Applied Practitioner Development

Enhance your future

This programme has been developed for those who wish to study Sport and Exercise Science at postgraduate level and who also seek to develop the skills and knowledge to support a career in a variety of applied practitioner roles. The course is delivered with an ethos of supportive and collaborative challenge and emphasis on developing self-awareness and comfort in decision-making. We work extensively with partners across sport and exercise domains, which ensures the content of this course is industry-informed and focussed on the development of practitioners.

The course aims to advance your knowledge and understanding of the sport and exercise science discipline(s) of your choice to a high level, including a critical awareness of the most current and contemporary issues. It will also expose you to real-world learning environments to provide first-hand experience and, therefore, develop a practical understanding of how scientific knowledge and research findings can be originally applied in practice. It will also enhance your softer skills which are required to work with others and enhance your employability. 

Professional mentors experienced at working in applied settings will support you as you gain experience as a practitioner in your chosen discipline. Previous students have experienced working with a range of sporting organisations such as Leicester Tiger RFU,  Aston Villa FC, Sheffield United FC, Derventio eXcel Elite Swimming and University of Derby Human Performance Unit.

During the course you will learn to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the role, requirements and limits in undertaking applied sport and exercise practitioner work
• Evidence a practical understanding of the implications of research and/or theory in the field of applied sport and exercise science 
• Show comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the current theories and contemporary issues in applied sport and exercise science 
• Demonstrate an advanced critical awareness in a focused area of applied sport and exercise science.

• Practitioner Development in Applied Sport and Exercise Science - This module is designed to introduce and develop the key skills and competencies of a sports science practitioner, through both teaching and applied experience. Lectures and workshops will provide you with an in-depth understanding of relevant theory and the practitioner skills associated with the provision of sport science support. In line with the CASES Supervised Experience pathway towards individual accreditation, you will also engage in the supervised delivery of 150 hours’ worth of applied practitioner services to athletes or teams and reflect on your professional and personal development resulting from this experience. The module is formulated in order to prepare you for applied work in the field of Sport and Exercise Science, and for industry recognition should you wish to obtain CASES accreditation as your career progresses. The module is mainly student focused, so you will engage in taught sessions to support your applied work, the focus of the latter being based on your pathway, interest and career aspirations. You will be assigned a mentor to oversee your applied work and provide you with support and guidance whilst engaging in reflective practice as is indicative of the Supervised Experience process. Embedded in this module and as part of this mentoring process, you will also be supported in your creation of a portfolio of documentary evidence to demonstrate your development and learning throughout the MSc programme, in line with the 10 core CASES competencies and their associated sub-competencies.       
• Theoretical Applications of Sport and Exercise Science - This module will provide you with the opportunity to negotiate the sport and exercise discipline within which you wish to develop your knowledge and expertise. You will work with a supervisor from your chosen discipline area to identify a learning process that will enhance your theoretical knowledge and your ability to critically apply this knowledge to practice. You will be expected to complete a variety of learning experiences within this process, to include engaging with relevant theory and research, attendance at discipline-specific events such as workshops or conferences, and discussions with individuals who work and practice within your chosen discipline.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

All modules offered on the programme are based on the standard 20 credit module, or multiples thereof, where 20 credits reflects 200 learning hours encompassing engagement with study materials, participation in interactive activities, directed reading, self-directed reading, reflection and preparation for assessment. The teaching and learning approach adopted within the programme aims to develop your theoretical knowledge and technical skills, but also your personal attributes and the softer skills required for applied practice and effective work with others.

Taught sessions focus on a range of practitioner development-related concepts including personal attributes, learning development theory, entrepreneurship, identity, working in multidisciplinary teams, and reflective practice. This content compliments your development within the placement activity, which can be sourced from existing work and contacts, or a new opportunity sought with a specific developmental need in mind. With this in mind, you could continue to operate within a current applied role but identify a new project or aspect to your work that meets this need.

The Practitioner Development in Applied Sport and Exercise Science module will include taught workshops delivered face-to-face at the University campus, a large proportion of time will be spent related to your placement to allow theoretical knowledge and understanding to be applied in practice, and the planning of and reflecting on this experience. 

The Theoretical Applications of Sport and Exercise Science module has been designed to allow students to pursue a discipline/area of interest within sport and exercise science and negotiate their learning process with a supervisor. The supervisor’s expertise will align to your interests, and together you will create a learning contract to determine the resources and experiences you will access, for example, attendance at webinars, engaging with literature, and networking with relevant individuals. Given the assessment is in the form of a portfolio of evidence, there is potential to negotiate outputs as part of the learning process and therefore to create content of benefit to an external audience.

How you will be assessed

Modules at master’s level will require you to demonstrate advanced knowledge, systematic understanding, critical awareness, a comprehensive understanding of techniques, critical evaluation and/or original application of knowledge. Assessments will require you to integrate knowledge and skills acquired in taught sessions with substantial additional information and evidence you have identified using your research literacy skills.

Formative assessment opportunities will be available to you in every module. You will complete a range of formative tasks that may include peer review, self-tests, class discussions, and presentations in order to develop knowledge and skills required for assessments. You will also be encouraged to work with the supervisors and module leaders to access support for your assessments, with feedback on draft work available verbally in one-to-one meetings or via bullet point feedback sent via email. 

Those who complete the programme will be well-placed to utilise the knowledge and skills in a variety of sport and exercise settings and will be encouraged to direct their placement experience and theoretical focus according to their career interests and intentions. The focus on personal and professional development is intended to create self-aware and resilient practitioners who are able to thrive in applied sport and exercise environments, thus enhancing employability in a wide variety of contexts. The course is particularly relevant for careers involving the application of sport and exercise science when working directly with a client or clients. 

Those who are already in industry will be supported to explore their developmental requirements within their current role and aspirations to ensure they are supported in maximising their longer-term employability. We recognise that to some degree, being employable will ‘look’ different for each individual student based on their career plans, and the programme therefore provides a platform for exploring this and tailoring their learning accordingly. 

The programme content aligns to the requirements of the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES - the professional body for the subject area in the UK) supervised experience route to individual accreditation, based on the modules forming part of the owning MSc programme. You may wish to pursue the full MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Science programme after completing the PGCert, which would assist you in pursuing accreditation with CASES after you have completed the course. 

Applicants to the course are required to hold a relevant undergraduate degree at 2.1 or higher. This relevant degree should be in a science subject and have covered content related to the modules listed as part of this programme. Applicants are welcome to contact programme staff with any queries related to entry criteria, and each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

You may be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prior to commencing their placement should it be required for the nature of the work conducted.

International Students

For international students the IELTs requirement for this course is 6.5 (with 6.0 in each skills area).

We also recommend that if you are an international student that would like to undertake placements with organisations like the NHS, working with vulnerable populations, that you obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct before arriving in the UK. 

If you're an international student and want to improve your English language skills before you start your course, the Derby English Language Centre's pre-sessional English course can help you.

Additional information about your studies

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.