Master of Science in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Behaviour Change

at University of Bedfordshire - Bedford Campus United Kingdom

This bespoke top up course is for you if you have completed a related foundation degree or HND and wish to gain a full bachelor’s degree in one year.

You will gain deeper understanding of sport science and personal training as well as relevant experience through work placements/internships at sports organisations, schools and within a personal training environment, preparing you for a successful career.

By linking closely to your previous studies and work experience it provides seamless progression to university-level study with the added benefit of a targeted initial induction and a week-long summer school to help support your academic development.

Why choose this course?

• Study key areas of sport science (physical education) including pedagogy and sports performance as well as research methods and employability units.
• Develop your personal training skills and build partnerships with local sports clubs and teams with help from our excellent links with industry including Sport England, the Football Association.
• Learn from our team of experts in fitness, personal training and strength and conditioning.
• Gain a sound training, skills and knowledge of sport science (physical education) together with the transferrable skills needed for a range of careers.
• Build your employability through relevant work placement/internships at sports organisations, schools and within a personal training environment where you can also carry out a research project.Benefit from specialist teaching laboratories and sports facilities at our School of Sports Science and Physical Activity as well as world-class teaching from a team with research expertise in environmental physiology, health and metabolism and movement within the sports science field.
• Benefit from specialist teaching laboratories and sports facilities at our School of Sports Science and Physical Activity as well as world-class teaching from a team with research expertise in environmental physiology, health and metabolism and movement within the sports science field.

There is a growing demand for people with specialist skills in the area of special educational needs and disability (SEND). This one-year course - specifically for those who have completed a relevant Foundation Degree or higher education qualification - enables you to top up to a full degree and prepares you to develop your career within SEND settings.

Develop your existing knowledge of contemporary theories, policy and practices in SEND, using your own experience of working with children in a variety of educational settings including residential, special and mainstream schools.

Explore the complexity of defining inclusive practice; child development; the barriers to development and learning that some children face; and understanding SEND in the context of family and society, locally and globally.

There is a strong focus on using your workplace to provide context and practical application.

Why choose this course?

• Gain a strong knowledge base in special educational needs and disability studies from a variety of professional perspectives
• Develop your own individual academic and work interests, linking your current practice to your developing theoretical understanding
• Learn the importance of educational research and enquiry, and carry out research in your specialist area
• Benefit from a course that prepares you to work in multi-disciplinary education and care teams, able to take on leadership and management roles within a SEND setting
• Challenge yourself with further study to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS); GSCE grades A-C in maths, English and science (or equivalent) are required

This course is designed for recent graduates who are looking to develop their career in physical education teaching or youth sport coaching.

It will support you in developing the knowledge and skills required to progress to teacher education and/or higher-level employment. It will deepen your critical understanding of the issues facing professionals in physical education and sport settings.

The course undertakes a research-informed and practice-based theory approach. Many of the units require you to draw on observations and activities in work-related environments in order to link experience and theoretical learning.

MA Physical Education and Sport (Pedagogy) is a rigorously designed and intellectually demanding professional education and development programme.

It is studied in order to become a more effective and reflective teacher or coach in school, club and other community settings. Each unit is grounded in the most recent developments in research on physical education, sport pedagogy and youth sport, and draws on your practical experience.

We use intensive, compressed teaching time combined with flexible off-site guided learning to fit around your work in a school or youth sport setting.

This course will also provide the advanced knowledge and research training required for direct access to higher degrees by research (MPhil/ PhD).

Why choose this course?

• Study in a supportive environment, on a course covering a unique combination of topics designed to integrate research with current physical education policy and practice
• Develop an advanced and critical understanding of pedagogy and practice for social justice and youth voice; sport and education policy; action research; and public health concerns in physical education and youth sport environments
• Gain the necessary personal competencies, applied practical skill-sets and subject expertise to become a theoretically informed and reflective practitioner
• Gain a grounding in the theoretical study of physical education and sport pedagogy in your practical workplace experience.
• Develop your personal and professional network and benefit from our links with schools, Sport England, Governing Bodies, and Active Partnerships
• Receive support from peer mentors who are studying on our MA Physical Education and Sport (Leadership) course
• Exchange knowledge with aspiring graduates in sport, physical activity and health industries/institutions by attending units that will also include students from our other MA and MSc courses.
• Gain experience of working with young people, practitioners and employers to investigate and analyse real problems and develop the ability to develop innovative solutions
• Undertake a semester long research project on a chosen topic, working in a physical education, sport or physical activity environment of your choice
• Study using range of learning activities including lectures, seminars, practicals, problem-based-learning and tutorials
• Learn from a team who have a wide range of academic expertise and experience in specific subject areas including critical pedagogy, youth voice, models-based practice, policy, leadership, and the sociology of sport.
• Gain insights from experts through the seminar series coordinated by the Institute of Sport and Physical Activity Research (ISPAR)

This course will allow you to enhance previous study in the early education subject area and complete a full UK ratified BA degree course in Early Years Education.

