Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation MSc (PG)

University of Portsmouth

If you're interested in a career helping athletes achieve their performance goals, prevent and accelerate recovery from injury, and improve their overall health, this Master's in Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation is ideal.

You'll focus on using prescriptive exercise to improve their performance, and learn through practice with the specialist equipment you'll use in your career.

When you graduate, you'll be equipped with the technical knowledge and professional skills to succeed in this growing industry, whether as part of an organisation or as a freelance practitioner. You'll be ready to confidently and effectively develop and rehabilitate athletes of all abilities and backgrounds.

What you'll experience

On this Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation MSc, you'll:

• Study the fundamental science underlying athletic health and performance from a strength and conditioning perspective
• Learn how to design and structure of training programmes, complementing them with the periodisation of various training methodologies
• Complete a work placement module, where you'll get 200–300 hours of practical on-the-job experience over duration of the course
• Learn about multi-disciplinary fundamentals of strength, conditioning and rehabilitation, including physiology and biomechanics
• Study in an applied environment, with a focus on advanced strength and power assessments, as well as lifting techniques
• Learn how to work with athletes with diverse needs, such as young or ageing athletes

You'll get experience with the techniques and equipment you'll use in your career, such as:

• GymAware and PUSH bands, used for velocity-based training
• Force plates, which assess the individual total force and rate of force in single leg training
• Isokinetic dynamometer for strength capability and asymmetries
• OptoJump for assessment of reactive strength capabilities
• Electromyography (EMG) to better understand how muscles activate and fatigue during sport
• Infrared motion analysis, which records and studies body movement
• Dual force plate Isometric Mid Thigh Pull for maximum strength capabilities and and asymmetries
• Gym and fitness testing equipment, allowing you to coach athletes on using equipment

You'll also develop the following professional skills:

• Effective communication with clients and patients
• Presentation skills
• Team working ability

The theoretical approach on this course is designed to enhance your understanding of physiotherapy – it doesn't offer the physiotherapy accreditation needed to practise as a physiotherapist but does develop the technical knowledge needed to succeed in the rehabilitation profession.

Careers and opportunities

Strength and conditioning is a growing profession and the ability to offer rehabilitation to athletes is becoming a requirement for many positions in the sporting and fitness industries. So you're likely to have a lot of employment options when you graduate.

You could work as a strength and conditioner or rehabilitation, strength and conditioner at all levels, including in club, national, international organisations, as a self-employed practitioner or within a club or sporting organisation.

You could also go on to gain further vocational qualifications with organisations such as the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES).