Sports Sciences and Physical Education
Department of Sport Sciences and Physical Education
The Department of Sports Sciences and Physical Education is one of the youngest departments in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. The department was established as an academic division attached to the Faculty of Applied Sciences in the year of 2008. Then it was upgraded to a fully pledge department in the year of 2011. The department is the pioneering reputed higher educational center for producing Sport Sciences and Physical Education graduates in the national context. Currently, it offers two full-time honours degree programs such as Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Sports Sciences and Management and Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physical Education.
Nearly fifty (50) students for each degree program recruit through an aptitude test which compromises three components, (i) a written paper (40%), (ii) a practical test (30%) measuring their basic fitness readiness and (iii) sports achievements evaluation (30%) to select candidates to follow either B.Sc. Honours in Sports Science and Management or B.Sc. Honours in Physical Education based on their preference and the results of the G.C.E. (A/L) Examination in the respective year. Thus, this selecting procedure enables to recruit the best students who are excelled in knowledge, skills and attitudes in their respective stream.
Undergraduates of the department learn through real-life experiences and they expose to an exceptional sporting environment. The students’ desires are not only limited to gain theoretical knowledge but also extend to get practical knowledge. Currently, many national and international level athletes are reading their undergraduate studies in the department. These outstanding student-athletes have been able to bring more glory to the department, faculty as well as to the University through their achievements from national and international sporting events.
Course contents of both degree programs are designed by considering comments of both internal and external experts in the academic setting and industry. Sport sciences undergraduates’ study about how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sport and physical activity promotes health through physical, mental and social wellbeing. In the first year of the degree program provides basic knowledge about the human body through foundation subjects; systemic anatomy and physiology, basics of chemistry, mathematics, and physics. The concepts of sports and exercise sciences such as exercise biochemistry, biomechanics, exercise physiology, sports physiology sports psychology sports sociology, etc. introduce in the second year onwards. Moreover, subjects related to sports management such as business and sports management, budgeting and finance, event management and human resource management offer the knowledge about financial and operational aspects of the sports industry.
Physical education undergraduates also follow the foundation subjects during their first year as mentioned above. They learn about concepts of psychology, teaching methodologies, health promotion and basics of exercise science through educational psychology, practicum, health and health behavior and etc. As the department curricular incorporate subjects to enrich the student-centered learning, students do action researches in the third year and group community projects and research projects in the fourth year.