It will allow international and UK based early childhood education to be compared and evaluated. The degree is delivered by a highly experienced, research active team of staff, who also have extensive experience as practitioners. We have been delivering degree courses in Early Years or Early Childhood Education for over 10 years at the University of Bedfordshire and graduated hundreds of students who have gone onto work as leaders in the early years sector in the UK.

Many alumni have gone on to qualify as teachers in the primary sector in the UK. In order to familiarise you with the UK system we also offer a unit prior to the start of the course that will familiarise you with the UK early years sector. It will allow you to compare it to your own country and assist in your transition onto the early part of the degree course. The course can be entered at Level 5, with two years subsequent full time study, or Level 6 with one year of study. The level of entry will depend on your previous qualifications.

The University of Bedfordshire and the School of Sport Science and Physical Activity are focussed on promoting football and developing students’ understanding of the variety of ways the football industry impacts on society.

The course offers you a broad overview of the football industry, while allowing you to focus on a specific area. Following a common first year you can choose to specialize in one of the following areas: football’s business environment; football development; and football coaching. You will conduct a detailed study of the sports industry sector as a whole. If you aspire to become a qualified football coach, the programme will give you the opportunity to gain recognised awards, such as the FA Coaching Level 1 and 2.

You will study the how impact of the Premier League and Football League clubs goes beyond the economic impact and encompasses investment in facilities and you will explore how community programmes supported by the Premier League in schools and disadvantaged areas has reached a significant scale and the impact of this.

The rapid growth of the football sector has created opportunities to become a sports professional in an expanding, borderless industry. Football is one of the most important industries in the UK in  terms of interest, participation and consumer spending. This course has been developed to reflect the growing complexity of the football market. The courses offer students the chance to enhance their employability by equipping them with the knowledge and higher-level skills demanded of a career in a global sport industry.

On this course you will be taught by top class professionals within the field. Your academics have a wide research portfolio, working with governing bodies such as the FA, UEFA and FIFA, and a variety of individuals from specific professional football teams, who will enable the students to get a deep understanding of this every changing industry.

Why choose this course?

This course aims to further develop your professional knowledge and understandings in specific areas of education and welfare.

It is based upon a critical concern for social justice and the ways this is understood and implemented through policy and practice to affect the lives of disadvantaged children and young people as well as poor and marginalised groups and communities.

The MA Education (Social Justice) aims to

• Increase awareness of, and access to, a range of academic ideas and research findings in relation to issues of education and  social justice
• Promote personalisation of broad themes around the challenges posed by changing global political, social and economic landscapes and to meet the needs and interests of students while providing a focused line of study
• Promote vocationally relevant and varied assessment formats with a negotiated focus to support individual and organisational needs
• Promote engagement with key issues in education and social justice, involving critical examination of a wide range of key sources and texts
• Encourage evidence-based practice and reflexive practice-based understandings through engagement with work-based settings allowing student to integrate theoretical ideas with practical implications

Why choose this course?

• The MA in Education (Social Justice) is designed to develop a breadth of understanding of the theoretical debates that underpin the process and practice of education and social welfare and will enable you to analyse and reflect on research that contextualise the complexities of working with disadvantaged and marginalised groups across community, local authority and voluntary sector settings.
• The course will strengthen your ability, and equip you to apply for jobs (or further training) in a wide range of educational settings as teachers, community workers, social workers, police, probation officers, education welfare workers, home school link or family welfare workers and professionals working across the voluntary sector.
• This Master's degree will also enable you to progress to doctoral study in specific specialist areas.

Make the most of our high-spec facilities and equipment, world-leading research team and strong employer connections to become an expert in understanding the impact nutrition and exercise can have on health and fitness.

We know eating well and taking exercise are key factors in promoting good health. For this degree, you explore the science that lies behind this, covering specialisms such as physiology; nutrient metabolism; health psychology; and the prescription of nutrition and exercise. Other study areas include nutrition across the lifecycle; public health nutrition; exercise and behaviour change; and exercise and fitness testing.

You learn about the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, and have the opportunity to apply your knowledge working with these patient groups within our clinics.

Why choose this course?

• Study with a world-leading research team in community and other settings as well as in our sport and exercise science laboratories, with their state-of-the-art equipment
• Benefit from our well-established employer links with the NHS and local community health programmes, which allow you to put your learning into practice and ensure the course stays ahead of the curve with current practice
• Gain accreditation by the Association for Nutrition, which allows graduates to apply for direct entry onto the Register of Associate Nutritionists
• Accreditation by the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) is also embedded within the course, with graduates awarded Level 3 Personal Training and Level 3 Exercise Referral
• Develop transferable skills in communication; research methods; and researching, preparing and producing your own projects
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year in industry (see below), gaining experience and making contacts for the future
• On graduating, your career path could take you into the food, health or fitness industries; health promotion; lifestyle education; and public health

Coaching is a great way to express your passion for sport. Great Britain is now seen as a leading competitor in world sport and there are increasing opportunities to make a career out of coaching. There has never been a better time to become a coach.

