Strength & Conditioning - Galway

Study Hours
10 hours of online lectures per week in Semester 1 as well as lab days on campus and at least 25 hours per week engaging in self-directed learning.

Who should apply?
This programme is suitable for coaches, sport scientists, practitioners and teachers looking to pursue or develop their career in sports performance, strength and conditioning, exercise physiology, performance analysis, research, education, coaching or other science-based professions.

Modules
Sports Nutrition
Physiology of Sport & Exercise
Research Methods
Data Analytics
Strength & Conditioning
Sports Performance Analysis
Professional Practice
Dissertation or Work Based
Learning Research Project

Students must have a minimum of a 2.2 in an Honours degree in any science or related health-discipline. Students with Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) may also be considered for entry, however, applicants may be required to complete prerequisite assessments prior to acceptance.

1.5 Years

On-Campus Attendance
Mandatory attendance at a two day block, five times in the year

Job Opportunities
Specific job opportunities for graduates have included:
• Strength and conditioning coaches with amateur or elite teams
• Performance analysis
• Athlete development programmes
• Public health improvement
• Addressing inequalities in health
• Developing/commissioning and implementing policies and programs
• Monitoring, evaluation and assessment of training needs in individuals/teams
• Education and generating research evidence linking training regimes and sport and exercise performance across a range of employers
• Professional sports clubs and organisations (nationally and globally)
• National sporting associations, governing bodies and other related sporting agencies
• Private health and fitness clubs and public sports and recreation facilities
• Entrepreneurial projects and product development (e.g. biofeedback technology)
• Local authorities (e.g. local sports partnerships)
• Schools, further education and higher education institutions
• The health sector (e.g. Healthy Ireland)
• Performance optimisation (preventative health and post-rehabilitative)
• Advisory positions in weight management, physical activity or similar
• Broader roles in health promotion and health improvement
• Project delivery or advisory work with government agencies, e.g. HSE, local authorities
• Research and data analysis at various higher education institutes
• National health assessment groups

The career opportunities available to strength and conditioning experts in Europe are expanding all the time, and this expansion appears likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Most sports now recognise strength and conditioning as an integral part of their sport’s development, and success and most athletes consider the application of strength and conditioning as an important part of everyday preparation for training and competition.

Examples of careers from similar programmes in the UK include:
• Elite Performance Coach
• Exercise Physiologist
• High-Performance Director
• Strength Specialist
• Rehabilitation Specialist
• Lecturer in Higher Education
• Athletic Performance Specialist
• Researcher
• Youth S&C Coach
• Movement Specialist
• Elite Player Development Officer
• Self-employment (as a consultant, contractor or entrepreneur)

In the UK, typical employers include:
• Sport England
• Professional football teams
• Professional rugby teams
• British Paralympics
• Sports Management
• Government agencies (e.g. NHS)
• Local authorities
• Academic appointments

Similar job opportunities are available throughout Europe and the US.