Programme Overview
After completing four years of the programme, the student can graduate with a BE (Honours) degree or continue for a further year and also graduate with a MEngSc degree. The BE programme will be based on 240 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits over four years. The MEngSc programme will be based on 300 ECTS credits over five years (one additonal year after completion of the four-year BE programme). To reflect a focus in the BE/MEngSc Sports & Exercise Engineering programme on (i) movement assessment, (ii) ambulatory monitoring of human performance and (iii) systems and devices for the assessment of sports and exercise, the programme will have a significant component of electronic engineering, with the graduate having strong mechanical engineering skills and a significant range of sports science and health science knowledge. Key elements of the programme include:
Electronic Engineering
The programme will enable the graduate to design a broad range of high performance, portable electronic instrumentation and sensor devices with builtin wireless communications capabilities for application in sports and exercise.
Mechanical Engineering
The graduate will have a significant grounding in mechanical engineering and will be capable of designing a variety of mechanical fixtures and devices, incorporating gearing, linkages and enclosures for sports and exercise assessment and performance.
Sports Science
To prepare the graduate to work in the sports and exercise equipment industry and to develop sports and exercise systems and devices, the student will complete a programme of lectures and laboratory work in Sports Science, covering Applied Sports & Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology of Human Movement, Sports & Exercise Psychology and Exercise Prescription and Programming.
The delivery of the Sports Science element of the programme will benefit from access to the €20 million Sports Centre at NUI Galway.
Health Science
After completing the programme, the graduate’s knowledge of health sciences will enable him/her to propose safe and effective systems and devices that interact seamlessly with humans to assess and elicit sports and exercise performance. The graduate should be able to develop systems and devices for use in a rehabilitation setting. Students will learn how rehabilitation works and about the different types of rehabilitation intervention: restoration of function, compensation for loss of function and modifications to the person’s living environment. The student will also learn about the effects of and treatment for a broad range of musculoskeletal and neurological problems.
Project Work
The student will complete a mini-project in third year, a sports and exercise engineering project in fourth year and a sports and exercise engineering dissertation in fifth year (if he/she decides to pursue the fifth year of the programme). The fourth year project will involve a major sports and exercise engineering design challenge. For this project the student will be assigned an engineering and a sports science supervisor who will guide the student in his/her project work.
The MEngSc project will require the student to produce a masters dissertation following completion of a masters-level sports and exercise engineering project.
Work Placement Programme
Students will spend five months on work placement with a suitable Irish or international company which designs sports and exercise equipment or equivalent.
