Master of Science in Strength and Conditioning

at University of Bedfordshire - Bedford Campus United Kingdom

If your ambition is to enter an Early Years profession and you have a Foundation Degree or equivalent, this top-up course will bring you up to a full Honours degree in just one year.

The Applied Early Years Studies BA (Hons) is a top-up (progression) course which builds on knowledge and skills gained from a previous relevant Foundation Degree or a similar 240-credit course.

Your studies take a whole-child approach to learning; early education; the needs of the child; and child development within the family and society, locally and globally. Your learning builds on your experience in the workplace and the course content adapts to suit your interests and circumstances.

 Why choose this course?

• Develop your understanding of the importance of education research and enquiry
• Choose a research dissertation topic and carry out research in your own area
• Gain practical skills by undertaking work placements
• Benefit from a course that provides a clear route into a professional graduate role, through Early Years teacher status, Primary initial teacher training or leadership and management

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

Your interest in how physical activity, nutrition, health psychology, and professional communication skills can help promote health and treat various clinical conditions could lead you to a multitude of career options.

In addition to developing a firm understanding of the links between physical activity, nutrition and health, this course offers invaluable opportunities to further career prospects during placement and research project units – including the development of practical skills and links with NHS organisations, researchers and clinicians in high-interest areas such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cancer.

With relevant experience, we will also support you in registering as an Associate Nutritionist or converting to full registration as a Nutritionist/Public Health Nutritionist.

Why choose this course?

• Study in a supportive and innovative environment, on a course covering a unique combination of topics designed to integrate with current public health policy
• Explore potential career opportunities in Public Health and/or Health Promotion and Education with this MSc that will also allow you to apply for membership of the Institute of Health Promotion and Education
• Develop high-level professional standards; understanding your ethical, moral and legal responsibilities as well as acquiring the practical competencies, the ability to apply scientific knowledge to public health settings, and the research skills that will help you access careers in public health, the health and fitness industry or academia
• Gain the opportunity to practise your skills on work placement, or if already in post or accredited, the opportunity to specialise and develop your expertise in physical activity and nutrition
• Benefit from access to a wide range of careers in Public Health, Health Promotion and Education, roles in charities whose aims are to improve the nation’s health and/or continue to further research-based study on MSc by research, MPhil or PhD programmes.

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 course is a great choice if you are thinking of going on to do a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) after your degree but don’t yet want to commit to primary or secondary level teaching.

You’ll get a very good grounding in the key National Curriculum subject of English Literature and learn about key educational ideas and theories, gaining a wide knowledge of key educational ideas and theories, major literary periods and genres, and the use of language.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to choose units which are of particular interest to you and which will have relevance for your future career.

During your degree you will have the opportunity to explore the role of language in society, contemporary and historical notions of childhood and children, study the work of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the philosophy of education and choose from a range of English and Education Studies options and a dissertation based on your interests and your future career plans.

If you live to perform, this course will prepare you for a career in the spotlight, developing your movement and vocal skills while you explore the world of performance, from musicals to physical theatre.

Our approach is to foster each student’s unique talents so the course provides many opportunities for you to grow as an individual and find out what path within performing arts leads to your future.

We cover all core aspects of performance, including industry insight, digital performance and professional practice. You can also select to develop your skills in specific areas such as choreography, acting, dance technique, and musical theatre.

You perform work by professional directors and/or choreographers as well as creating your own performances, which are shown in our professional theatre. You gain experience teaching and/or directing, and are encouraged to think, write and talk about how performance theory informs your work.

Why choose this course?

• Learn from our highly experienced teaching team, specialising in different areas of performing arts
• Benefit from a range of workshops and talks from visiting directors, choreographers and companies
• Gain performance experience in our modern rehearsal studios and professional 280-seat theatre
• Showcase your work in our degree show
• Learn entrepreneurial skills that will help you find, apply for and create your own opportunities to work in the exciting and diverse field of performing artswww.instagram.com/uob_acting_performingarts
• Take the course over four years and include a year’s placement in industry (see below) to gain experience and make contacts for the future
• If you need to step-up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the Undergraduate course
• Our graduates are now running their own companies; working in theatre; in the holiday entertainment and music industries; teaching; and using the leadership skills they gained in the wider cultural industries

Study with one of the country’s most established providers, learning from an academic team at the cutting edge of teaching and research, on a course that’s your springboard to a career in the field of sport and physical education.

Combining theory of teaching with practical activities, this wide-ranging degree teaches you lab-based skills that develop your understanding of human performance while also focusing on sport psychology, in areas such as behaviour and motivation.

Other areas covered by the course include exercise practice; sport pedagogy; physiology and health; physical activity and social inclusion; physical activity and health interventions; and professional development. Opportunities for relevant work experience are embedded into the course and there is also the option to take a sandwich-year placement.

Why choose this course?

• Gain an understanding of teaching and coaching that gives you a skill set transferable across multiple career fields
• Develop research and analytical skills in your final-year professional study
• Choose either a BA or BSc degree route, giving you a unique chance to specialise
• A fitness qualification endorsed by Skills Active is embedded into the course, allowing you to enter onto the Register of Exercise Professionals Level 2
• Benefit from teaching that puts your future employability at the heart of the course: 97% of our graduates are in work or study six months after finishing
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year in industry (see below), gaining work experience and making contacts for the future
• If you need to step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the undergraduate degree

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 coaching as well as relevant experience through work placements/internships at sports organisations, schools and within a coaching 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 (coaching) including coaching for performance, sports physiology and psychology as well as research methods and employability units.
• Develop your coaching skills and build partnerships with local sports clubs and teams with help from our excellent links with industry including Sport England and 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 (coaching) 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 coaching 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 sports science field.

If your dream career involves training athletes to maximise their physical potential and improve their performance, then this innovative course is for you. What’s more, you’re taught by a team who have trained some of the best sportsmen and women in the world.

This degree gives you the skills you need to be a strength and conditioning coach while developing your understanding and experience of performance sport.

You learn from leading professionals in the field, who have worked with elite England and GB sportsmen and women, and collaborated with the Rugby Football Union, Football Association and Amateur Athletic Association.

The course covers a wide range of disciplines including anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and sport psychology as well as specific units in strength and conditioning and sport science.

Why choose this course?

• Benefit from our modern, high-tech facilities, including extensive sport-science laboratories and a purpose-built strength and conditioning suite
• Develop your employability through work-placement opportunities which could lead to internships with local professional clubs and the University’s Sports Scholarship Scheme
• Become a professional on a course that has Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) qualifications embedded in it
• Completing the course also allows you to apply for professional accreditation with the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA)
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year in industry (see below), gaining experience and making contacts for the future
• If you need a step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the undergraduate degree

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