-size anatomical models and benefit from access to Lancaster University’s new £4m life science teaching laboratories.

Using our state-of-the-art equipment, you will gain the skills to capture and analyse physiological and biomechanical data to better understand human performance and activity. You will learn how to act to enhance performance and activity - whether for competition or disease management - and how to provide feedback to an athlete, a patient or member of the general public.

In your first year, you will begin to explore the science behind human performance in sports, exercise and health through a broad range of core modules. The degree content covered in year one offers you the opportunity to complete an industry-recognised gym instructor qualification and a personal trainer qualification. This enables you to become a qualified fitness professional at the end of your first year and gain experience of working with people in an exercise and fitness environment over the following two years of your degree, boosting your employability.

In your second year, you begin to tailor your degree to your own interests or career aspirations by choosing to study an optional module in either Exercise Medicine (health performance) or Sports Medicine (athletic performance).

In year three, you will make a unique contribution to sports and exercise science research and undertake a research project on a topic of your choosing. You will also finalise your professional practice programme by delivering a sport and exercise science-based event.