Course description
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
This programme builds upon the sport and exercise science expertise gained through your undergraduate degree. You further develop your critical and analytical approach to the sport and exercise sciences. You gain a knowledge and understanding of the nature of the sport sciences and the critical and evaluative skills necessary to assess performance in the cognate areas in clinical as well as athletic populations.
CORE MODULES
-Performance Psychology
-Biomechanical Applications in Performance Analysis
-Advanced Exercise Physiology
-Advanced Topics in Research Methods
-Dissertation
OPTIONAL MODULES
You may choose to take any two of the following modules:
-Student Negotiated Learning
-Biomechanics of Gait and Posture
-Mechanics of Sports Equipment Surfaces
-Clinical Exercise Physiology
-Advanced Laboratory Skills in Sport and Clinical
-Physiology
-Anthropometry, Body Composition and Analysis
-Physiology of Athletic Performance and Underperformance
-Performance Analysis
-Applied Sport Psychology
-Exercise and Health Psychology
FURTHER MODULE INFORMATION
The Student Negotiated Learning module allows you to undertake work with a specific supervisor in an area of interest to both parties. There are no formal class sessions, but you undertake work set by the supervisor and are expected to be able to discuss this work with the supervisor as required. The work may not be related to the dissertation.
ASSESSMENT
There are varied methods of assessment – exams and presentations, for example – which we believe allow students the opportunity to perform to their best level across the programme.
RESEARCH AREAS
Staff are currently investigating the following research areas:
Psychology
-The mediating effects of mental toughness on physical and cognitive skills
-The development of psychological interventions to enhance performance and psychological wellbeing
-Factors (gender, personality, ability, etc) influencing stress, coping and emotions in athletes
-The psychology of injury and psychological processes in sport injury rehabilitation
-Self-perceptions, self-esteem, and adherence and motivation to exercise
-Intervention strategies to reduce anxiety and depression and improve the quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease
-Brief interventions for reducing patients' distress associated with symptoms of heart failure (e.g. perceived breathlessness and perceived fatigue)
-Evaluating the positive effects of cardiac rehabilitation, using both psychological and exercise intervention, following heart attack (myocardial infarction), bypass surgery (coronary artery bypass graft), implantation of a device (pacemaker / implantable cardiac defibrillator) and diagnosis of heart failure
Exercise Physiology
-The physiological factors underlying heat acclimation/acclimatisation
-Acid base balance during endurance and high intensity exercise and recovery
-Research related to football: warm-up and halftime recovery strategies, match/notational analysis
-The physical conditioning of athletes and test methods to specifically test athletes in their own sport
Biomechanics
-The effect of fatigue on the risk of injuries in football – in particular, how altered sprint kinematics and muscular function following matches affect hamstring injuries
-Use of walking aids in clinical populations
