Adapted Sport MSc

What makes Adapted Sport MSc at Worcester special?

Launching in September 2020

The programme aims to equip you with the necessary and desirable skills with which to attain graduate employment in the field of Adapted Sport, with a specialist focus on disability sport or broader associated fields of employment. Specifically, there are opportunities for you to specialise in developing a variety of skills including their coaching, pedagogical and practical skills throughout the course.

Distinctive features of the course include that this is the first of its type in the UK to offer students the chance to develop their knowledge within inclusive sport.

Overview

Key features

International Partnership opportunities
China/Beijing memorandum of understanding and exchange programme
Relationships and internships with Professional clubs
Links with NGB’s
Delivery in world class inclusive facilities

What qualifications will you need?

Entry requirements

Students will normally have a 2:1 degree classification in either a sport or related discipline. Students who hold a relevant degree classification of either 2:2 (or below), or, a non-related degree will be considered on a case by case basis and may be required to submit a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate experience of work within the field. Applicants should be able to demonstrate academic capability for study at this level and strong interest and commitment in the relevant disciplines.

In the event of students completing their period of Professional Placement in an environment where they may be working with children or vulnerable adults, they will be required to follow their home country procedures for Criminal Records Bureau enhanced disclosure checks and they must provide this evidence to University of Worcester staff prior to acceptance.

Other information

Any applicants whose first language is not English or who has not been educated wholly or mainly in the medium of English must reach a minimum IELTS overall band score of 6.5 with a score of at least 5.5 in any individual component (or equivalent in an approved test in English) or otherwise demonstrate that they have an adequate command of both written and spoken English before starting the course.

See Admissions Policy for other acceptable qualifications.

What will you study?

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative.

What will you study and when?

An example of the structure which will be followed by a full time student would be:

2 x 30 credit pathway specific modules to be taken in semester 1 (September – January)
1 x 30 credit Leading and managing people module in semester 2 (January – May)
1 x 30 credit Work-based placement module in semester 2 (January – May)
1 x 60 credit dissertation module including research methods to be taken between May and September

Part time students would normally complete the course over 2 years:

In Year 1 they would take 1 pathway specific module in semester 1, and Leading and Managing People in semester 2.
In Year 2 they would take 1 pathway specific module in semester 1, complete their placement in semester 2, and their dissertation over the summer.

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and by feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative.

Modules	Leaders in Sport Advanced Contemporary Issues in Disability Sport,Coaching and SEND PE Applied Pedagogy and Practice in Adapted Physical Activity Professional Placement Sports Research Project

How will you be taught?

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of intensive weeks, interactive workshops, lectures, seminars and laboratory practical’s, fieldwork, practical activities etc. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures, and laboratory practicals are focused on developing subject specific skills and applied individual and group project work.

Contact time

For intensive study weeks students are expected to have 5 x 8 hours of contact time per intensive week (2 in total). In addition, students are expected to have approximately 3 hours of further contact time per module, per week.

In addition, students attend two complete study days (16 hours) prior to their period of professional practice, and are able to access 8 hours of tutorial support during the course of their dissertation study. Students will also receive two days of structured dissertation preparation.

Independent self study

In addition to the contact time, students are expected to undertake around 2 hours of personal self-study per module per week. Typically, this will involve online study tasks, reading journal articles and completing formative assignments. The Dissertation requires substantial independent work and can be expected to require 600 hours of study. In addition students are required to undertake 150 hours of placement activities as part of their Professional Placement.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Duration

1 year full time
2-6 years part time

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings. Given the importance of planning ahead, indicative timings of intensive teaching blocks are normally available at time of application / interview.

Teaching staff

Students will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course and have experience of both research and applied practice and consultancy; the team includes a range of expert lectures (details of which can be found on the course handbook and on the Institute web pages).

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or ‘formative’ assignments.

Each module has one or more formal or ‘summative’ assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations and a final dissertation. The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the course selected.

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Where could it take you?

The School of Sport and Exercise Science (SSES) approach to developing employability is aligned to the University ‘Student Employability Supporting Statement for the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy’. The University of Worcester has adopted the following definition of employability as: “A set of achievements – skills, understandings and personal attributes – that makes graduates more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupation, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy”, (Yorke, 2006)

Sports graduates have gone on to gain employment in the following areas: Sport Community coaching (including disability coaching career opportunities); Sport scientist; Strength and conditioning coach; clinical exercise physiologist; Sport performance coaching; Sport Development officers; Sports Marketing; Performance Analysis; PE teaching; Armed forces & Police; Coaching business start-up; Graduate level employment in the Private, public and voluntary sectors.

How much will it cost?

Fees	The current fees can be found within the tuition fees document on our figure out finances page.
Postgraduate loans	The Government will provide a loan of up to £10,609 per student for postgraduate Masters study. It will be at your own discretion whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs. For full details visit our postgraduate loans page.

Fees

The current fees can be found within the tuition fees document on our figure out finances page.

Postgraduate loans

The Government will provide a loan of up to £10,609 per student for postgraduate Masters study. It will be at your own discretion whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs.

For full details visit our postgraduate loans page.

How do you apply?

If you're interested in applying for our Adapted Sport MSc and have questions about the course please do get in touch with us via the contact details below.

Online application forms for a 2020 start will be available here from October 2019.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Postgraduate Admissions Office

pg-admissions@worc.ac.uk

01905 855111

Dr Andy Renfree

Principal Lecturer

a.renfree@worc.ac.uk

01905 855376