The MSc Sports Sciences (Physiology) course has been designed to enable you to develop a range of discipline-specific abilities and apply them to your selected area of special interest.
As well as increasing your theoretical and empirical knowledge within the area, our course comprises core modules that are designed to provide opportunities to enhance your abilities in a range of transferable skills, and also to develop the basic competencies that will aid your personal development should you wish to pursue accreditation in the future, for example with BASES, UKSCA or ISPAS.
The course is taught by an experienced team of tutors who have specialist research interests and publications within the subdiscipline pathways. All teaching has an applied focus, with full use made of the BASES-accredited sports science laboratories.
The above critical elements of teaching excellence and research, combined with the applied practical experience of many of the staff who have worked with national and international athletes and teams, means that during all lectures you will not only be challenged intellectually but will also gain experience and knowledge of how research informs and is informed by practice.
The requirement for an experiential learning placement within the course means that our course provides invaluable practical experience that provides you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge within an applied sporting environment, as well as developing key interpersonal skills while working alongside applied practitioners.
This course is suitable for: (i) students who wish to embark upon a career in the sports sciences domain and who are seeking postgraduate study with the opportunity of supervised experience; (ii) practitioners already working in the field (coaches, trainers, analysts and physiotherapists); (iii) those looking to extend their knowledge before moving into the research and academic sectors.
Over the year, full-time students will take six taught modules, including: Research Methods; two sports science generic modules designed to examine practitioner skills (The Applied Sports Scientist Core Competencies) and allow you to gain field-based experience of working in an applied setting (Experiential Learning in Applied Sporting Performance); and the pathway-specific module of Physiology. You will also complete one triple-module Research Project.
The course is located on the Parkgate Road Campus across a range of lecture rooms and dedicated sports science and computer laboratories.
You will learn and be taught by means of lectures, seminars, group work and laboratory practical sessions.
The number of contact hours for full-time students is typically six to seven hours per week, plus ad-hoc tutorials. The total study time expected for each module is 200 hours.
Assessment of modules is varied, and comprises a combination of coursework, research reports and presentations. There are no exams.
For our latest fees please visit our website.
If you are interested in this course we have a number of opportunities to visit us and our campuses. To find out more about these options and to book a visit, please visit our website.
If you would like to know more about the University please request a prospectus.
Important information: Future of the Cheshire campus
Manchester Metropolitan University has confirmed that it will be closing its Cheshire campus in the summer of 2019.
We are still pleased to receive applications for one year full time postgraduate exercise and sport science courses and research degrees, starting in 2018 on the Cheshire campus. Courses will only be delivered on campus until summer 2019, after this date teaching and research supervision will take place in Manchester. Our students and staff will be supported during this period to ensure that the impact on your studies is minimal.
If you are interested in studying a postgraduate taught course or research degree in exercise and sport science from September 2019 onwards, information will be published on our website as soon as it is available.
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Intellectually challenging and discipline-focused, this programme prepares you for a career within your chosen sub-discipline of exercise and sport at an advanced level. Opportunities for interaction across biomechanics, physiology and psychology, coaching studies, sport development and sports injury are included. The programme is flexible: major or minor in chosen subjects for your desired combinations, e.g. MSc Exercise and Sport (Physiology with Biomechanics).
-Taught in a bespoke £10 million Exercise and Sport Science Centre.
-Our sport development unit provides students opportunities to obtain additional qualifications and volunteering opportunities.
-Flexible programme allowing you to combine subjects
Our programme equips you for a career in sport and exercise physiology. You will be provided with advanced knowledge based on the latest research in the theory and practice of a range of different areas in sport and exercise physiology, for the benefit of performance and health.
This inspiring degree offers a thorough theoretical, conceptual and practical grounding in the discipline. You will gain a detailed understanding of the science of sports and exercise with the focus on applied physiology. Among other things, you will study a wide variety of physiological assessment techniques, nutritional aspects of sport and exercise performance, and the physiological characteristics of the neuromuscular system with application to sport and injury. You will also be challenged to develop and publish new knowledge on a research topic of interest to you via a dissertation project.
Taught by leading experts in the field, you will develop the necessary skills to carry out your own consultancy work with a client. We also aim to provide opportunities for you to gain flexible and professional work placements through our professional networks. Placements in the past have included British Fencing, British Paralympic Sitting Volleyball, Watford FC and Queen Mary’s Hospital.
You will automatically become a part of the Sports and Exercise Research Centre, a research group committed to excellence in the field of sport, exercise and health sciences. Our research facilities have recently received over £250,000 of investment in state-of-the-art equipment located in specialist reach and teaching spaces - a physiology laboratory, walk-in environment chamber, cell-culture and wet laboratories, and a biomechanics laboratory.
In this practical and theoretical taught programme, you will learn in-depth the advantages and disadvantages of adopting particular protocols and practices and consider an integrated approach to physiological assessment when working with your clients. You will study the structure and function of tissues of the musculoskeletal system, from basic scientific mechanisms to applications in sports performance, injury, disease, and treatment.
Our hands-on teaching approach will enable you to analyse contemporary assessment techniques used in the testing of exercise and sport participants, focussing primarily on those required for the assessment of the elite performer. At the same time, you will be able to develop your own laboratory reports by using theory in the completion of a client specific assessment. This will demonstrate the assessment procedure, analysis and interpretation according to your research findings.
Compulsory module (MSc students only)
Compulsory modules (PGD & MSc students)
Optional modules
Compulsory and Required modules
Compulsory and/or required modules may change when we review and update programmes. Above is a list of modules offered this academic year.
Optional modules
Optional modules, when offered as part of a programme, may vary from year to year and are subject to viability.
Graduates go on to work as sport physiologists and rehabilitation experts in sport management consultancies.
This course will suit you if you are a sport and exercise graduate, a graduate from a related science or a medical student looking to specialise in the field of sport physiology.
It is designed to focus on professional skills that improve your employability, as you learn with state-of-the-art equipment including environmental chambers, breath-by-breath analysers, blood sampling analysers and transcranial magnetic stimulation devices.
You also gain real-world experience in areas relevant to your interests by working alongside experienced practitioners. Past projects have included the design of individualised training programmes leading up to the Brighton Marathon and the physiological testing of elite athletes.
Our teaching laboratories are accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), as are most of our course staff. You can register on the BASES Supervised Experience Scheme yourself to achieve personal accreditation.
The course is flexible in that it allows you to exit with a postgraduate certificate at the end of one semester (three 20-credit modules) or a postgraduate diploma at the end of two semesters (six 20-credit modules). You must complete the 60-credit research project to qualify for the MSc.
You spend around 100 hours of the course with an organisation related to the practice of physiology, which will allow you to apply your academic knowledge in a vocational setting. Previous students have worked with organisations including Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club and the English Institute of Sport.
Many students have started their professional careers with the organisation that provided them with work experience.
In taught physiology modules, you will experience and discuss the responses of the human body to various stimuli, including effect of environmental changes (heat and hypoxic chambers) and of ergogenic aids, which can be used to simulate peculiar clinical conditions and help you understand better exercise tolerance.
This novel approach to teaching integrative physiology will help you to develop a host of laboratory skills. You will also be introduced to the latest in the research field of exercise physiology and will have an opportunity to write your own paper from your research project.
Through professional modules, placement opportunities and chances to network in the world of sports physiology, you will graduate with a competitive edge in the jobs market and a foot firmly in the industry.
Laboratory work
Tutorials
Modules
Options:
Our facilities include an x-m square gym over two floors with state-of-the-art fitness equipment, which features a three-camera system to analyse weight-lifting actions and an isokinetic dynamometer to allow measurement of muscle strength.
Our sport and exercise laboratories are all accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). They include:
Career opportunities for sport and exercise scientists are growing. Sports science is recognised as a vital ingredient in the success and development of most sports and for the individuals that take part it is an everyday aspect of their training. Many hospitals and primary care trusts are also appointing specialists with exercise backgrounds to work in areas such as cardiac rehabilitation and health promotion.
An MSc in Applied Sport Physiology from the University of Brighton will help you to stand out in today's competitive job market. It will equip you with both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for a successful career and is also ideal preparation for continuing your study at MPhil or PhD level.
Our graduates have started their careers with organisations including:
This course will suit you if you are a sport and exercise graduate, a graduate from a related science or a medical student looking to specialise in the field of exercise physiology.
It is designed to focus on professional skills that improve your employability, as you learn with equipment including environmental chambers, breath-by-breath analysers, blood sampling analysers and transcranial magnetic stimulation devices.
You also again gain real-world experience in areas relevant to your interests by working alongside experienced practitioners. Past projects have included working with participants in our cardiac rehabilitation programme.
Our teaching laboratories are accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), as are most of our course staff. You can register on the BASES Supervised Experience Scheme yourself to achieve personal accreditation.
The course is flexible in that it allows you to exit with a postgraduate certificate at the end of one semester (three 20-credit modules) or a postgraduate diploma at the end of two semesters (six 20-credit modules). You must complete the 60-credit research project to qualify for the MSc.
