Strength and Conditioning MSc

The Master's degree can be taken full-time in one year, with learning comprising traditional lectures, tutorials and practical sessions.

The programme commences with five taught compulsory courses. Successful performance in the taught courses will enable you to progress to the Dissertation component, which is an independently researched dissertation.

Compulsory courses

• Applied Practice in Strength and Conditioning (40 credits): This two-semester course promotes you to develop and exercise professional judgement in applying your strength and conditioning knowledge and understanding in practical scenarios and across disciplines, and to communicate and justify your rationale for training, coaching, and monitoring decisions.           

• Professional Development for Strength and Conditioning (40 credits): To positively impact physical performance, strength and conditioning coaches need to combine technical knowledge with knowing how to motivate and support their clients. Professional skills, such as communication, reflection, and understanding, are therefore required by coaches to positively transfer their knowledge to others. This course encourages you to appraise your current level of proficiency in skills related to your future career goals in strength and conditioning, and to plan, implement, and reflect on the development of these skills.

• Training Science (20 credits): A critical knowledge and understanding of training science is required to inform the application of particular athlete preparation strategies. This course will develop a critical awareness of the demands of a range of sports for athletes and explore how effective training promotes physiological adaptation. The research evidence to support current training recommendations will be evaluated across a range of sports and environmental contexts.

You will also take two Research Methods courses to help you prepare for your dissertation: 

• Research Process
• Understanding Research Concepts

Dissertation

Once you complete the taught courses you can progress to the dissertation component (60 credits).  

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Alongside your academic studies, you may choose to engage with well-established voluntary internship and placement opportunities in a variety of roles with performers at various levels.

These opportunities are not a formal or assessed part of the programme but can provide a valuable source of further development.

The programme aims to develop the ability of students to be able to critically appraise and apply scientific literature. Your study of research methods will include learning how to plan, conduct and disseminate your own research following the established principles of rigorous scientific study.

Designed with a practical orientation towards the application and evolution of theory to practice, a major focus of the programme is on performance sport, although other areas such as exercise and rehabilitation are also covered.

Graduates gain the ability to:

• understand and evaluate current research and thinking in strength and conditioning
• inform design and delivery of appropriate training interventions
• understand the theoretical and practical aspects of strength and conditioning interventions 
• gain the skills necessary to operate as a practitioner in a sports performance environment 

Our graduates work around the world as strength and conditioning and physical preparation specialists for professional sports teams and clubs, for the UK and US army and air force.

Graduates are able to apply their knowledge by:

• working with clinical populations in health settings
• developing strategies for improving staff health and wellbeing in large organisations across a variety of industries
• undertaking doctoral study

The qualification and skills you gain in this programme will complement the applied experience and any professional accreditation for those aspiring to be practitioners at the cutting edge of strength and conditioning.

Primary roles exist in the sports performance area, but you may also apply your skills to work in the areas of exercise and fitness, rehabilitation and the wider sports industry.

The Master's degree is also a springboard for further research, either within academia or the private sector. The highly transferable skills you gain in areas such as communication and project management can be applied to roles in any field.

• Hear what our graduates have to say

Students gain access to high-quality resources, labs and research facilities as well as a dedicated strength and conditioning gym on campus and a range of resources at nearby Sport & Exercise.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a sports science-related subject/major that includes courses on anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, research methods, and a research dissertation.

If you have a degree in another subject then your application must include evidence of the following:

• at least a year of relevant work experience (e.g., internship, placement, paid employment) as a strength and conditioning coach, sports scientist, or fitness/ personal trainer and evidence relevant professional qualifications
• that you are working towards professional accreditation with a relevant body (e.g., UKSCA, NSCA, minimum Level 3 personal trainers award or Level 3/4 fitness trainers qualifications).

In addition to the undergraduate degree, we are interested in applicants with some evidence of non-academic professional development in strength and conditioning/ sports science/ sports therapy/ physiotherapy. However, you can apply without this evidence of non-academic professional development and your application will still be considered on its individual strengths.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Tuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money

  • taking out a loan
  • family support
• personal savings
• income from work
• employer sponsorship
• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

GREAT scholarship: Mexico

One GREAT scholarship will be available to applicants from Mexico who apply for 2024 entry. This award is for £10,000 towards postgraduate taught (Masters) degree tuition. Further details on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the GREAT scholarship website.

• GREAT scholarship 2024: Mexico

India Merit Scholarship

The University is offering a new international scholarship for the most academically gifted Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Masters students applying from India. These awards cover £5,000 towards tuition fees for PGT Masters students studying on campus during the 2024/25 academic year. The Scholarships will be tenable for the first year of study only and will be automatically deducted from your student tuition fee balance. 

• India Merit Scholarship

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

(Updated 15 May 2024 to include India Merit Scholarship information)

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding