SCHOOL OF SPORT, HEALTH AND EXERCISE SCIENCES
MRes PROGRAMMES
WHY STUDY SPORT AND HEALTH AT BANGOR? The University Bangor offers a unique environment, high quality academic institution located between Snowdonia and the sea. It is probably one of the prime university locations in the UK. As well as providing an enjoyable learning environment, this fantastic location gives students an excellent opportunity to become actively involved in life outside the lecture hall. Free membership of the many clubs and societies on offer at the University is a unique aspect of the Bangor experience.
The School (SHES) has been providing high-calibre taught postgraduate (PGT) (MSc) degrees since 2000. Â Over this period Bangor has attracted some of the world's best teaching and research staff who have contributed to the development of one of the UK's truly excellent degree programmes. These range from the long-established MSc Applied Sport Science course to the more recent and innovative MSc Applied Sport Science and Outdoor Activities.
The City of Bangor is a small, friendly cathedral city that offers a safe and affordable place to live with good road and rail links to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, London and Dublin and the rest of Ireland via the fast ferry to/from Holyhead.
The School is research-led and the research undertaken by staff is applicable to what they teach on postgraduate programmes. Students have the opportunity to put theory into practice working with staff from the various research groups within the School.
TEACHING & RESEARCH EXCELLENCE Unlike some other schools in the UK, all staff are research-active and all teach students. This means that students at Bangor are taught by the leaders in the field and gives them the opportunity to: •
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actively engage with those who write the papers and text books that other lecturers read; benefit from being taught the most up-to-date information in sport and exercise sciences; be inspired and learn from experts who are passionate and enthusiastic about what they teach.
Many of the School's staff are also accredited by professional bodies such as: the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES); British Psychological Society (BPS); and the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC). And, importantly, over 95% of the research-active teaching staff have professionally recognised higher education teaching qualifications.
Excellent Facilities and Location Based in a beautiful Grade II listed building on the banks of the Menai Strait, the School has an impressive range of laboratories and state-of-the-art equipment for sport and exercise physiology, motor control and learning, psychology and motion analysis. The School's physiology laboratories are accredited by BASES. Facilities include: • environmental and altitude chambers; • exercise rehabilitation laboratories; • two dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanners; • two state-of-the-art 3D high speed motion capture systems for movement analysis; • psychology intervention and observation/interview laboratory; • a live-in/social psychology laboratory; • a suite of psychomotor experimental rooms; • biochemistry and cell biology labs… ...plus some of the best views in the country!
EXCELLENT STUDENT EXPERIENCE The School values the overall experience of its students highly and combines a caring and student-centred approach with a challenging but enjoyable learning environment. With an annual intake of approximately 40-45 postgraduates, the School boasts a close knit and friendly community, which is small enough for all students to have access to small group tutorials and seminars, and regular one-to-one meetings with staff. Excellent Student Life The University is ranked as one of the best places to be a student (Accommodation for Students website) and has one of the fairest workloads of any UK university (Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey).
Go further with a Bangor degree MRes students undertake additional research related modules in Statistics, Peer Reviewing and Latent Variable Modelling, to enhance their future research careers. This ensures that individuals graduate, not only with a degree of the highest calibre, but with a CV full of transferable research skills that enables them to excel in today's competitive job market. All postgraduate taught applicants (Home/EU/International, full-time and parttime) are eligible to apply to become a Graduate Assistant (GA). Graduate Assistants work with academic staff in a range of teaching, learning and assessment activities to support undergraduate student learning gaining valuable ‘real-life’ experience to add to their CVs.
WHICH COURSE SHOULD I CHOOSE? MRes degrees are aimed at students who wish to gain more extensive training in research in sport, health and exercise sciences. The programmes have been designed to provide students with the opportunity to develop a critical understanding of the principles and application of research design and analytical methods relevant to their scientific discipline. The programmes facilitate the integration of theory and professional practice, and throughout the programmes the research process and emphasis on student autonomy of learning become increasingly important. Research skills oriented modules form the bedrock of SHES’ MRes programmes. As a result taught modules are aligned with both discipline specific and the (higher) cognitive skills the MRes programmes aim to provide. Within a modular structure all students undertake compulsory modules in research skills totalling 40 credits, an optional 20 credit module (typically aligned to their programme of study), plus a final compulsory Research Project comprising 120 credits. Under the guidance of their supervising tutor(s), students will pro-actively determine the content of their project which is developed from a project proposal and the taught phases of the MRes programmes. Throughout this module students receive excellent research training from leaders in the field and it is expected that the resulting projects will be publishable in international, peer-reviewed journals. External Examiners' Report (May 2012) "Students are conducting research that is very innovative, deals with issues that are at the forefront of sport and exercise psychology, and shows a truly impressive knowledge of research methods. In addition, the students are communicating their knowledge to a very high level‌At this level, the research projects that I have seen this year are some of the finest examples of M level dissertations that I have ever seen."
There are three MRes pathways:
Sport and Exercise Science
Optional modules include: Advanced Health Physiology; Sport Psychology; Effective Coaching; Exercise Psychology; Performance Physiology; or Rehabilitation of the Injured Athlete.
Sport and Exercise Physiology
Optional modules include: Advanced Health Physiology; Performance Physiology; or Rehabilitation of the Injured Athlete.
Sport and Exercise Psychology
Optional modules include: Sport Psychology; Effective Coaching; Exercise Psychology; or Rehabilitation of the Injured Athlete.
Professional accreditation You may have the opportunity to prepare for the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) supervisory experience training, which is normally a pre-requisite of the Association's professional accreditation.
FUNDING AND ENTRY DETAILS First Class Funding - The School offers Excellence Awards of £1,000 to all applicants with a first class honours degree (or equivalent). Other funding to support MRes students is available in the form of fee reductions and Graduate Assistantships. Further information can be found at: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/sport/pg_funding.php.en. Entry Requirements • First class or 2:1 honours degree in Sport Science or a related subject (GPA equivalent of 3.0 or higher). • Students with a 2:2 or a degree from a different academic area may also be considered. Working professionals with non-graduate qualifications will be assessed on an individual basis. Please contact us. MRes Applications Applicants who are interested in undertaking an MRes programme should first identify a potential supervisor from the staff list available on the School website at www.bangor.ac.uk/sport.
In addition, students should prepare a brief outline of their proposed area of research to accompany their application form.
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They should follow the online application process for PhD/MPhil students which can be found at: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/courses/postgrad/research/index.php.en
Duration MRes: 1 year full-time; up to 3 years part-time Want to know more? Visit the course information pages online at: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/sport/mres.php.en Alternatively, please contact: Postgraduate Taught Recruitment and Admissions, School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences
www.bangor.ac.uk/sport Please note: the University makes all reasonable efforts to ensure that the information in this booklet is correct at the time of printing.
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Tel: +44 (0)1248 388256 E-mail: mscsport@bangor.ac.uk