You spend around 100 hours of the course with an organisation related to the practice of physiology, which will allow you to apply your academic knowledge in a vocational setting. Previous students have worked in organisations including a cardiac rehabilitation programme and fall prevention classes with Albion in the Community. Many students have started their professional careers with the organisation that provided them with work experience.
In taught physiology modules, you'll experience and discuss the responses of the human body to various stimuli, including effect of environmental changes (heat and hypoxic chambers) and of ergogenic aids which can be used to simulate peculiar clinical conditions and help students understand better exercise tolerance. This novel approach to teaching integrative physiology will help you to develop a host of laboratory skills. You will be introduced to the latest in the research field of exercise physiology and will have an opportunity to write your own paper from your research project.
With modules such as Professional Enquiry, you'll also gain vocational skills to give you a competitive edge in the job market; through placement opportunities and chances to network in the world of exercise physiology, you'll graduate with a foot firmly in the industry.
Teaching environment
Laboratory work
Tutorials
Modules
Options
Our facilities include a gym over two floors with fitness equipment including a three-camera system to analyse weight-lifting actions and an isokinetic dynamometer to allow measurement of muscle strength.
Our sport and exercise laboratories which are all accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) include:
Career opportunities for sport and exercise scientists are growing. Sports science is recognised as a vital ingredient in the success and development of most sports and for the individuals that take part it is an everyday aspect of their training.
Many hospitals and primary care trusts are also appointing specialists with exercise backgrounds to work in areas such as cardiac rehabilitation and health promotion.
An MSc in Applied Exercise Physiology from the University of Brighton will help you to stand out in today's competitive job market. It will equip you with both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for a successful career and is also ideal preparation for continuing your study at MPhil or PhD level.
100% of students who completed their course in 2014 found full-time employment or went on to further study within six months.
More than half of our graduates secured positions as exercise physiologists in the private or public sector. 14% joined the community of sports coaches, 14% became data analysts in the private sector and 14% progressed into MPhil/PhD studies.
Gain an in-depth understanding of the physiological and metabolic effects of exercise and training and develop the practical skills required to meet the specific needs of the client, be it optimal performance or improved health.
Supervised by qualified staff, you will have the opportunity to develop your knowledge, expertise and applied experience working with athletes. You will also develop clinical exercise physiology skills working alongside physiologists and doctors on a research project or with athletes through the University's commercial screening services.
With the flexibility to select from a range of modules covering different aspects of sport and exercise physiology, you will be able to specialise in an area matched to your career ambitions. If you are studying the MSc, you will also explore different research methods before conducting a major independent study related to your specific area of interest.
Sport & Active Lifestyles
At Leeds Beckett we're passionate about sport. There's a huge range of sports and activities for you to get involved in, including more than 40 sports clubs. If you'd like to find out more about what we have to offer - including our Carnegie Sports Scholarship Scheme - take a look at our Sport & Active Lifestyles website.
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: 59% of our research submitted was assessed as world leading or internationally excellent.
Our University is recognised as a leader in the field of sport and exercise science. The quality of our research is evident in the outstanding results achieved in sport-related studies in the Research Assessment Exercise completed in 2014 in which Leeds Beckett came second in the country for sport and exercise science, leisure and tourism.
Much of our outstanding sport and exercise science research pervades our taught modules providing the opportunity for those of you working or intending to work in the field of sport and exercise science and its sub-disciplines (physiology, nutrition, biomechanics and psychology) to upgrade your academic and professional skills, expertise and knowledge.
Core modules
Option modules
Select two modules from the following options:
Core modules
Option modules
Select three modules from the following options:
Core modules
Option modules
Select three modules from the following options:
With your advanced knowledge, research experience and a range of transferable vocational and scientific skills, a wide variety of roles will be open to you. Your career choices could include leading fitness testing programmes for teams and elite athletes, involvement in public health initiatives or employment with national governing bodies.
Our Human & Applied Physiology MSc will give you an advanced theoretical and practical understanding of the functioning of the muscular, respiratory and cardiovascular systems, including the effects of extreme environmental conditions on whole-body physiology. This innovative course will put you at the cutting edge of the field alongside internationally renowned experts.
This course will give you a theoretical and practical basis for explaining the functioning of the muscular, respiratory and cardiovascular systems at rest and during exercise. You will explore the effects of extreme environmental conditions on whole body physiology, including in relation to aerospace and military medicine.
