Education

Masters of Science (Exercise and Sports Science) MA in Geography

The Masters of Science in Exercise and Sports Science is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in exercise physiology, sports performance, and physical education. The programme provides specialised training in exercise physiology, sports biomechanics, sports psychology, and physical activity promotion.

Core areas include exercise physiology, sports biomechanics, sports psychology, physical education pedagogy, sports management, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, laboratory sessions, field assessments, and research.

The programme is offered by Kenyatta University as a public institution through the Department of Physical Education, Exercise, and Sport Science. The University of Nairobi offers MEd in Physical Education and Sport through the Faculty of Education. Both programmes are available over two years.

Students develop competencies in exercise physiology, sports performance analysis, physical education pedagogy, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, practical assessments, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for sports science and physical education roles.

KU charges approximately KES 142,700 per year while UoN charges approximately KES 280,000 per year. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Physical Education, Sports Science, Exercise Science, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as sports scientists, exercise physiologists, physical education lecturers, sports performance analysts, sports administrators, and coaches across universities, sports institutions, government agencies, and sports organisations.

Skills Required

Exercise Physiology and Testing
Sports Biomechanics Analysis
Sports Psychology and Mental Performance
Physical Education Pedagogy
Sports Performance Analysis
Sports Management and Administration
Strength and Conditioning Programming
Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Research Methods in Sports Science
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Exercise Physiology and Testing
Sports Biomechanics Analysis
Sports Psychology and Mental Performance
Physical Education Pedagogy
Sports Performance Analysis
Sports Management and Administration
Strength and Conditioning Programming
Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Research Methods in Sports Science
Thesis Research

Certifications

KAS Professional Membership
ISBS Professional Membership

Specializations

Exercise Physiology

Focuses on exercise physiology, covering exercise, physiology, testing, performance, and managing exercise physiology and testing.

Sports Biomechanics

Examines sports biomechanics, covering sports, biomechanics, analysis, movement, and managing sports biomechanics analysis.

Sports Psychology

Covers sports psychology, covering sports, psychology, mental, performance, and managing sports psychology and mental performance.

Physical Education Pedagogy

Focuses on physical education pedagogy, covering physical, education, pedagogy, teaching, and managing physical education pedagogy.

Sports Management

Examines sports management, covering sports, management, administration, organisation, and managing sports management and administration.

Strength and Conditioning

Covers strength and conditioning, covering strength, conditioning, programming, training, and managing strength and conditioning programming.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 326,400
Private, up to: Ksh 191,050
Job market: Moderate

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Exercise Physiology and Testing
Sports Biomechanics Analysis
Sports Psychology and Mental Performance
Physical Education Pedagogy
Sports Performance Analysis
Sports Management and Administration
Strength and Conditioning Programming
Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Research Methods in Sports Science
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Exercise Physiology and Testing
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines exercise physiology, covering exercise, physiology, testing, performance, and managing exercise physiology and testing.
Sports Biomechanics Analysis
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers sports biomechanics, covering sports, biomechanics, analysis, movement, and managing sports biomechanics analysis.
Sports Psychology and Mental Performance
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines sports psychology, covering sports, psychology, mental, performance, and managing sports psychology and mental performance.
Physical Education Pedagogy
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers physical education pedagogy, covering physical, education, pedagogy, teaching, and managing physical education pedagogy.
Sports Management and Administration
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines sports management, covering sports, management, administration, organisation, and managing sports management and administration.
Strength and Conditioning Programming
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers strength and conditioning, covering strength, conditioning, programming, training, and managing strength and conditioning programming.
Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines sports injury, covering sports, injury, prevention, rehabilitation, and managing sports injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Research Methods in Sports Science
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, sports, science, and conducting research in sports science, preparing students for their thesis.
Sports Performance Analysis
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines sports performance, covering sports, performance, analysis, assessment, and managing sports performance analysis.
Sports Nutrition and Supplementation
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers sports nutrition, covering sports, nutrition, supplementation, diet, and managing sports nutrition and supplementation.
Physical Activity and Public Health
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines physical activity and health, covering physical, activity, public, health, and managing physical activity and public health.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on an exercise and sports science topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and sports science knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Exercise Physiology
Focuses on exercise physiology, covering exercise, physiology, testing, performance, and managing exercise physiology and testing.
Sports Biomechanics
Examines sports biomechanics, covering sports, biomechanics, analysis, movement, and managing sports biomechanics analysis.
Sports Psychology
Covers sports psychology, covering sports, psychology, mental, performance, and managing sports psychology and mental performance.
Physical Education Pedagogy
Focuses on physical education pedagogy, covering physical, education, pedagogy, teaching, and managing physical education pedagogy.
Sports Management
Examines sports management, covering sports, management, administration, organisation, and managing sports management and administration.
Strength and Conditioning
Covers strength and conditioning, covering strength, conditioning, programming, training, and managing strength and conditioning programming.

