Master Sport and Exercise Science - Máster en Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte

You will focus on the latest in global sport and exercise science. Utilising cutting-edge scientific concepts and technologies we explore athletic performance, whilst responding to the health and wellbeing needs of individuals in real-world settings.

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 (or equivalent) is required in a relevant subject.

International entry requirements:
If English is not your first language you´ll need IELTS 6.0 (Academic) with a minimum of 5.5 in each component. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

Explore Sport and Exercise Science your way with a master’s you can tailor to align to your desired career
150 hours work placement to build your professional networks and enhance your career prospects
Exposure to global contemporary discussions in Sport and Exercise will ensure you are delivering cutting edge practic
Learning is based in our state-of-the-art Human Performance Laboratories and dedicated computer laboratories
Develop advanced professional skills crucial for careers within Sports Science, that are transferable to other career paths
Be part of our vibrant community of postgraduate students studying Sport and Exercise.​

Core units

Advanced Physiological Responses to Exercise - The aim of this unit is to empower you to cultivate a systematic understanding of advanced principles governing acute and long-term physiological responses to exercise in diverse environments. You will critically apply established physiological assessment techniques to a professional standard, autonomously collecting and analysing physiological data for decision-making that stands up to rigorous scrutiny.

Medical and Scientific Issues in Sport and Exercise - The focus of this unit is to systematically develop a critical awareness and the ability to constructively discuss a broad range of contemporary medical and scientific issues within sport. The unit aims to provide a current, comprehensive, and applicable understanding of how sport and exercise performance may be optimised with science and medicine whilst maintaining ethical and moral standards.

Professional Practice and Placement - The aim of this unit is to assist you in critically reflecting upon and enhancing your intrapersonal, interpersonal, and analytical skills essential for navigating the challenges and dilemmas inherent in the contemporary sports industry as part of a multidisciplinary team (including coaches, performance analysts, sports scientists, and others).

Independent Project - You will be empowered with the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities required to undertake a self-directed research project. Through a blend of theoretical understanding and practical application of research methods, you will explore and contribute to your field of expertise.

Optional Units (choose three, 2 from Option A, 1 from Option B)

Option A – select 2

Neuromuscular Adaptation - The aim of this unit is to systematically equip you with a comprehensive and critical understanding of neuromuscular function and applied biomechanics applied to strength and conditioning training and injury prevention. You will develop practical, autonomous skills in systematically assessing human function, emphasising the complex interplay between the skeletal, nervous and muscular systems controlling movement.

Data Science for Sport - The aim of the unit is to introduce data science within a sporting context. Data science is a multidisciplinary field that involves the systematic analysis, interpretation, and extraction of valuable insights from complex and large-scale datasets, employing a combination of statistical, mathematical, and programming techniques to inform decision-making and solve real-world problems across various domains.

Insights Through Data Visualisation - You will gain the understanding and technical skills required to provide actionable insights through data visualisation. Data visualisation involves the representation of information in graphical or visual formats, allowing for the effective communication of complex datasets.

Applied Performance Analysis Workflows - The aim of the unit is to cultivate a critical understanding of the systematic steps and processes involved in performance analysis in sports, where this process is referred to as a workflow. You will distinguish between various roles within the field of performance analysis and develop individual philosophies of performance analysis including how and when to successfully communicate and integrate players, coaches, and other key stakeholder into the process.

Understanding Safe Sport - This unit is designed to provide a critical insight into contemporary themes and key issues within the current safe sport, safeguarding and welfare agenda. In doing so, it will cover core definitions of interpersonal violence in sport as well as an understanding of the cultures that enable it to occur.

Inclusive Practices in Sport - Fostering an environment of inclusivity is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic necessity in sport. This unit explores inclusion through a welfare lens, focusing on the roles of key stakeholders, such as coaches, officials, managers, and support staff and highlights their interconnected roles in creating safe and inclusive sports environments.

Nutrition in the Prevention and Management of Disease - This unit examines foundations of nutrition, for example macronutrients and micronutrients, vitamins, methods of assessing dietary intake and nutritional status, energy and nutrient requirements, basic metabolic pathways related to nutrition, and function of nutrient digestion and absorption. It also evaluates the prevention and management of disease in the community setting, for example gastrointestinal disorders (i.e., celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome), food intolerances and allergies, obesity and metabolic disorders, cancer and heart disease.

Nutrition, Health and Psychology - This unit aims to provide an advanced understanding of recent evidence and current thinking on the control of appetite, food intake and the regulation of energy balance. You will develop a detailed understanding of the interplay between the physiological and psychological (behavioural) regulatory processes underpinning the control of feeding and energy intake with a view to improve health and quality of life among individuals and groups in the community.

Option B – Select 1

Exercise Psychology for Behaviour Change - You will systematically explore the role of psychology in exercise and physical activity domains. Through a critical analysis and evaluation of systematic, current, and comprehensive psychological theoretical approaches, you will develop applicable and original insights into behaviour change, sedentary behaviour, motivation, physical activity, and mental health initiatives

Sport, Ethics and Integrity - This unit will explore the topics of ethics and integrity in sports and consider the opportunities and challenges that arise alongside the aspiration for the duty of care in modern sporting environments. With a focus on critical thinking and ethical reasoning, you will develop the skills necessary to navigate complex ethical scenarios inherent in the world of sports.

Welfare and Human Rights in Sport - This unit aims to explore the welfare and human rights of key actors in sport. The unit will explore the right to participate in sport in a safe and equitable environment.

Contemporary Nutrition - The aim of this unit is to enable you to develop and broaden your in depth knowledge of the latest research findings within the context of global nutritional issues, the interaction between nutrients, physiological functions and the health conditions they influence. The course will aim to provide integrated information on nutrition, physiology, health and disease, and public health applications – all in one unit.

Nutrition for Brain and Mental Health - You will gain an advanced insight into the interaction between nutrition and brain and mental health. The unit will introduce you to a wide spectrum of factors and effects of nutrition on brain and mental health. Both physiological and cognitive ways our daily diet can affect mental and brain health will be explored.

Sports Scientist
Exercise Physiologist
Health Promotion Specialist
Exercise Science Researcher
Lecturer / Teacher