Applied Sport Physiology MSc

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

Semester 1 (September – January)

Applied techniques in sport physiology (15 credits)

Training and conditioning for sports performance (15 credits)

Physiological limits to human performance (15 credits)

Semester 2 (January – May)

Training and monitoring in sport physiology (15 credits)

Professional placement (30 credits)

Across Semester 1 and 2 (September – May)

Advanced research methods (30 credits)

Semester 3 (May – September)

Sports research project (60 credits)

Part time option

The course will normally take one academic year to complete. Part time students will complete the course over 2 years at least. The maximum registration periods allowed for the completion of these awards in part time mode (without credit on entry) is 6 years.

Teaching

The course will be taught through lectures (face to face and some online content), seminars, laboratory practicals, field-based practicals and interactive workshops. Lectures will be used to communicate key theoretical ideas and concepts, develop critical thinking and then offer opportunities for further discussion and reflection in seminars. The practical sessions will develop practical skills and techniques needed to practice in the field of physiology. Students will gain experience problem solving independently and in group-based settings and will also complete a substantial independent project of their choice through the sports research project. Working in the field within the placement module will strengthen students' employability skills including problem solving, negotiation skills, ability to influence and communicate and collaborate with different organisations.

Preparatory independent work by students will be expected to inform workshops, seminars and practical activities. In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on 3 – 4 occasions per year for the duration of the course.

 The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop independent learning capabilities that will equip individuals for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services and use of the Hive. The personal academic tutoring system will enable students to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help them to flourish and be successful.

Contact time

In a typical week you will have around 4 contact hours of teaching per module with an additional 4 hours of independent work and in addition, students are expected to undertake around 25 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

The precise contact hours may vary depending upon the module. For example: During semester 2 and 3 students will be required to complete 100 hours of placement activity. Some students will opt to do this over a condensed period (15 – 20 weeks) whereas others will use the full range of time (up to 30 weeks) so commitment to the placement will range between approx. 3 - 6 hours per week / 0.5 - 1 day per week depending on how the student wishes to engage over the selected time. You will agree this with the placement supervisor and placement mentor. The professional placement module will commence with an intensive study day (8 hours) and subsequently be followed by individual online (or face to face) meetings between the student and their placement supervisor.

Contact hours in semester 1 will therefore be between 10-12 hours per week. In semester two contact hours per week will be similar (10-12 hours) and in semester 3 you will work individually with your sports research project supervisor with meetings scheduled between you and your supervisor – these hours will equate to 8 hours across the semester and students are expected to increase their research hours to around 30 – 40 hours per week.

Independent self-study

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 
• Typically 2 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.

Assessment

The MSc Applied Sport Physiology aims to develop autonomous, independent and evidence-based practitioners with a detailed knowledge of sport physiology and the ability to apply it to a range of sports or one specific sport (if chosen by the student). There is a strong emphasis on the application of theory to professional practice.

 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 year independent studies project. Some suggested examples are below but these are still to be finalised.

Typically, this could involve:

Semester 1 – critical review of research papers, essay, presentation and personal development plans, training and monitoring plans, interviews with athletes

Semester 2 – critical reflection essays, presentations, critical reviews, and statistical interpretations, with the placement module including video presentation and a written portfolio of evidence (3000 words) 

Semester 3 - research project involving ethics, 3000 word written report (70%) and a presentation (30%).

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal coursework assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss this with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

Feedback on formal course work assessments is within 20 working days of hand-in.

Teaching staff

Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Teaching is informed by the research and consultancy, and as of Feb 2022, 85% of Sport and Exercise Science lecturers have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy and over 90% have either a teaching qualification or higher education accreditation. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles https://www.worcester.ac.uk/about/academic-schools/school-of-sport-and-exercise-science/sport-and-exercise-science-staff-profiles.aspx

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.