Does anybody know why Oxbridge doesn't have course on P.E or Sports Science on offer?

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Sport science and PE are kinda 'jokey' degrees, in my opinion. In my school, only the people who literally are only trying to fill their columns up to get their EMA choose PE in their senior years, a guy I used to be friends with is applying to do 'sport science' because he's literally good at nothing else.. and thinks doing hundreds of press-ups is fitness :/ he knows nothing about it, it's just an easy subject/degree for him.

Reply 41

BJack

Original post by nexttime

(the medical science division being almost twice as big as all other departments combined at Oxford...)

!!

By funding or some other measure?

Reply 42

nexttime

Original post by BJack

!!

By funding or some other measure?

Funding. Can't remember the source. May have been a researcher so could be exaggerated

Reply 43

iSoftie

Woah woah woah... Theory in ball-catching: really?

Besides the dicks of PE teachers in my schools think they are the equivalent of surgeons -_-

Reply 44

cl_steele

Original post by Ivanka

I don't think it's about tradition. They simply don't have the appropriate facilities for that. You can't start a university degree if you lack them.

why wouldnt they have the appropriate facilities for them? from what i understand sports science/pe degrees involve a lot of science and oxbridge, in particular cambridge, have some of the best science labs in the country...

Reply 45

Ivanka

Original post by cl_steele

I'm not sure that they'd need labs, but feel free to correct me on this. You need rooms and staff for teaching and research and I don't think they really have it right now.

Reply 46

cl_steele

Original post by Ivanka

I'm not sure that they'd need labs, but feel free to correct me on this. You need rooms and staff for teaching and research and I don't think they really have it right now.

sorry i meant to say science facilities not specificly labs, im not sure they are wholly reuired but i assume as the courses usually feature a large amount of chem/bio they would be required. hmmm maybe but who knows they each have several billion in doweries floating around im sure they could build a new class room if needs be :tongue:

Reply 47

thefish_uk

Original post by Sternumator

She is though, she is only memorising a lot of stuff so that she can become a doctor. My friend spends time learning about the names, structures, functions and positions of car parts so he can be a mechanic. That doesn't mean he should be doing it at uni.

Yes... but the primary purpose of studying medicine is not just to learn the names of lots of bits of the body, it is to reach the fullest possible understanding of how the human body works and how it is affected by a number of possible problems and treatments. This makes it something which has to be studied in a university - a lot of it won't be in a textbook, practitioners may have to make up their own mind on what is best in a specific case based on results of a number of studies etc.

Incidentally, the equivalent of a "doctor" for a car is not a mechanic - it is an engineer. And that does happen to be a university-educated profession.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 48

oh_1993

why should sport science even be a degree at any university, it is not academic.

Reply 49

llys

FYI, Sports Science is not "doing sports all day". It comprises

- Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Performance and Performance Analysis (my impression is that this could involve be pretty high level statistics/computing for a sport like football)
- Coaching
- Management

It's quite an interesting mix. I suspect it is not offered at Oxford or Cambridge because as a university discipline it is quite new so it will take a few more decades until they notice it.

Oh and @OP I've heard that Loughborough and Bath are very good for Sports Science.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 50

FiniteMr

Original post by Sternumator

I don't think it is really. I don't understand why things like dentistry, medcine, nursing etc are taught at unis. Universities are academic instutions but non of these subjects are not at all academic. All medics do is get taught how to be a doctors, just like colleges teach people how to be plumbers or whatever. I don't see why these voccational courses get taught in places set up for accademia.

Medicine is not a vocational course, you learn two main areas.

1) The science of the human body.
2) The science of clinical practice.

Just because a science is put into practice in the real world doesn't make it a vocational course, the fundamental basis behind the study is the science of medicine.

Reply 51

Fat-Love

Original post by miscellanea

Land economy has the reputation of being a doss course for people who want to do rowing and get an oxbridge degree before entering Daddy's firm. However, it is in NO WAY a doss course and as I do literature, history and french myself, I'd say I'm speaking from a fairly unbiased viewpoint. I actually know someone who graduated from land economy 3 years ago and is earning £60,000+ a year working for a top London bank...

I don't think you quite understand cambridge banter. It's the standard go to joke here.

I love all my cambridge bros. Really.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 52

Refrigerator

because 'sport' and 'science' should never be in the same sentence

Reply 53

Moomeh

Original post by Refrigerator

because 'sport' and 'science' should never be in the same sentence

This.

Sport is not a science xD if you want to do sport I'd say.. become an athlete xD

Reply 54

DK_Tipp

Original post by cl_steele

You don't just need labs in the traditional sense for Sports Science. You need things like high speed infrared cameras for Biomechanics, Gas analysis devices which are very expensive, force plates, speed gates, probably a well equipped free weights gym. I'm sure both Oxford and Cambridge have all that stuff already though.

To be honest I don't see why Oxford and Cambridge should be bothered with Sports Science degrees, other colleges are better equipped to teach it, the job prospects are poor and it's not really a traditional area of study. BUT...

The science of exercise is an important area and those making sweeping statements such as "sport and science should never be in the same sentence" are displaying ignorance in my opinion.