MSc in Physical Education and Wellbeing
University of Birmingham - College of Life and Environmental Sciences
Key Information
Campus location
Edgbaston, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
Distance Learning, On-Campus
Duration
1 - 2 year
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 10,530 *
Application deadline
31 Aug 2024
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* for UK full-time students | for UK part-time students: £5,265| for international full-time students: £23,310
Introduction
Our Physical Education and Wellbeing MSc is a nationally and internationally relevant evidence-based program, which applies to primary, second, and further education. There is also the possibility for Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) for postgraduate degrees (eg, PGCE).
This programme seeks to support the continuing professional development of practicing and prospective physical education teachers, youth physical activity leaders, assistants, or coaches working with young people in schools.
It is expected that students taking the program will develop the skills to allow them to critically evaluate new developments in theory, research, and practice and integrate this knowledge where appropriate into their practice. The distinctiveness and knowledge of students graduating from the qualification will place them in an ideal position to inform the future direction of the profession by taking leadership positions and challenging current practices and/or by engaging in further study at the Ph.D. level.
International students: Please check your visa requirements before applying as most of the sessions in this program are delivered online via distance learning.
The course is based on the latest evidence, research, and innovations in the field of physical education and sports pedagogy. Students will learn in a community of learners with like-minded prospective or current practitioners interested in improving young people’s experiences of physical activity and sport. The course will also strengthen students’ capabilities to lead in new directions in the field of physical education and sports pedagogy by engaging with leading international practitioners and researchers.
This MSc is delivered through our distance learning platform and flexible so that students can study over 1 year (full time) or 2 years (part time).
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Birmingham Masters Scholarship
Our Birmingham Masters Scholarship offers £2,000 via a tuition fee discount, to support the brightest and best applicants undertaking Masters study at Birmingham during 2024-2025.
Postgraduate Progression Award
Our Postgraduate Progression Awards offer final-year undergraduates at the University of Birmingham a fee discount of £1,500 for postgraduate taught study.
As a Birmingham graduate, we want to support you in taking the next steps in your journey as you continue to study and develop your career. With the familiarity of the University of Birmingham, you will have access to our resources, facilities, and support networks to shape and secure your future. As one of the UK’s Top 15 universities, we can assure you that you will receive our well-being and career support, community, and resources to assist you in your development.
The tuition fee discounts for our progressing undergraduate students are our commitment to you, in appreciation of your choice to stay with us for your postgraduate degree.
Curriculum
Topics covered during the course will include, for example, methods and mechanisms for continued professional development, digital technologies, models-based practice (including models such as Cooperative Learning, Sports Education, and Teaching Games for Understanding), and contemporary social and political issues for physical education and youth sport. In addition, modules will address research methods to prepare students for conducting fieldwork for their dissertation.
Delivery: All program modules are delivered online. Learning and teaching will be hosted by webinars, lectures, videos, and vlogs, and all sessions will be recorded on Panopto, the University of Birmingham’s video platform, and published on the integrated virtual learning environment ‘Canvas’. Other support will be available through online discussion groups and individual tutorials.
Module details are as follows:
Research Methodology in Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation
This module will develop your research skills within the areas of sport and physical activity. It will cover the practical usage and critical analysis of methodologies providing an essential understanding of conducting research in a real-world sport/physical activity environment.
Through this module, you will gain an in-depth understanding of conducting research in a real-world sport/physical activity environment which will allow you to develop as a research-led practitioner. The module also provides the grounding for the master’s dissertation research.
Advanced Pedagogies
This module examines key aspects of physical education practice through the theoretical lens of ‘pedagogy’. In particular, it focuses on ‘advanced pedagogies’ that frame practice in 3 areas: knowledge in context; diverse learners and learning; and career-long professional inquiry.
Digital Practice in Sport, Exercise and Health
In this module, students will examine: the professional learning needs of practitioners using digital technologies, the ethical implications presented by digital technologies, the applications of digital technologies in sports, exercise, and health contexts, and the outcomes associated with digital technologies in sports, exercise and health
During this module, students will review existing evidence on the digital technologies relevant to their sport, exercise, and health context to identify the professional learning needs of practitioners to use and apply digital technologies
Innovation in Professional Development
The module aims to allow participants to evaluate current personal and professional development within the context of their professional role. It seeks to progress and enhance critically reflective skills through linking theory with practice, and developing informed strategies to support own and others’ professional development and learning within the workplace. Drawing from contemporary adult learning theories, the module will address the challenges of professional learning in multiple contexts, and the need to think more critically (and creatively) in supporting learner development.
Applied Professional Practice
In this module, you will work on a real-life case study from your teaching. You will be expected to draw upon knowledge and skills gained in the other modules to create a fully considered and justified player or team development plan based on a clear rationale and needs analysis. As part of this, you will be expected to integrate theory into practice in the development of pupils and learners. You will then implement your plan to demonstrate the competency that you have achieved in applying appropriate theory into practice and the evaluation of and impact of decisions made.
Player and Participant Development
This module develops the theory and applied practice in the coaching and participation process. Dropout and issues of sports ‘membership’ will be analyzed from the viewpoint of participants, coaches, and sports administrators. The theory and application of sports science in assisting and improving coaching methodology will also be covered including areas such as motor learning, biomechanics, and psychology.
Dissertation (after successful transfer to MSc)
In this module, you will integrate the areas covered in the taught modules within the program. You will propose a research project, submit ethics, and undertake and write up a piece of academic empirically based research relevant to your area of practice and interests in coaching.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Students completing this degree go onto varying forms of employment or further study. Students who are current teachers have strengthened not only their teaching, but also their leadership skills, and many have progressed in the types of leadership roles they fulfill in schools after completing this degree.
Some students have used the MSc degree as a springboard into further study, which includes, completing a PGCE to gain Qualified Teaching Status, and/or joining a Ph.D. program. Other students have found the MSc degree has supported their employment in sport/physical activity-focussed clubs, sport, physical activity and health organizations and trusts, technology-focused companies, leisure centers, coach education and development, and/or the course has supported students to initiate their own private or voluntary sector companies.