Sports Coaching MSc

What will you study and when?

An example of the structure which will be followed by a full-time student on any of the pathways, and normally would be:

• 1 x 30 credit pathway specific module to be taken in semester 1 (September – January)
• 1 x 30 credit Leading People in Sport module in semester 1 (September – January)  
• 1 x 30 credit Professional Placement module in semester 2 (January – May)
• 1 x 30 credit pathway specific module to be taken in semester 2 (January - May)
• 1 x 60 credit Sports Research Project 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 one pathway specific module in semester 1 and 2.
• In Year 2 they would take Leading People in Sport in semester 1, complete their Professional Placement in semester 2, and complete their Sports Research Project over the summer.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of workshops, seminars and practical sessions. In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are throughout the academic year.

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, full-time students are expected to study two modules per semester and have approximately 8 hours of ‘in-person’ contact time per week. Part-time students are expected to study one module per semester and have approximately 4 hours of ‘in-person’ contact time per week.

In addition, students are able to access 8 hours of tutorial support during the course of their Sports Research Project study. Students will also receive two days of structured Research Project preparation.

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, full-time students are expected to undertake 30 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve online study tasks, reading journal articles and completing formative assignments. The Sports Research Project requires substantial independent work and can be expected to require 600 hours of study. In addition, students are required to undertake 100 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
• 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. 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. The team includes senior academics with research and applied experience, and postgraduate students.

In addition, you can expect to receive sessions with guest lecturers who are currently engaged in Sport Coaching activities outside of the university. Teaching is informed by research and consultancy, and the majority of lecturers on the course hold PhD’s and have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

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 research project. 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.