Our students

Originally from Northern Ireland, I moved to Scotland to study BSc Biomedical Sciences at the University of Dundee. During my final year, I undertook an Exercise Physiology Honours Project, which gave me independence in leading research with athletes. My personal participation in competitive sport, alongside my interest to conduct further research in human performance science, lead me to pursue postgraduate education in the field of Strength & Conditioning.

Tell us about your current role

After undertaking my dissertation with Scottish Rugby Union, I gained part-time employment with their Glasgow & The West Pathway, working with U16-18 squads as an S&C coach (which I love!). The experience I gained at the University of Edinburgh both through the course and voluntary positions have secured me a new role, working with Hearts FC Academy. Here I hope to contribute to the physical and mental development of youth athletes, through coaching and education, in order to progress and prepare them for future competition at professional level.

What was it about the MSc Strength and Conditioning that helped you get there?

Simply put - the abundant opportunities available at the University of Edinburgh through the MSc S&C course. During my degree I undertook three voluntary internships, none of which I would have had access to without the incredible networking opportunities available at the university. In order to supplement the theoretical side of the Masters, I was fortunate in securing practical coaching experience with the Glasgow Warriors Academy, Scottish Rugby Union and high-performance sports teams at the University, in addition to some work with Scottish Student Sport (highly recommend all four!).

What are your future career plans?

• Further postgraduate research with high-level athletes. As a research assistant / PhD candidate
• Gain S&C experience with a range of sports and athletes of various ages & abilities
• Combine an academic role of education through lecturing with practical coaching of athletes & students

What advice would you give to someone who is considering studying Strength and Conditioning at Edinburgh?

Do your research, know why: Edinburgh is the place for you, what you can gain from the Masters, and what you can contribute to the course / University.

I’m originally from Dublin, Ireland. My sporting background is based in the GAA. I began coaching fundamental GAA skills to nursery/youth level players within my local club when I was 16. At this point I knew I wanted to be involved in performance. I continued to pursue coaching of different means throughout my teens and into university where I began studying my BSc in Health & Performance Science. After a 1 year internship I applied to study my MSc at the University of Edinburgh and leaped at the chance to study there when I was offered a place.  

Tell us about your current role:

 Firstly, I am 1st team sports scientist for Queen of the South FC as well as head of fitness for the club. This role requires me to monitor the player’s pitch/strength training on a daily basis. I currently employ various internal & external methods of monitoring training load to build an overall picture of the stress training has on the players. With this information I can advise the direction of intensity/volume during the training process.  Secondly, I work as a sports scientist at Oriam Sports Performance Centre. In this role I split my time between S&C development for academy football players and conducting field research with various athletes. The majority of my athletic cohort in this role are with youth athletes. In my opinion, this is an area of S&C that is often neglected but has the most rewarding work and beneficial outcomes for a coach.

What was it about the MSc in Strength and Conditioning that helped you get there?  

During my time with the MSc S&C I gained a lot of experience and networking opportunities with many different high performers in the field. It was this exposure to meeting experienced coaches and scientists with a plethora of knowledge that helped me gain a broader perspective on high performance sport.  It helped me understand that it’s not just about physiological aspects, but psychological & social aspects that are important foundations of development in S & C.  The support network from the staff members and lecturers was also different class and very open to my ideas and issues.  They play an important role in your development.

What are your future career plans?

I hope to gather as much experience as I can in my current roles and pursue some research interests whilst working hard on gaining relevant CPD.  I have hopes to one day develop my own academy system within the GAA to help apply LTAD performance models to athletes of all abilities. You can’t build a skyscraper without laying the foundations first!

What advice would you give to someone who is considering studying Strength and Conditioning at Edinburgh?

Be open to having your views challenged, don’t shy away from a good debate in class - even if it means realising you don’t know as much as you think you do. The course brings in a group of coaches with a wide variety of experience and knowledge and you will learn a great deal from everyone you work with if you apply yourself.  Don’t be afraid to fail during your time at university, this is how you grow better in the long-term.  Be willing to work the long, voluntary hours in an internship to gain experience and apply what you have learnt from the course.  Network, network, network!

I completed my undergraduate degree in Sport and Physical activity for Health at Strathclyde University. During this time, I completed a voluntary internship with a professional rugby club and this experience influenced my decision to apply to study a Masters in S&C. I have always been involved in sports with a specific interest in Volleyball and Skiing.

Tell us about your current role:

As a sports scientist for Hearts FC Academy I work with junior footballers from U13-U17 designing and implementing speed, agility and quickness, and strength and power sessions. The role also involves regular monitoring and testing. I am also a self-employed S&C coach contracted by Scottish Rugby. One of my roles is the Lead S&C Coach for the Glasgow and the West Women’s Pathway. I manage, supervise and assist pathway level athletes through programmed gym sessions with the inclusion of regular testing and monitoring. Another role I have is the Lead S&C coach for the West Woman’s Player development programme. I attend Scotland camps to coach, educate and test junior athletes as well as delivering educational presentations and learning tools to assist with athlete knowledge of training, recovery and nutrition. I also coach within the Glasgow and the West U16-U18 junior male pathway.  

What was it about the MSc in Strength and Conditioning that helped you get there?  

The wide variety of courses that are delivered on the programme help to develop a large knowledge base including up to date research and best practices to aid with the development of well-rounded coaching ability which in my opinion are some of the most important factors in the field of S&C/sports science. In addition to this, due to the expertise of the staff involved in the programme the support and guidance is second to none. 

What are your future career plans?

I have recently been successful in obtaining funding to undertake a PhD with the University of the West of Scotland and Oriam; Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre. I am aiming to continue the sports scientist position at Hearts FC academy to stay involved within applied performance work alongside my research.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering studying Strength and Conditioning at Edinburgh?

If S&C is your chosen field look no further than this programme. One important piece of advice is to make the most of any opportunities to take part in internships/ voluntary experience alongside studying to allow the opportunity to apply the numerous taught topics to a real-life situation and to put you in the best position to be successful in the future. For me having this applied experience throughout the programme I found understanding the courses and completing assessments much easier.

I've always enjoyed playing sport and experiencing new things since I was little. I believe it was this passion for sport that fuelled my interest in the field of strength and conditioning. I achieved my undergraduate degree in strength and conditioning at Beijing Sport University and worked 1 year as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with Velocity Sports Performance in China women’s national taekwondo team. I chose MSc strength and conditioning program in the University of Edinburgh for its excellent reputation for teaching and research and because the recommendations from my colleagues. Lucky enough, I finally got an offer to study here.

Tell us about your current role:

 I am currently a PhD research student at the University of Edinburgh. My research is about strength training in young athletes. 

What was it about the MSc in Strength and Conditioning that helped you get there?  

In China, we have a proverb, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. The MSc in Strength and Conditioning study comprises enriching theoretical and evidence-based study, blended with practical application. It not only imparted me with knowledge, more importantly, it helped me understand how to acquire knowledge from the research. This allowed me to have a continued professional development and coaching with rationale. Now I am doing my PhD study with the same group of people, their serious and prudent attitude constantly encouraging me.

What are your future career plans?

My long-term goal is to work within sport. It is likely that I will work with children, help them to do sport, enjoy sport, perform better in sport and improve their well-being. 

What advice would you give to someone who is considering studying Strength and Conditioning at Edinburgh?

1. Work very hard, all your effort will be paid off.

2. Get involved in internships inside and outside university to put your study in practice.

3. Two heads are better than one, your classmates will come from all over the world; different backgrounds always make new ideas.

4. Enjoy life in Edinburgh.

In addition to my masters I have previously studied a bachelor’s degree in Human Movements Science and a one year teaching program. Both at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. During my time in Edinburgh I completed a one year Internship with Hibernian FC. An experience, alongside with my masters, which helped me a lot gaining an opportunity with the elite women's team Trondheims-Ørn. I have also worked as a teacher in Physical Education after finishing my degree at The University of Edinburgh. 

Tell us about your current role:

 Mainly, my current role at the University involves teaching in Physical Education Didactics for both full time and part time students. In addition to this, my responsibility is to evaluate students` practical skills as a teacher in Physical Education. I am also currently holding the position as Strength and Conditioning coach for the U20 at Trondheims-Ørn. This involves everything from the gym to on-field work, mainly planning, implementing and delivering strength, power and conditioning sessions.  

What was it about the MSc in Strength and Conditioning that helped you get there?  

The most crucial aspect this degree helped me develop was critical thinking. This gave me the ability to sort out and make sense of all the information we, as practitioners in this field, need.  

What are your future career plans?

Alongside continued development of my skills and knowledge as a Strength & Conditioning coach, I aim to complete a PhD further down the road.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering studying Strength and Conditioning at Edinburgh?

I highly recommend doing an internship alongside this degree as it helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. 

I completed an undergraduate degree in Physiology and Sport Science at Glasgow University. I was competing as a sprinter at the time and interested in training methods to improve performance such as weightlifting, speed training and conditioning.  I wanted to study this further and spoke with lecturers at the University who recommended the MSc in Strength and Conditioning.

Tell us about your current role:

 As the lead strength and conditioning coach for the Scotland sevens team I have two main responsibilities, develop and implement a strength and conditioning plan to perform on the world series and help develop players towards professional and international 15’s players.  I am responsible for the design and delivery of the physical preparation programme while also leading on the sport science elements of the programme such as our travel strategies, recovery strategies and monitoring protocols.  This is a unique role as I am also the team manager which involves providing general managerial leadership of the squad, coordination of tours and competitions, budget management and day to day management of the squad and facility.

What was it about the MSc in Strength and Conditioning that helped you get there? 

The MSc was pivotal in my career path. It provided me with opportunities to learn how to apply the physiology and sport science principles to athletes in a practical manner.  It also provided me with opportunities to network with employers and other students already working in the industry.  I particularly enjoyed the research methods course and the practical elements of the course as being able to critically review papers and apply what is relevant to coaching is a key skill that will set you apart as an S & C coach.  The practical elements of the course are also incredibly important - if you want to coach you need to be able to demonstrate the exercises.

What are your future career plans?

Become as good an S&C coach as I can by working as hard as possible, learning from different environments, actively participating in research, keeping up to date with research and continuing to develop the areas I need to improve in.  

What advice would you give to someone who is considering studying Strength and Conditioning at Edinburgh?

If you are serious about becoming an S & C coach then I would highly recommend this programme. Students from this course are highly employable in the UK, particularly with Scottish rugby. I would recommend acquiring as much experience as possible with any club/sport that you can get while studying the MSc. I would also highly engage in the modules such as research methods, professional skills and all practical elements of the course- these are all highly applicable to S&C. I would seek to become both a strong sport scientist and S&C coach as both skills are required as a modern S&C professional.