Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health (MSc)

About the Course

The MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health based at the Liverpool Hope University is designed to provide you with a broad understanding of sports and exercise medicine, principles of musculoskeletal injury management and rehabilitation, the vital role of physical activity in promoting health and prevention of musculoskeletal and chronic disease, and fundamental aspects of exercise physiology linked to clinical conditions. This will develop students’ future career potential in many areas including elite sports, sports and musculoskeletal clinics, exercise medicine and exercise prescription services, public health, and NHS services.

The MSc programme is underpinned by a strong emphasis on improving health through exercise combined with the assessment and evidence-based management of sports and musculoskeletal injury. Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures and practical sessions utilising well-equipped facilities within the School of Health Sciences including exercise physiology, biomechanics and sport performance labs, dedicated clinical teaching areas, on-site Physiotherapy and Sport Rehabilitation Clinic (PSRC), gym, and strength and conditioning suite.

This programme will provide a good scientific foundation for students who are academically motivated to continue with further education and proceed on to study towards MPhil and PhD.

Why choose Hope?

Over the past few years, Liverpool Hope University has invested substantially (£16.5m) in the facilities to create purpose built environments for delivering high quality programmes in relevant fields. Including new buildings with comprehensive sport and exercise laboratories, well-equipped sporting amenities including  gym and strength and conditioning suites, on-site clinical facilities including a dedicated clinical teaching area and an on-site Physiotherapy and Sport Rehabilitation Clinic (PSRC) along with a broad range of outdoor facilities. These facilities together with investment in staffing and existing partnerships with multiple professional clubs, private clinics and organisations such as and Great British Judo and English Institute of Sport provides a productive, research-informed learning and teaching environment for students. The Undergraduate Sport Rehabilitation programme has been extremely popular with the students going from strength to strength indicating the quality and feasibility of the teaching environment and student experience.

The MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health at Liverpool Hope University is reinforced by a strong emphasis on improving health through exercise participation and prescription together with a deeper understanding of evidence-based assessment, prevention, and management of sports and musculoskeletal injuries. The programme has a balanced content reflecting the true multidisciplinary content making it a suitable programme for students with diverse knowledge and experience backgrounds and broad future career prospects.

Curriculum Overview

The programme offers a multidisciplinary curriculum including the prevention and management of sports injuries, accompanied by an in-depth foundation in relevant areas of anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology and psychology, as well as the fundamentals of exercise and physical activity in maintaining and improving health in special populations and clinical conditions. Furthermore, students will develop essential research skills through an independent research project.

The programme entails core modules (totalling 120 credits) and a research project (60 credits). Clinical and non-clinical teaching sessions are spread over the year by means of one half-day per week. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MSc in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health. Upon successful completion of 120 credits, you will be awarded a Postgraduate diploma in Sports Medicine, Exercise and Health. A stand-alone Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits, full-time nine months excluding research project) is also offered.

Curriculum overview:

• Functional Sports and Musculoskeletal Anatomy
• Exercise Physiology
• Biomechanical techniques in human health and performance
• Physical Activity and Health
• Sports Injuries (Lower Limb, Upper Limb, Head, Neck and Spine)
• Sports Injury Prevention
• Rehabilitation of Sports Injuries
• Research Methods
• Dissertation/report (all MSc students are required to complete an independent research project, which concludes in a dissertation, an oral examination and a presentation)

Please note this curriculum overview is indicative as the information is published a long time in advance of 2021 enrolment and therefore content is subject to change.

Entry Requirements

A minimum of a second class honours degree in a relevant discipline (eg Sport Rehabilitation, Sport Therapy, Physiotherapy, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Medicine, or other Health Professions/health-related areas) awarded by a UK university, or an equivalent higher education qualification. Alternative qualifications will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.

All suitable applicants will be interviewed.

This MSc is open to both non-medical and medical graduates with an appropriate background who wish to achieve a deeper understanding of sports medicine, sports injuries and exercise medicine, are planning a career in the field, or wish to develop the skills necessary for further research. 

International Entry Requirements

Possess a degree from an overseas institution that is judged by the Registrar or Nominee to be equivalent to a second class honours degree from a UK University.

For students whose first language is not English there is a language requirement of IELTS 6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum of all components. In addition to this, we also accept a wide range of International Qualifications, for more information please visit our English Language Requirements page.

For additional information about country specific entry requirements visit the your country pages. 

*Part time study is not available for Non-EU International applicants

Teaching and Research

We have a dynamic, experienced, and research-active teaching team encompassing a diverse range of expertise in both research and applied fields including Medicine, Physiotherapy and Sport Rehabilitation, and are dedicated to enhancing the student experience. In addition to the clinical and non-clinical expertise available within the School of Health Sciences, our academics have established substantial networks and collaborations with external experts and guest speakers who will proactively contribute to the delivery of specialised sessions particularly in relation to the clinical topics. The programme will enable you to develop practical skills and become competent in using a number of relevant techniques in relation to your chosen career field.

There is a strong and vibrant teaching and research environment within the School of Health Sciences underpinned by a recent £16.5m investment in the infrastructure and related sporting and clinical facilities. These include a new building with comprehensive laboratories (biomechanics, exercise physiology, body composition, sport performance, Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), strength and conditioning suite with Olympic platforms, gym, dedicated clinical teaching areas, and on-site physiotherapy and sport rehabilitation clinic (PSRC). The school’s well-equipped bioscience and nutrition labs are also available to students depending on their research project. In addition to these, new outdoor facilities including 4G football pitch, rugby pitch, tennis courts, and Astroturf are available for student projects.

UK/Channel Island Tuition Fees

2025/26

Tuition fees for Home students are £9,500

Funding

We offer a number of scholarships and loans to help fund your postgraduate studies. Visit our scholarships pages for more details.

EU/Non EU International Tuition Fees

2025/26

Tuition fees for EU/Non-EU International students for 2025/26 are £16,000.

Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.

Careers

This programme will provide graduates with more profound understanding into the key areas of sports injury prevention and management, health and physical activity and exercise physiology. Graduates will gain a valuable insight for prescribing exercise safely for a range of special populations, injuries, medical conditions, and chronic diseases. This will prepare them for potential work in many areas including elite sports medicine, professional sport clubs, private musculoskeletal clinics, exercise medicine and health promotion services, and the NHS. Students have unrivalled access to guest speakers, all experts in their own field locally, nationally and internationally for career advice and potential opportunities.