A day as a student

A typical day combines lectures, laboratory sessions, field assessments, and independent study. Sessions cover exercise physiology, sports biomechanics, sports psychology, physical education pedagogy, and sports management. Exercise physiology sessions examine exercise, physiology, testing, performance, and managing exercise physiology and testing. Biomechanics sessions cover sports, biomechanics, analysis, movement, and managing sports biomechanics analysis. Psychology sessions cover sports, psychology, mental, performance, and managing sports psychology. Pedagogy sessions cover physical, education, pedagogy, teaching, and managing physical education pedagogy. Laboratory sessions provide hands-on experience in exercise testing, biomechanical analysis, and performance assessment. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on an exercise and sports science topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses growing demand for sports science professionals as Kenya invests in sports development.
Two public universities confirmed offering related programmes, providing options for students.
Programme integrates physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and management with sports performance.
Graduates are eligible for KAS professional membership and ISBS international standards.

Against it

Fee difference between KU (KES 142,700/year) and UoN (KES 280,000/year).
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Laboratory sessions may require specialised equipment which may be limited.
Career paths may be more limited compared to broader health science programmes.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 243 education courses

Public221k to 326k

221k at University of Nairobi326k at Kenyatta University

Private165k to 191k

165k at Kabarak University191k at Africa International University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KU MSc Exercise/Sports 326K/yr (joweri.com). UoN MA 221K/yr (kenyaeducationguide). Kabarak 165K, AIU 191K.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. KAS may offer sports development funding for research and education.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
KAS Sports Fund

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 280,000Kenyan
KU and UoN may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate sports science students.
KAS Sports Fund
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
KAS may offer sports development funding for research and education.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: KU and UoN require at least Upper Second Class Honours in a relevant field. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant experience. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, laboratory reports, field assessments, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering exercise physiology, biomechanics, sports psychology, and sports management.
Practical Assessment
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through exercise testing, biomechanical analysis, and performance assessment projects.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on an exercise and sports science topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and sports science knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). KU (public) offers MSc in Exercise and Sports Science through the Department of Physical Education, Exercise, and Sport Science. UoN (public) offers MEd in Physical Education and Sport. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in exercise and sports science. Graduates may interact with KAS for professional membership and ISBS for international standards. The programme aligns with CUE, KAS, ISBS, and AUSC sports science frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. KU (public) offers MSc in Exercise and Sports Science through the Department of Physical Education, Exercise, and Sport Science. UoN (public) offers MEd in Physical Education and Sport. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in exercise and sports science. Graduates may interact with KAS for professional membership and ISBS for international standards. The programme aligns with CUE, KAS, ISBS, and AUSC sports science frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Sports Scientist
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Conducts sports science research, covering sports, scientist, research, performance, and managing sports science research.
Exercise Physiologist
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Assesses exercise physiology, covering exercise, physiologist, testing, performance, and managing exercise physiology assessment.
Physical Education Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches physical education at university or college level, covering physical, education, lecturer, teaching, and managing physical education instruction.
Sports Performance Analyst
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 300,000
Analyses sports performance, covering sports, performance, analyst, analysis, and managing sports performance analysis.
Sports Administrator
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages sports organisations, covering sports, administrator, management, organisation, and managing sports administration.
Coach
Moderate demandKsh 80,000 to Ksh 300,000
Coaches athletes and teams, covering coach, athletes, training, performance, and managing coaching and athlete development.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SPSS
SoftwarePrimary
SPSS for sports science research data analysis, covering statistics, data, analysis, sports, and managing sports science research data analysis.
Kinovea
Software
Kinovea for sports biomechanics video analysis, covering Kinovea, video, biomechanics, analysis, and managing sports biomechanics video analysis.
Excel
Software
Excel for sports performance data management and analysis, covering Excel, data, sports, performance, and managing sports performance data.
R Statistical Software
Software
R for statistical analysis in sports science research, covering R, statistics, analysis, sports, and managing sports science statistical analysis.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Exercise and sports science is just about playing sports.
Sports science covers exercise physiology, biomechanics, psychology, pedagogy, and management beyond just playing sports.
This programme is only for athletes.
The programme is for professionals from education, health sciences, and related fields, not just athletes.
Sports science has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Sports science professionals are in demand as Kenya invests in sports development and performance excellence.
This programme is the same as physical education.
MSc in Exercise and Sports Science focuses on research and performance analysis, while physical education focuses on teaching.
Sports science is not a real science.
Sports science integrates physiology, biomechanics, psychology, and data analytics with rigorous scientific methods.
You need to be a former athlete to study this programme.
The programme is accessible to graduates from various science and education fields seeking sports science specialisation.