Overview
Successful completion of the MSc in Strength and Conditioning course will equip you with the key underpinning scientific knowledge, skills, and professional competencies commonly required to be a Strength and Conditioning Coach. Health, wellness, fitness, amateur sport and professional sport may all have opportunities for qualified strength and conditioning coaches. As a well-established course, previous graduates have progressed to a range of strength and conditioning related careers within the sport and physical activity sector, including, but not limited to, professional football, professional rugby, institutes of sport, and higher education.
The course is explicitly designed to enable you to evidence attainment of the professional standards required by a Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach. Upon success completion, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to apply for accreditation with the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA), as well as certification with the USA based National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) upon graduation (additional fees are payable to UKSCA and NCSA for accreditation/certification).
The course aims to provide you with the knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes required to enhance human performance across a range of domains (sport, occupational, health) using exercise training. Alongside this, the courses aims to ensure that you can apply this knowledge in the strength and conditioning setting,
Current staff members teaching this course have a broad range of academic and professional qualifications and local, national and international experiences, with a number currently providing strength and conditioning support to professional sporting organisations, as well as holding positions within the UKSCA and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). Specialist experts also contribute their own experience and knowledge though guest lectures, enhancing networking opportunities (subject to availability) .
Alongside the strength and conditioning content, an exciting and innovative feature of the course is the embedded Global Professional Development module, which has been developed with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). This module aims to teach you how to understand and apply business management principles in problem based scenarios. Successful completion of this module gives you added skills and promote innovative thinking which can applied in many areas of life. The Entrepreneurship module is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and if you successfully complete the module and meet additional CMI evidence requirements you will gain a Level 7 certificate in Strategic Leadership and Management.
Coventry University’s CMI accreditation is due for renewal in 2021 Whilst the university hopes and anticipates that any renewal would be successful, if the renewal were to be unsuccessful, this course would no longer be accredited and we would notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
Current staff members teaching this course have a broad range of academic and professional qualifications and local, national and international experiences. A number currently provide strength and conditioning support to professional sporting organisations, as well as holding positions within the UKSCA and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). Please note that staff may be subject to change. Specialist experts also contribute their own experience and knowledge though guest lectures, enhancing networking opportunities (subject to availability).
Alongside the strength and conditioning content, an exciting and innovative feature of the course is the embedded Global Professional Development module, which has been developed with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). This module aims to teach you how to understand and apply business management principles in problem-based scenarios. Successful completion of this module gives you added skills and promotes innovative thinking which can applied in many areas of life. The Entrepreneurship module is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and if you successfully complete the module and meet additional CMI evidence requirements, you will gain a Level 7 certificate in Strategic Leadership and Management. Please visit the CMI website for full details on the CMI accreditation.
MSc Strength and Conditioning at Coventry University aims to help you to develop many transferable skills, in order to help prepare you for a professional working environment. Particular focus will be paid to applied experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team, developing through professional experience and growing as an applied researcher.
See the facilities available in our brand new Alison Gingell Building.
Why Coventry University?
An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.
COVID-19
The University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2020/2021 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to Covid-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Global ready
An international outlook, with global opportunitiesEmployability
Career-ready graduates, with the skills to succeedStudent experience
All the support you need, in a top student cityAccreditation & Professional Recognition
This course is accredited by the following professional bodies:
Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
The course includes the Entrepreneurship module, accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Please visit the CMI website for full details on the CMI accreditation.
Coventry University’s accreditation with CMI is currently ongoing for the relevant modules, but is frequently reviewed and monitored by the CMI through their quality systems. If any changes occur with respect to our accreditation related to these modules, we will seek to notify applicants and students as soon as possible.
What our students say...
The course has proved to be engaging, challenging and real-world applicable. The tutors and support network here at Coventry University have been excellent at providing help towards internships and future prospects. If I or my classmates ever have any queries or questions, they are always on hand to give answers and help push you to know more.
Course information
This exciting Master’s focuses on an evidence-based approach to understanding the science of strength training and the application of strength and conditioning in enhancing human performance: you will build on your experience at undergraduate level and develop expert knowledge, understanding and practical ability to develop strength and conditioning programmes and monitor and evaluate their effectiveness on the human body.
You will have the opportunity to learn how to conduct the most appropriate interventions for both amateur and professional athletes, using evidence generated from the scientific study of strength and conditioning. Experiental learning is a key component of this course, facilitated through an integrated Professional Placement in Strength & Conditioning module.
You are supported to source appropriate work experience opportunities through current established contacts of currently faculty members with a variety of sport and exercise communities, from elite professionals through to the grass roots level. Upon successful completion you will have completed a comprehensive professional development portfolio mapped to the skills, competencies and professional standards of the UKSCA. We aim to prepare you for these opportunities through taught sessions in practical workshops and labs, benefitting from the outstanding facilities in our purpose built Alison Gingell building. These include state-of-the-art, specialist laboratories for physiology and biomechanics, as well as fully operational strength and conditioning and sports therapy clinics. Within these facilities, students are supported to develop their competence and independence as a Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Course Specification
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Modules
We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.
In more detail...
This course is designed to equip you with the advanced knowledge, understanding and skills to become a professional strength and conditioning coach, who should be able to use exercise training to enhance human performance across a range of domains – sport, occupational and health.
Theoretical and practical course content is aligned to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) certification and UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) competencies, so you can work towards your accreditation as a strength and conditioning coach while you study. (subject to additional fees)
You’ll be taught by staff with a broad range of academic and professional experience, some of whom are currently working with a range of health initiatives, professional athletes and clubs. Please note staff may be subject to change. Many are currently members of professional institutions such as the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and conduct research in sport and exercise science, including work on skeletal muscle, high-intensity exercise, clinical physiology and upper-body exercise.
* The course content is currently allighned to the NSCA certification standards and UKSCA competencies. The University regularly reviews our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. Please check our current course pages before making an application in case there are any changes to the course you are interested in or to other facilities and services described. Should there be any changes to the contents of this course, the university will inform applicants and students as soon as possible.
You’ll be taught by staff with a broad range of academic and professional experience, some of whom are currently working with a range of health initiatives, professional athletes and clubs. Many are currently members of professional institutions such as the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) and conduct research in sport and exercise science, including work on skeletal muscle, high-intensity exercise, clinical physiology and upper-body exercise.
This course has a strong practice-based element; you will have the opportunity to engage in practical application of strength and conditioning in individual and team sport settings.
- Designed in consultation with employers and covering the content required by the UKSCA, this course is aligned to industry requirements, preparing you for the UKSCA accreditation process and NSCA certification (additional fees are payable to the UKSCA and NSCA for accreditation/certification).
- The current staff team teaching this course include people who provide strength and conditioning support to professional sporting organisations and/or hold positions withing UKSCA and British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES). They currently have expertise in sport and exercise psychology, physiology, exercise and health, strength and conditioning, biomechanics, and nutrition, many conducting ongoing research and consultancy.
- Expert guest lecturers, (subject to availability), which in the past have included sports medicine, health and wellness, sport psychology and sport performance complement staff expertise.
- In previous years students have undertaken placements with professional sports teams including Wasps Rugby, Northamptonshire Cricket, Birmingham City FC, Coventry FC, and Worcester Warriors.
- New state-of-the-art Alison Gingell Building featuring indoor running track, custom strength and conditioning facility and extensive exercise science laboratories.
- Field trips which in the past have included visits to the University Hospital Coventry and Warwick metabolic lab (subject to availability and additional costs may apply).
- In June 2020 students completing this course will have the opportunity to go on a 5 day field trip to the French Alps to undertake field testing in a high altitude challenging environment, working with amateur athletes in an endurance event (Subject to availability, meeting visa requirements and additional costs will apply, but part funding is available through the University’s Centre for Global Engagement).
Our aim is to effectively prepare you for professional employment, so we focus on providing enhanced practical and professional skills through a combination of lectures, laboratory and field sessions, and case studies. It is structured around key study days involving face-to-face lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical laboratory sessions.
You will also be supported through a range of online activities including tutorials, discussion boards, online lectures and online problem based learning.
This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. Assessment methods include coursework assignments, oral presentations, video presentations, a practical portfolio and a dissertation.
The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.
On successful completion, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical understanding of strength and conditioning as a profession, including its theoretical scientific underpinning and limitations.
- Design, deliver, and continuously evaluate strength and conditioning programmes to enable a broad range of individuals to achieve their performance-orientated goal.
- Critically apply evidenced-based practice to ‘real world’ questions, different multi-disciplinary situations, and global contexts.
- Understand the current professional context, ethical issues, and impact of diversity, as they affect current practice within the strength and conditioning industry.
- Employ evidence-based reasoning to examine practical, theoretical and ethical issues associated with strength and conditioning.
- Find, critically analyse and present scientific information to both expert and non-expert recipients.
In a typical teaching week, you will have around 16 hours of contact which will be taught using a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, laboratory practicals and workshops.
The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
In addition, you will be expected to undertake a minimum of around 20 hours of self-directed study each week e.g. working on course assignments.
Global ready
Did you know we help more students travel internationally than any other UK university according to data from the experts in higher education data and analysis, HESA?
In 2018/19, we were able to provide a total of 5,469 experiences abroad that lasted at least five days.
Much of this travel is made possible through our Global Leaders Programme, which enables students to prepare for the challenges of the global employment market, as well as strengthening and developing their broader personal and professional skills.
Explore our international experiences1st for
International experiences
Sending more students overseas than any other UK uni 2016/17
5,469
Student experiences
The number of student trips abroad for at least 5 days in 2018/19
12,000
and counting
The number of students we’ve helped travel internationally since 2016
12
global programmes
As well as trips, we offer other opportunities like language courses
What our students say...
The course has proved to be engaging, challenging and real-world applicable. The tutors and support network here at Coventry University, have been excellent at providing help towards internships and future prospects. If me or my classmates ever have any queries or questions, they are always on hand to give answers and help push you to know more.
Entry Requirements
What our students say...
The course has proved to be engaging, challenging and real-world applicable. The tutors and support network here at Coventry University, have been excellent at providing help towards internships and future prospects. If me or my classmates ever have any queries or questions, they are always on hand to give answers and help push you to know more.
Tuition Fees
We pride ourselves on offering competitive tuition fees which we review on an annual basis and offer a wide range of scholarships to support students with their studies. Course fees are calculated on the basis of what it costs to teach each course and we aim for total financial transparency.
This course may incur additional costs associated with any field trips, placements or work experience, study abroad opportunities or any other opportunity (whether required or optional), which could include (but is not limited to) travel, accommodation, activities and visas.
This course may incur additional costs associated with any uniform, equipment or materials
EU student fees
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year remain eligible for the same fees as home students and the same financial support. Financial support comes from Student Finance England, and covers undergraduate and postgraduate study for the duration of their course, providing they meet the residency requirement.
For tuition fee loans:
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland for the three years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that three year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
For maintenance loans:
EU nationals starting in the 2020/21 academic year must have resided in the UK and Islands for the five years prior to the start of their course. The purpose of that five year residency should not have been mainly for the purpose of receiving full time education.
What our students say...
The course has proved to be engaging, challenging and real-world applicable. The tutors and support network here at Coventry University, have been excellent at providing help towards internships and future prospects. If me or my classmates ever have any queries or questions, they are always on hand to give answers and help push you to know more.
Career prospects
Graduate Immigration Route visa
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
This course aims to equip you with knowledge and professionalism for a variety of health and fitness related careers such as: Strength and Conditioning Coach, Fitness Manager for sports teams, Performance Manager, Exercise/physical activity referral officer, Health and fitness industry and Health Promotion.
Where our graduates work
Previous graduates have secured employment in a wide range of professional sports clubs including Ospreys Rugby, Aston Villa FC, Kent County Cricket, West Bromwich Albion FC, Coventry City FC or Wasps Rugby. Others have worked on the WTA Tennis Tour. Previous graduates have also worked for Institutes of Sport, completed a PhD and work in research and higher education or work in business in the health and fitness sector.
What our students say...
The course has proved to be engaging, challenging and real-world applicable. The tutors and support network here at Coventry University, have been excellent at providing help towards internships and future prospects. If me or my classmates ever have any queries or questions, they are always on hand to give answers and help push you to know more.
Disclaimer
By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the University. A copy of the 19/20 Contract can be found here. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the University will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the University.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the webpage and in the prospectus will apply. If the duration of the course is longer than one academic year, the University may increase the fee for each subsequent year of study but any such increases will be no more than inflation.
Admission to this course is subject to satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and a successful interview. Find out about the application process.
