Where it began
Hippocrates wrote the first exercise prescription. Aristotle made physical education a pillar of human development. The discipline that began here is the one we continue.
Where it's going
The first English-taught public-university bachelor in sport and exercise science in Greece. Two pathways, eleven specialised laboratories, fifty-six faculty, four years.
“From the ancient stadium to the modern laboratory, this is where movement becomes knowledge.”
01 / The programme
A common scientific foundation across the first three years — anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, motor learning, training science, research methods — followed by a pathway specialisation and a supervised project in year four. The full curriculum, semester by semester, lives on the Programme page.
240 ECTS · 8 semesters · English-taught · EQF Level 6
Final two semesters · 60 ECTS · supervised project
Both pathways culminate in a supervised final-year project — Part I in semester 7 (proposal and literature review), Part II in semester 8 (implementation and written report).
02 / Institutional collaboration
The Bachelor in Sport & Exercise Sciences for Health and Performance is delivered jointly by the two Schools of Physical Education and Sport Science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki — Thermi and Serres. Together they bring forty-three years of academic tradition, fifty-six faculty members and eleven specialised laboratories under one international programme.
School of Thessaloniki · Leading school · Founded 1982
The leading school of the joint programme sits on 175,000 m² of dedicated land at the Thermi campus, with modern football, tennis, basketball and athletics facilities, two indoor gymnasia, a climbing wall, archery range, and a recreation park. Six specialised laboratories support teaching and research across Sport Medicine, Biomechanics, Human Performance Evaluation, Motor Behavior, and more.
School of Serres · Founded 1985
The only university school in the city of Serres, with a consistent record in conferences, seminars, symposia and sport science publications. Five specialised laboratories anchor its distinctive research areas — Adapted Physical Education, Neuromechanics, Physiology and Sports Medicine, Social Research on Physical Activity, and the Sport Entrepreneurship & Innovation Lab.
03 / Research & faculty
Every Mandatory Core course on the programme has a named Course Coordinator. Several of our faculty are ranked among the world's top 2% of scientists according to Elsevier. A preview of three of fifty-six; the full directory lives on the Faculty page.
Strategic management, marketing and sponsorship in the international sport business market. Coordinator of Sport Business, Funding Sports and Sponsorship, and International Sport for All Policy.
Clinical exercise interventions for cardiovascular, metabolic and chronic disease populations. Coordinator of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Sports Cardiology, First Aid in Sport and Exercise, and Exercise for Cardiometabolic Diseases.
Performance optimisation, training adaptations and high-level sport across athletic populations. Coordinator of Optimizing Performance in Sport and High-level Sport Performance.
04 / Professional network
A degree is the academic foundation; the network is what carries you beyond graduation. Through Erasmus+ mobility, institutional partnerships, conferences and applied research collaborations, students enter a connected European sport-science community from year one.
05 / Career readiness
Sport science as it is practised today is interdisciplinary, instrumented and evidence-based. The curriculum is built to take you from foundational science to applied work in real environments — clinical, performance, community — supported by faculty who are themselves active practitioners.
From the first semester, students move between lecture content and laboratory observation. By the second year they are running tests; by the third they are designing programmes; by the fourth they are conducting a supervised project in one of two pathways — Exercise for Health & Rehabilitation, or Sport Performance.
06 / Impact
Sport is more than competition. It is education, prevention, rehabilitation, inclusion and public health. The two schools translate research into society through events, clinics, outreach and applied projects — work that students participate in from year one.
Bringing the laboratory into the community — public assessment events that translate exercise science into measurable benefit for participants of every age and ability.
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A hands-on experience in inclusion — designing and running sport activities that create access, participation and dignity for individuals with diverse abilities.
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Enhancing quality of life through applied science — structured, evidence-based exercise as a recognised pathway to better health outcomes for clinical populations.
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07 / Life in Thessaloniki
Greece's second-largest city — Mediterranean, cosmopolitan, deeply student-centred — sits at the crossroads of Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Coastal, walkable, safe, with one of the largest and most active student populations in southeast Europe.
— City & reach
2,300
Years of continuous urban history
EU
Located inside the European Union and Eurozone
Walkable
Coastal, compact and easy to navigate as a student
— Living & student life
€600–800
Average monthly student cost of living
7.1h
Average daily sunshine — among the highest in Europe
100
Among the safest cities in the European Union
Applications open · 2026 entry
Review the entry requirements, fees and deadlines on the admissions page. Or submit your declaration of interest and the programme team will guide you through the next steps.