Bath is the top UK university for sports science degrees, according to both The Times & The Sunday Times Good University Guide and The Guardian University Guide.

The outlets have recently published their 2026 league tables, with our courses in sports science taking top spot in both. Sport, exercise and health degrees at Bath are delivered by the Department for Health, which is part of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences.

This sporting success was complemented by The Times & The Sunday Times naming Bath as its Sport University of the Year — a separate accolade that takes into account the institution’s overall commitment to sport at all levels.

Away from sports success, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences performed well in multiple other subject areas.

Criminology enjoyed particular success, placing 3rd with The Times and The Sunday Times and in the top 5 in The Guardian.

Education took 2nd position and Social Work achieved a top 5 place with The Times, and Languages & Linguistics and Psychology placed 6th and 7th respectively in The Guardian.

Across both sets of rankings, Economics, Psychology, and Sports Science all performed well in terms of employability. The trio achieved top 10 rankings for Career Prospects (The Times & The Sunday Times) and Career after 15 Months (The Guardian) — the two measures used by each to assess this area.

Speaking about the successes, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Professor Deborah Wilson, said:

It’s really fantastic to receive this recognition from both The Times and The Sunday Times and The Guardian.

The performance of our sport, health and exercise courses is a standout, and I thank everyone in our Department for Health for their continued efforts — both in their teaching and research.

I’m equally proud of our other Departments, with lots of excellent rankings spanning our degrees in economics, education, politics and languages, psychology and social and policy sciences.

Our Faculty makes a huge contribution to the continuing success of the University of Bath, and it’s brilliant to see this evidenced by these latest rankings.

Overall, the University of Bath placed in the top 10 in both outlets’ league tables. This follows on from top 10 rankings in the Complete University Guide 2026 and the Daily Mail University Guide 2026 — the four are widely considered to be the UK’s major annual university league tables.

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