Overview
The Brunel Sport, Health and Exercise MSc is aimed at graduates with a background in sports science and related subjects who want to build on their existing knowledge with advanced study in the multidisciplinary area of elite sports performance.
Your course will include a series of compulsory modules focused on identifying how a high performance sport programme can be developed by exploring the determinants of elite performance and training interventions to develop these, and how to support athletes with competition demands and recovery strategies across a range of sports.
You will complete a module based entirely in the laboratory and field environment with students learning contemporary techniques to measure performance and training responses, as well as profile an athlete.
Finally, towards the end of the degree you will undertake a research methods module designed to provide you with data analysis skills and assist in the development of your research Dissertation.
Our programme also has optional modules that enable you to examine contemporary issues relating to physical activity and health, key psychological factors that impact on elite sports performance such as anxiety, motivation, concentration and confidence, or enrol in a module examining mental health and wellbeing in elite sport.
A professional development option module also exists for students who wish to pursue a specific area of interest, and/or work with one of our partners on a placement.
Throughout your studies you’ll be able to take advantage of our modern physiology and biomechanics laboratories and some of the best sports facilities in the UK.
From elite performance to personal fitness to community-based sport activity, sport is an ever-expanding, global industry. The expert knowledge and practical skills you’ll gain from your Brunel master’s will boost your employment prospects in the lab, on the training field or with sporting bodies.
Dean’s International Scholarship: This course is eligible for a £2,000 fee waiver, per academic year, subject to availability. This Scholarship is for full-time international students only. Find out more.
Course content
The course is designed to give graduates with sport and/or health backgrounds added insight and expertise in the specialist multidisciplinary field of human performance using biomechanical, physiological and psychological constructs.
The MSc consists of 180 credits, 120 credits are taught content, the final 60 credits are associated with the research project (dissertation).
Full-time students should complete four modules per term, excluding the dissertation. Part-time students should complete two modules per term, excluding the dissertation.
Compulsory
- Sports Performance Science
This module aims to explore the determinants of elite performance across a range of sporting contexts and provide students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to plan and implement a focused high performance driven programme.
It will outline biomechanical and exercise physiology applications in combination, and independently, in enhancing the performance of elite athletes via theoretical knowledge of advanced training modalities, competition demands, competition day strategies and recovery methods.
- Assessing Human Performance
This practical module is designed to help student develop practical laboratory and field based skills and techniques that are relevant to reliably assess physiological and biomechanical measures associated with human performance.
- SP5508 - Research Methods and Data AnalysisThis module helps student to develop the necessary skills to undertake a piece of research, to develop competence in the range of quantitative and qualitative research methods available, and to critically assess the appropriateness of any research method in relation to a research question. It will teach how to analyse qualitative data, including the use of software and will allow students to undertake their MSc dissertation appropriately.
- SP5530 - DissertationThe dissertation aims to enable students to demonstrate in an extended, in-depth, self-chosen independent study or project that they have a secure grasp of critical theoretical principles and the application of these principles, and to demonstrate that they have the ability to use appropriate research resources and methods in the examination of a self-chosen topic related to one or more of the scientific disciplines covered within the programme.
Optional
- SP5503 - Professional DevelopmentThis module aims to enable students to pursue an area of interest that is relevant to their professional development, have the opportunity to negotiate, manage and present personal learning outcomes, and to present a critical appraisal of professional development experiences that demonstrate personal, professional development within the framework of relevant theory and practice in an area ofsport and exercise science.
- SP5522 - Research and Application in the Psychology of Sports PerformanceThis module aims to advance students’ knowledge of recent developments in the theory and application of sport psychology, to develop students’ ability to critically appraise and evaluate selected theories and empirical research, and to develop students’ ability to critically discuss the implications of selected theories and empirical research for applied practice.
- SP5601 - Physical Activity and HealthThis module aims to select, critically analyse and apply interdisciplinary knowledge and methods to understanding physical activity and health, and to thoroughly investigate contemporary issues related to physical activity and health from a multi and interdisciplinary perspective.