This course offers you the opportunity to specialise in the academic study of sports coaching, gaining the qualifications and practical skills to be a successful coach.

It combines a thorough understanding of sport and exercise science with knowledge of the range of roles and contexts within which a coach works. Theoretical, vocational and practical elements are included to help you gain a comprehensive understanding of sport science, which underpins coaching practice.

Why choose this course?

• Learn from internationally-recognised staff in the fields of science, exercise and sport
• Study a challenging and enjoyable course which prepares you for employment – 90% of students in work/study 6 months after finishing
• Gain from the opportunity to work with staff who were closely involved with the London 2012 Olympic Games and interact with support services for elite and top-class athletes
• Develop your skills through coaching in partnership with local clubs and teams
• Explore the development of sporting participation or ‘sport for sports sake’ (at all levels) and the role and delivery of sport as a social instrument for change
• Benefit from using state-of-the-art facilities including muscle cell and molecular biology labs for a range of sports science experiments and studies

This MA is designed for practising professionals, or those interested in research, in teaching and learning or educational leadership – usually in schools, the lifelong learning sector and universities.

Its modular structure allows you to personalise your choice of units and progress at a pace that best suits you, with a final phase focused on educational research via a dissertation.

The MA Education engages you with key issues in education and aims to encourage your evidence-based practice, as you make direct and meaningful connections between the course and your own experiences and aspirations.

The course helps you to broaden your knowledge of educational ideas and research findings, as you identify and justify recommendations for further action. This places you in a better position to develop your work as a classroom practitioner or school leader.

Why choose this course?

• Study on a modular course designed for existing and aspiring education professionals, that allows you to accumulate credit at a pace that suits you, with assessments based around needs specific to your role in your educational organisation
• Explore the process of teaching, learning support and/or educational leadership, focusing on personal, academic and vocational interests relevant to your educational context
• Develop your understanding of assessment formats with a negotiated focus in support of both individual and organisational needs
• Undertake primary research that informs your current practice, as well as acquire the necessary research skills to engage in future research and progress to a PhD or EdD programme
• Progress your study in education, e.g. following your Initial Teacher Education (ITE) course
• Develop your work in educational contexts
• Support developments within the organisation where you work
• Beprepared for further study at doctoral level (PhD and EdD).

Economies are increasingly global. With this degree - designed to give you the knowledge and skills to manage a business effectively in the global context - show potential employers that you understand how business operates on an international scale.

Alongside traditional business skills and disciplines such as strategy, human resource management, finance, operations and marketing, you will acquire global skills via units such as international economics, global marketing, and Intercultural awareness in business.

In your final year you are supported in finding a placement which delivers invaluable international experience, as well as credit towards your degree, as you apply your learning to project work in a live setting.

Whether you plan to work for an organisation in the UK or abroad, BSc International Business at the University of Bedfordshire Business School (UBBS) is designed to equip you with the skills you need to succeed in diverse global environments. The course offers you a global perspective of business and an education to perform in multi-cultural business environments across different organisations and industry sectors.

Choose International Business at Bedfordshire and

• Learn through lectures, seminars and workshops, plus projects, research exercises, presentations, and case study analyses with a focus on using your knowledge and understanding in practice
• Study business management, business research, marketing, finance, accounting, operations management and human resource management
• Develop your communication and collaborative skills as well as a recognisable high level of professionalism, enabling you to fit in and be effective from day one
• Gain an understanding of the roles and relationships of businesses in the international arena, and the specific operational and strategic issues, challenges and opportunities that they face at an international level
• Explore opportunities for further postgraduate and professional study
• Benefit from a degree which gives you understanding of global business operations, analytical and problem-solving skills, and personal effectiveness and credibility when working across cultures in international teams – attributes which are highly attractive to potential employers

Why choose this course?

BSc International Business offers students a holistic understanding of the global environment with a solid foundation in intercultural competencies, international business, marketing in a global context, global expansion strategies, international new ventures, cross-cultural negotiations, and international trade relations. The course units are delivered through stimulating modules and supported by an optional placement opportunity. You will also be encouraged to take advantage of other initiatives available to UBBS students including our popular Go Global programme and centrally-run employability language classes.

UBBS not only offers an international business degree, but most importantly an international business experience through

• International business programs, with various degree pathways, at all academic levels - undergraduate, Masters, and PhD;
• The opportunity to participate in international business and marketing competitions;
• A supervised final year project with an international focus;
• Research informed teaching delivered by an international faculty recognised for their top level research in international business, entrepreneurship, and marketing;
• Business Matters and other discussion forums where you can explore topical business issues;
• Go global experiences; and,
• Employability units and optional language classes.