Meet The Expert

Chelsea Moore is a lecturer in applied sport and exercise physiology at Wrexham Glyndwr University

What do you specialise in?

I am a lecturer in physiology on the applied sport and exercise sciences course at Wrexham Glyndwr University. Physiology is the study of how the body functions and in sports science we look at how exercise alters the body and how it then reacts to it. My PhD is in exercise-based cardiac rehab and how it improves health – I’m really interested in prescribing exercise and how it can be beneficial to people’s health.

How did you get into this career?

I was always involved in various sports. I followed in my brother’s footsteps and did sport at college, where one of my teachers encouraged me to pursue it at university. I had wanted to go into the army, but once I got to university I began getting good grades and became really interested in the subject. I was offered a lab technician job with a bit of teaching on the side. From there I decided I wanted to do a master’s and then a PhD. After that when an opportunity to lecture at Glyndwr came up I jumped at the chance.

What’s required for your courses?

An interest in the subject is the most important thing – a sport BTEC or sciencebased A-levels are not imperative to get on the course. When students enter level 4 we teach them everything they need to know in order to progress on the course. We offer loads of short courses on the Glyndwr website that range from football-specific courses to performance analysis and an introduction to sports science. If an applicant really feels like they are really lacking any underpinning knowledge of the subject or haven’t got enough UCAS points, we also offer a foundation year, which prepares them for the undergraduate degree.

What does the course entail?

We offer two undergrad courses to students, the applied sport and exercise science course and the football coaching course. Both cover all “A huge the disciplines so students study physiology, chunk of the biomechanics and course is sport psychology. practical” We also look at environmental physiology, which is where we study how the body reacts to exercise in extreme environments like high altitude levels, scorching heat or freezing climates. There’s a wide range of modules on the applied sport and exercise science course, from learning about athletic performance improvement to looking at supplements.

What practical work is involved?

A huge chunk of the course is practical, especially on the physiology side that I teach. I would say it’s 80 per cent in the lab conducting experiments and the other 20 per cent is theory where students look at the different functions of the body. The applied sport and exercise science programme is more clinical in the final year and all our students get their gym instructor qualification as well as their exercise referral qualification, while the football coaching students achieve their UEFA coaching licence.

What career opportunities can this degree lead to?

DID YOU KNOW? The term “physiology” was coined by a 16thcentury French physician

The gym instructor and football coaching qualifications ensure all our students are set up for employment right away and they can also get their personal training qualification if they want it. Applied sport and exercise science is such a broad degree that it can lead to endless career opportunities. Many of our students decide to specialise further with a master’s or PhD in biomechanics or exercise physiology. Graduates have the opportunity to go on to coaching, performance analysis or personal training or do their PCGE to become a PE teacher. There are opportunities to work with councils or sports professionals or in nutrition and dietetics. We offer additional qualifications within the degree to help our students find out what interests them and enable them to specialise in their chosen field.

Why should people choose Wrexham Glyndwr University?

We offer such flexible learning and support here at Glyndwr and we know all of our students personally. Everyone is on an individual journey and students know they can approach us for anything because we want to see them succeed and achieve their goals. We also have amazing pastoral support and careers help that you don’t see at larger universities.