- SP5602 - Mental Health and Wellbeing in Elite Sport Performance LifestyleDesigned alongside and endorsed by UK Sport, the content of this module focuses on high achieving athletes and those tasked to care for them. In particular, the module aims to advance students’ knowledge of the support services used by athletes and develop students’ ability to critically examine the impact of the environment on athletic success and wellbeing.
This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
Sport is a competitive world and an expanding global industry. The expert skills you’ll gain on this course will give you a head start in your career.
You may wish to go into performance science, coaching, consultancy, fitness testing and training, sport development or sport management.
The course will also prepare you for formal accreditation through the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (https://www.bases.org.uk/sspage-professional_development-accreditation_and_endorsement-bases_accreditation.html (BASES) or to progress on to further research such as PhD study.
UK entry requirements
2025/6 entry
- A 2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree or equivalent internationally recognised qualification in Sports Science.
Other subjects including Medicine, Veterinary Science/medicine, Physiotherapy or any Biological Science will also be considered on an individual basis. If applicants hold a degree in a subject not listed above but have at least one year's experience of working in Science or an area allied to Medicine and/or Sport, applications will still be considered.
Hepatitis B immunisation will be required as students on this pathway will be involved in taking capillary blood samples.
EU and International entry requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 68% (58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 98 overall (min 20)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£12,650 full-time
£6,325 part-time
International
£25,000 full-time
£12,500 part-time
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
New and Returning Students
Our master’s teaching is delivered on our multi-Green Flag Award-winning campus in Uxbridge, West London; you're expected to attend all sessions in person. Teaching comprises interactive seminars, workshops, and/or lab-based practical sessions. To promote active learning, communication, and collaboration, team-based activities are a regular feature of our modules. Our in-person approach is invaluable for promoting effective communication and peer learning – not to mention the benefits for your mental health and wellbeing (we are a social species!).
To supplement our full timetable of on-campus teaching, learning will be supported with a range of resources on our new Brightspace Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) including videos, interactive activities, quizzes and more. This platform will enable you to study independently, prepare for on-campus sessions, and develop your assessment portfolio. Online resources are made available on Brightspace prior to and/or following timetabled sessions. Post-session recording availability will depend on the nature of the taught content and will be restricted primarily to lectures. Module leaders may offer additional briefing, revision, and/or Q&A sessions via online platforms as appropriate.
Academic staff offer Feedback & Consultation Hours, Personal Tutoring Hours, and Project Supervision discussions both on campus and via online platforms. This will allow you to easily receive feedback, advice and guidance in a format that suits you best.
Coursework will be submitted via our online submission portal, WISEflow, and exams may take place on campus, in person and/or be presented in an online open-book style.
We encourage you to participate in Continuous Professional Development and to seek out extracurricular experiences; for example, presentation of data at national and international conferences (e.g. the BASES Student Conference) and/or obtaining additional relevant qualifications (e.g. national governing body [NGB] qualifications). We regularly encourage our students to be involved in our world-leading research, either as participants or research assistants – both paid and voluntary. Some of our students also progress from our master's programmes onto PhD research.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Our staff have national and international reputations for their research, publications and applied work. Many are accredited by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), the British Psychological Society (BPS) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which enables them to work with high-performance athletes from a wide variety of sports – and many of them do.
This means that your education will be at the forefront of scholarship and practice, covering the most up-to-date industry knowledge.
Your courses will consist of lectures, seminars, workshops, laboratory and practical sessions, online leaning and computer-assisted sessions to teach quantitative data collection and analysis and computer simulation.
We constantly review our teaching methods in response to student feedback in view of developing and improving them.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Modules are assessed by combinations of essays, case studies, presentations, and report writing. In the final year you must submit, and pass, a research dissertation which can be formatting in the style of a traditional written thesis, a scientific paper, a technical report, or a coaching resource.