You will study topics from both systemic and cellular/molecular perspectives in order to gain an understanding of the breadth of investigative approaches employed in human physiology research. You will also focus on practical work, learning how to plan and run experiments using human subjects.
Ultimately we aim to equip you with the knowledge and skills to enhance your understanding and expertise in human physiology in its broadest sense and build a career in a related field.
Teaching
For every 30-credit module we will provide you with 36 hours of teaching through lectures and tutorials, along with 24 hours of practical classes. For every 15-credit module you will have six hours of teaching. The 60-credit research project is a 12-week full-time laboratory-based research project, and how long it takes will depend on your project. We will expect you to complement all of this with self-study.
Assessment
We will assess you through unseen written exams, lab reports, poster and oral presentations and coursework essays.
The study time and assessment methods detailed above are typical and give you a good indication of what to expect. However, they may change if the course modules change.
Location
The course is primarily taught at the King’s College London Guy’s campus. Please note that locations are determined by where each module is taught and may vary depending on the optional modules you select.
Regulating body
King’s College London is regulated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
Our graduates go on to careers in academic teaching and research, medicine, clinical physiology, health services, sports science support, and research posts in industry or in Ministry of Defence research establishments.
The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences has developed procedures for the accreditation of suitably experienced individuals that stipulate the possession of a relevant form of postgraduate qualification. The MSc in Sport and Exercise Physiology, therefore, provides students with an opportunity to study at a postgraduate level to fulfill the initial requirements for BASES accreditation, to develop their knowledge of the sport and exercise sciences and to increase their skills in applying such knowledge in both sporting and exercise populations
Over the past few years, we have redeveloped both of our campuses so that you have the best facilities available as you study for your degree. We pride ourselves on the quality of the learning environment we can offer our students. All of our facilities are designed for academic teaching, research, British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competitions and for your social/recreational use throughout the week and weekends.
The world-class Tudor Hale Centre for Sport is the focus of sporting activities, both academic and recreational, at the University. The Tudor Hale Centre for Sport incorporates a suite of state of the art sport science laboratories, a sports injury clinic, a strength and conditioning room and a fitness suite. In addition, there is a sports hall used for basketball, netball, trampolining, badminton, volleyball, cricket, soccer, table tennis, hockey and ultimate frisbee. Located beside the Tudor Hale Centre for Sport you will find our brand new Sports Dome, incorporating four indoor tennis courts, our all-weather astro turf pitch, and grass rugby pitch.
Facilities:
Sport Science Laboratories:
We understand the importance of ensuring that you have the knowledge, skills and experience to compete successfully in today’s challenging jobs market. Our students have gone on to work & train in a variety industries including:
We provide performance support for elite athletes and competitive teams. We consistently perform well against the elite of university sport. A high number of our performance teams compete in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) programme at the elite level.
Several teams are supported with high-level coaching, training facility support and sports science analysis. Numerous local and national sports clubs’ links with our student sports teams provide additional high-level playing opportunities.
All students are required to complete four modules in their chosen pathway plus the two modules in research methods and statistics and a research dissertation or support placement. Typical modules include:
The Space Physiology & Health MSc course is a unique study programme that provides training for biomedical scientists and physicians with an interest in the biomedical issues associated with space exploration. International experts from academia, contractors and space agencies (including NASA) contribute to the course through lectures, seminars, extensive laboratory practicals and visits to the RAF and Space Agency (ESA & DLR) facilities.
The Space Physiology & Health MSc will provide you with advanced theoretical and practical training in the physiology, psychology and operational medicine of humans exposed to or working in the Space environment.
You will complete the course in one year, studying September to September and taking modules totalling 180 credits, including 60 credits from a research project and dissertation.
This course will provide opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate advanced knowledge, understanding and skills in the following areas:
Teaching
We use lectures, seminars and group tutorials to deliver most of the modules on the programme. You will also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study.
Assessment
You are assessed through a combination of:
The study times and assessment methods detailed above are typical and are designed to provide you with a good indication of what to expect. However, they are subject to change.
Location
This course is primarily taught at the King’s College London Guy’s Campus. We try to arrange trips to the European Space Agency, and other related facilities whenever possible to enhance your learning experience.
King’s and partner organisations organise summer research projects depending on applicability and availability.
The course provides a range of multidisciplinary skills and will help those wishing to pursue a career in human physiology in its broadest sense, either in academic research i.e. PhD, in industry, in Ministry of Defence research laboratories or National/International Space agencies including ESA.
Events, Hospitality, International Development, Sports Science and Tourism masters at the University of Brighton
