Spotlight on Strength and Conditioning Degree Programmes
Universities are at the forefront of the S&C industry. The degree courses that they offer, and the students that they educate, are shaped and guided by universities and therefore they have a massive influence on the future of the S&C profession. In this series of articles, we will be looking at the different S&C degree courses on offer around the world. Over the past few years the number of these courses has grown dramatically and there are now many at undergraduate and postgraduate level. We will be highlighting what these courses cover and what makes them unique. If you are interested in studying S&C at university level, then hopefully these will help guide your decision making and help you choose the right course for you.
Next up in this series is undergraduate programme in Strength and Conditioning at the University of Suffolk, one of our partner institutions, which is led by Dr Marco Beato and Mark Armitage.
BSc (Hons) Strength and Conditioning - University of Suffolk, United Kingdom
The University of Suffolk is a new and forward-thinking institution with the BSc in Strength and Conditioning designed to give students a balance between theoretical and practical based learning. Set on the Water Front in Ipswich, the James Hehir building has a state-art-of-the-art Human Performance Lab including a large lifting platform where students can master the ‘big three’ of Strength and Conditioning (squat, bench and deadlift) as well as the Olympic lifts (clean and jerk, and snatch) and their derivatives.
The course leaders are accredited members of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) and National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), with the course content constructed to support the students through this external process should they so wish. The course leaders also have extensive applied experience having worked with Premier League, Serie A, Champions League and International football teams.
The University of Suffolk is very active in Sports Science related research with students, and not just staff, publishing journal articles. The university is proud to be global research partners for companies such as STATSport (GPS), Qualisys (3D motion capture) and Desmotec (isoinertial training system).
Our desired staff/student numbers mean that we can help create a very personal education where students are engaged in their interests and learn through doing whether that be in an elite, commercial, health or education sector. The University has some great links with elite sport organisations (e.g. football, rugby, gymnastics etc.) private facilities, education providers and numerous local initiatives.
On the course you will not only learn about Strength and Conditioning for team sports but also individuals and specific populations e.g. returning from injury, cardiac rehabilitation, the elderly and youth. As such you will also study areas of Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics, Psychology and Research Methods, with options to pick certain modules to bespoke your education.
Strength and Conditioning is an ever-growing area which is diversifying rapidly, therefore future employment prospects for graduates appears to be extremely varied and prosperous.
Our graduates have moved on to fantastic careers. Currently, in elite sport science, we have graduates working for Arsenal FC and Ipswich Town FC, and elite sport science providers in the United States of America. In clinical exercise science, other graduates work for the prestigious Papworth Hospital as clinical and exercise physiologists, and Allied Health Professionals as exercise rehabilitation specialists. Some of our graduates have successful teaching careers, in physical education, biology, chemistry and physics subjects. Your exposure to world-leading sport science facilities will ensure you and your CV are ‘career ready’.
Want to find out more about studying BSc (Hons) Strength and Conditioning? Head over to the University of Suffolk website, or give the department a follow on Twitter!
BSc (Hons) Strength and Conditioning
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