BASES Undergraduate Endorsement Scheme (BUES)

The BASES Undergraduate Endorsement Scheme (BUES) awards endorsement to sport and exercise science degree courses that provide undergraduates with the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills essential to enter into the profession.

BASES is a professional membership association that has endorsed sport and exercise science undergraduate courses since the scheme was launched in 2005. BUES is now the recognised standard for all sport and exercise science undergraduate degree programmes in the UK*.

BASES endorsement is awarded to courses that meet criteria covering the necessary foundation of sport and exercise science knowledge, technical skills and professional development competencies required to succeed in the profession. When reviewing a course, BASES considers the curriculum, the practical experience gained by students and the resources and facilities of the institution. Further details of the criteria and application process are provided below.

View the full list of BASES endorsed courses.

Endorsement criteria

To gain BASES endorsement, applicants must demonstrate that an undergraduate degree satisfies the criteria outlined in the BUES Application Form, which is structured around the following sections:

1. Scientific knowledge
2. Technical skills
3. Application of interdisciplinary knowledge and skills
4. Understanding and use of research
5. Professional development and practice
6. Employability and career readiness:
7. Professional accreditation and affiliations of academic staff

Within the application form, applicants are required to provide a brief narrative explanation of how the course meets each of the specified criteria and reference the documents (e.g. module descriptors, laboratory manuals) that provide supporting evidence.

How to apply

Application submission deadlines are 6 January, 6 May and 6 September every year. Applications can be submitted at any time through the year, but will only be reviewed following these deadline dates.

To apply, download and complete the BUES Application Form and submit along with relevant supporting documentary evidence by emailing to: officemanager@bases.org.uk.

Further information can be found in the BUES Application Guidelines. We have also published a completed BUES Application Form Exemplar to help applicants to complete their own applications.

Endorsement Fees

The endorsement fee for a single degree course is £1,500 + VAT. This covers the cost of the application review and assessment process; and the five-year period of endorsement.

For additional courses, routes or pathways that are part of the same ‘programme framework’ and therefore submitted within the same application, the endorsement fee is £300 + VAT for each additional named route/pathway. To be classed a part of the same ‘programme framework’, all of the different routes/pathways must share common ‘core’ modules making up at least 75% of the total course content.

If an application for endorsement is not successful 80% of the total application fee will be refunded.