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This course is 'Subject to Approval' and has not yet completed the University’s approvals process. Whilst we are confident that the course will be approved, there is the possibility that the course may not run or may be subject to alterations. This course is due to be validated by November 2020 after which we will write to all applicants who have applied for the course to let them know the outcome and of any changes. In the event that a course is not approved the University will make reasonable efforts to offer an alternative course at the University.
MSc Strength and Conditioning: January Start
Looking to raise your game in the field of strength, conditioning and athlete development? Graduates of our well-established MSc Strength and Conditioning: January Start have a proven track record preparing athletes and sports teams for competition, and our highly-experienced practitioner-tutors offer the knowledge and skills you need to develop your career.
Key information
Award:
MSc
Mode of Study:
Full-time
Duration:
18 months
Location:
The University of Bolton
Start date:
To be confirmed
Course Details
Elite sportspeople need an elite support team – and expert strength and conditioning coaches are in demand worldwide to promote and guide the physical development of athletes and sports teams. Aimed at graduates with relevant academic and vocational experience, this course is designed to build on your existing knowledge, opening doors to higher levels of responsibility and professional accreditation in strength and conditioning.
Based in Bolton One, the University of Bolton’s specially designed sports and health teaching and research centre, this practically-focused master’s degree aims to help you gain the academic and theoretical knowledge (for evidence-based practice), and professional, vocational and practical skills needed for success in this competitive industry. Our dedicated team of experienced academic practitioners, who have worked at all levels of elite and professional sport, will guide you in an exploration of the science and coaching of strength and conditioning.
We’ll support you to advance your understanding and make strong links between theory and practice in areas such as biomechanics, physiology, nutrition, coaching and leadership. Our commitment is to help you develop as a practitioner, informed by the latest research and on-going developments in the sciences of sports and human performance so that you can become a leader in the field of strength and conditioning.
We also offer this course with a September start date. For details of the full-time course, please visit our full-time MSc Strength and Conditioning course search web page. Alternatively, to find out more and apply for the part-time course, please visit our part-time MSc Strength and Conditioning course search web page.
Highlights
- Specialist facilities in Bolton One include a dedicated strength and conditioning suite, sport and exercise laboratories focusing on physiology and biomechanics, fully equipped teaching clinics, a rehabilitation and exercise suite, a multi-use sports hall and climbing wall, our Sports and Spinal Injuries Clinic, and much more.
- Bolton One is also home to our Athlete Development Centre (ADC), offering you opportunities to work alongside our professional practitioners helping athletes, sports teams and coaches at all levels improve their performance. The ADC currently has a client base that includes professional football and rugby league, GB Weightlifting, Triathlon England, Triathlon Australia, England Athletics, and professional combat sport athletes.
- Professional experience is an essential element of the course that gives valuable, hands-on, real-life experience in a professional sports setting. Our extensive network of sports industry contacts and partners means we can offer a wide variety of placements.
- Guest lecturers with a strong background in applied strength and conditioning contribute to the course, and have included coaches to elite athletes, book authors, internationally recognised researchers, NGB coaches, and internationally recognised strength and conditioning specialists.
- The UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) does not accredit any university degrees. However, we believe this course exceeds the academic requirements detailed in their Accredited Strength and Conditioning Coach (ASCC) Competency Document, as well as the requirements to become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) in the USA, meaning you can focus on meeting their experiential requirements.
Key Features
- Our highly-qualified lecturers and staff are also experienced existing practitioners, offering strong links with industry, and expertise and applied experience in areas such as strength and conditioning, physiological testing, sport and performance psychology, biomechanics, physiotherapy and sport rehabilitation.
- One of the longest-standing MSc Strength and Conditioning programmes in the UK, this course has a proven track record of producing graduates who are highly employable and are now leading the way across the industry; for instance, our alumni have senior roles at Premier League football clubs, Super League clubs, and in International Rugby Union, International Cricket and Boxing.
