Postgraduate Course: Applied Practice in Strength and Conditioning (SPRT11020)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education and Sport |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | This course promotes students to develop and exercise professional judgement in applying their strength and conditioning knowledge and understanding in practical scenarios and across disciplines, and to communicate and justify their rationale for training, coaching and monitoring decisions. |
| Course description |
Effective strength and conditioning practice draws on a broad range of interdisciplinary training and coaching knowledge and experience. You will be required to understand and critically evaluate training variables associated with different physical qualities to design training plans informed by research and practical evidence. You will develop critical awareness of coaching processes and demonstrate your competence in coaching specific elements of training plans with the goal of improving physical performance. Finally, you will undertake relevant testing and monitoring using a range of applied approaches and collect, manipulate and analyse data to generate insight to assess performance and inform applied decision-making.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2025 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
400
(
Lecture Hours 40,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 40,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
312 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
70 %,
Practical Exam
30 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment: Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 70 %, Practical Exam 30% «br /»
«br /»
Further Information: «br /»
Assessment will consist of a presentation and defence (weighted 40%), a 2000-word (or equivalent) report (weighted 30%), and a practical assessment (weighted 30%). To successfully complete this course, students must achieve an aggregate mark of at least 40%. |
| Feedback |
Informal Feedback: This takes place during teaching throughout the course. Tutors will comment on understanding of the ideas covered in the course and may give specific advice regarding progress. Such feedback is intended to help students understand what their strengths and development points are, and to enable them to take informed responsibility for their learning and progression.
Discussion forum: Throughout the course as a whole the students are encouraged to use a discussion forum in Learn Ultra and Teams. Any questions posted by students about teaching, learning and assessment are be responded to by the course tutors for everyone to see.
Formative Feedback: We utilise a range of different formative feedback methods such as de-briefs on student activities, tutor meetings, and peer feedback.
Summative Feedback: Detailed assignment feedback reports are provided in accordance with the assignment specification and criteria. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Show a critical awareness of traditional and contemporary training, coaching and monitoring methodologies used in strength and conditioning practice.
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the kinesiology demands of training exercises for different physical qualities and adaptations.
- Apply professional judgement in creating and delivering context-appropriate training sessions and programmes informed by evidence and practice.
- Communicate rationale of applied decision-making processes through critical use of research, practical evidence and professional guidelines.
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Reading List
- Brearley, S., & Bishop, C. (2019). Transfer of Training: How Specific Should We Be? Strength and Conditioning Journal, 41(3), 97-109
- Howe, L. P., Waldron, M., & Read, P. W. (2014). A Systems-Based Approach to Injury Prevention for the Strength and Conditioning Coach. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 36(1), 28-34.
- Joyce, D., & Lewindon, D. (2021). High-Performance Training for Sports (2nd ed.). Human Kinetics.
- Sportsmith. (2024). Learn: Articles. https://www.sportsmith.co/learn/?type=articles
- Till, K., Muir, B., Abraham, A., Piggott, D., & Tee, J. (2019). A Framework for Decision-Making Within Strength and Conditioning Coaching. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 41(1), 14-26. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Graduate Attributes and Skills
This course addresses 18 of the 26 graduate attributes developed on the MSc Strength and Conditioning degree.
Knowledge and understanding
1. critical knowledge and understanding of the current research evidence relating to strength and conditioning interventions
2. critical knowledge and understanding of current strength and conditioning recommendations and practice across populations, with an emphasis on sports performance
3. specialist knowledge of assessment and monitoring protocols to investigate issues in the field of strength and conditioning
4. critical awareness of principles of training and how to apply them in the design and review of appropriate training interventions
5. a critical understanding of research methods employed within the area of strength & conditioning
Skills and abilities in Research and Enquiry
6. search for, access, critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise relevant literature and information in order to develop their knowledge and understanding relating to strength and conditioning
Personal and Intellectual Autonomy
10. be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning, and are committed to professional development, self-evaluation and self-improvement
12. be able to recognise diversity of opinion in strength and conditioning, reflecting and evaluating this range and formulating justified and evidence-based ideas for application
13. be able to reflect on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments in strength and conditioning
Skills and abilities in Communication
14. be able to communicate using oral and written methods to specialist (e.g., staff, strength and conditioning coaches, sport scientists, and other members of a multi-disciplinary performance team) and non-specialist audiences (e.g., athletes, research participants)
15. be able to use communication as a means for collaborating and relating to others including staff, fellow students, research participants, and members of a multi-disciplinary performance team
16. be able to engage in critical discussion demonstrating listening skills, effective use of evidence and own experience to support assertions, and clear articulation of points.
Skills and abilities in Personal Effectiveness
20. have the confidence to make informed decisions relating to problems and issues in strength and conditioning
22. be able to transfer knowledge, skills and abilities from one professional context to another (e.g., sports vs. health context, or between different sports)
23. be able to effectively work collaboratively with others (e.g., students, coaches, athletes), recognising the diversity of contributions individuals can make
Technical/practical skills
24. be able to use data collection methods appropriate for their research project
25. have developed their strength and conditioning skills and attributes towards professional standards (UKSCA)
26. be able to design suitable and informed strength and conditioning programmes, primarily for use by athletes |
| Keywords | Training,Performance,Coaching,Decision-making |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Alex Owens
Tel:
Email: alex.owens@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr George Adams
Tel:
Email: George.Adams@ed.ac.uk |
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