- We’re committed to helping you develop your employability and career network. You’ll be encouraged to attend relevant masterclasses, external courses and events that enhance your learning, helping you to make contacts in the industry and contributing to your professional development.
- Alongside specialist strength and conditioning knowledge, you’ll have the chance to further develop your skills in research, data collection and evaluation, critical reasoning and analysis, as well as in areas such as communication, presentation, team working and problem-solving.
- We offer a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, specialist sports teaching facilities in Bolton One, and excellent IT and library services. You’ll also be able to access a great range of recreational sport and exercise facilities for when you need to exercise your body instead of your mind.
Professional recognition
- Normally, you should have successfully completed an honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject; for instance, sport and exercise science, coaching or physiology.
- You should also have relevant vocational experience.
- If you don’t meet the standard entry requirements but have considerable sector-based expertise, we’ll be happy to consider your application.
- We'll consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
- You'll be required to attend an interview as part of the application process.
- This course involves working unsupervised with children and/or vulnerable young people and adults and you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
- If English isn’t your first language you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Want some reassurance or advice? Speak to one of our advisors. Email us at admissions@bolton.ac.uk or call us on +44 (0)1204 903 394.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Our MSc Strength and Conditioning graduates are equipped with strong practical skills, underpinned by a sound theoretical base. The course will also enhance your lifelong learning and transferable skills, enabling you to work with self-direction and confidence in the strength and conditioning industry. Some of the key skills you will gain include communication, ability to work both independently and collaboratively, ability and confidence to speak to individuals and large groups and attention to detail to accomplish tasks completely and accurately.
What can I do with this qualification?
Primary roles exist in the sports performance area, but you may also apply your skills to work in exercise and fitness, rehabilitation and the wider sports industry such as a physical training instructor or personal trainer. Opportunities exist working for professional sports teams too. MSc Strength and Conditioning graduates might also wish to use their qualification to establish their own strength and conditioning consultancy.
Previous graduates have secured positions as strength and conditioners in elite sport including Premiership football, international cricket, the English Institute of Sport and professional rugby.
Alternative career options
Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers, bearing in mind that relevant experience and/or further study may be required. Some of these roles include:
- Health
- Armed forces
- Teaching
- Coaching
- Emergency services
Course fees
Home students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Home fee of £4,560 for the academic year 2021/22.
Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Overseas fee of £12,450 for the academic year 2021/22.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2021/2022 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance eligibility 2021/2022 policy on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
Additional costs
There may be some additional or optional costs associated with this course. These will be published after approval of the programme.
For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:
Call Admissions
Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
This course is not currently accepting online applications
Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
We use a wide variety of learning, teaching and assessment methods. These aim to help you develop the skills, knowledge and competencies you need to achieve the learning outcomes of this course, and more importantly, to be successful in your future career.
You can expect timetabled classes (for instance, tutor-led lectures, workshops, tutorials, seminars, and practical sessions), along with other learning activities that place a larger emphasis on independent, self-directed and self-managed learning. All lectures, practical class material and recommended reading will be made available through the University’s virtual learning environment, Moodle so that you can access it online.
In addition, we offer sessions with expert guest speakers, masterclasses with key practitioners from the strength and conditioning community, and opportunities for applied work experience. These seek to enhance employability and bridge the gap between theory and professional practice.
We also use a broad range of assessment methods, including written or practical examinations, essays, case studies, practical coaching observations, oral or poster presentations, laboratory or project reports, and others. Some assessments will contribute to your final module marks and allow you to demonstrate that you’ve met the learning outcomes, while others are designed to help you identify areas that need extra attention on your part, or where you need extra support from your tutors.
Disclaimer
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
Meet the team
The academic staff detailed above teach across a range of courses in this subject area and may not teach on this course specifically.
Programme Contacts
Sean Sankey
Programme Leader
S.Sankey@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903871
Enquiry Team
University of Bolton
enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
+44 (0)1204 903903
