MA Leadership in Sport
The MA Leadership in Sport is delivered online and through flexible residential blocks on-campus – usually, one face to face study block per year with further learning taking place online to offer greater flexibility to work around students’ professional life. The programme is ideal for those working full-time in industry and focuses on leadership development to aid current and future leaders in the profession.
The nature of the sports industry is rapidly changing and there is a far greater need than ever before for coordinators, development officers and managers in the sport, community, and physical activity spheres to have the core business and management skills which will help them to develop as future leaders within the sector.
The MA Leadership in Sport has been designed in close consultation with a range of industry partners to ensure that students see that they are getting value for money studying important modules necessary for their professional development.
These modules include:
- Research Project
- Leading People in Sport
- Sport Business Principles
- Professional Work-Based Development
- The High Performance Environment (Optional)
- Effective Coaching (Optional)
- Enterprise and Innovation in Sport (optional)
- Strategic Leadership in Sport (optional)
- Curriculum Design and Contemporary Approaches to Player Development (optional)
- Pedagogy in Football (optional)
There will be opportunities to gain insight into different sports organisations and different industries to learn from a range of approaches. Professional work-based development is a module which provides the opportunity for a student to undertake a placement with an organisation (either organised via the student or placement can be arranged by sport academic staff). The course also offers a unique opportunity to complete a paid work placement in the US in partnership with UK International Soccer and the potential to complete the FAW B Licence alongside your studies.
* In order to study this programme and be based in the US, students will have to undertake the 140 placement hours for the Professional Work Based Development module with UK International Soccer (UKIS) and as such become an employee.
Assessment
Students are required to evidence knowledge and understanding through a diverse range of assessment across the course, including written reports; strategies and plans; case studies; academic critiques; evidence-based analyses; portfolios; group presentations; poster presentations; practical assessments. A research dissertation or professional applied project on a student-chosen topic relevant to the overall parameters of the course.
There are no exams on the MA Leadership in Sport course. All assessments are authentic to the sports industry so students will be completing work which is either related to their actual role and replicates the type of work that they would be expected to complete working in the sports sector at a management level.
Course Details
Placements
The MA Leadership in Sport offers excellent links with industry professionals. For students who are not currently working in the industry but studying this degree, the course will give them an excellent opportunity to work with a range of partners. We have links with nearly 50 organisations in sport – many of whom support students with placements, research projects and mentoring. For those who are already working in the industry, it is hoped that the course will offer additional networking opportunities and sharing of ideas via informal discussions, which can provide huge added benefits on top of their formal learning.
Work-based learning is embedded throughout the course with particular emphasis on the Professional Work Based Development module, where students will work with an employer for 140 hours. For students who are already working in the industry, this could either be with their existing employer or an alternative employer. For students who are not currently working, placements will be arranged to enable them to gain experience in their chosen role.
Facilities
We have a brand-new specially designed sporting performance facility that focuses on rugby and football coaching. It includes a specialist centre for strength and conditioning with 12 lifting platforms, providing a high performance environment for aspiring athletes. Our full-size indoor 3G pitch is built to the Fifa Pro standard and World Rugby 22 standard. It will guarantee training all year round for our rugby, football and coaching students. We are the only university in England and Wales to offer this facility.
You'll also find a notational analysis suite and over 30 acres of playing fields, including five floodlit pitches. We have a sand-dressed 'astroturf' pitch, as well as a full-size FIFA approved 3G pitch. In addition to these all-weather pitches, there are six grass football pitches, three grass rugby pitches, and a large changing pavilion. Our facilities are regularly used by international professional teams, such as the Wales national football team and Cardiff City Football Club, as well as the touring New Zealand, South Africa and Australia rugby squads. This confirms the high quality of our pitches and the versatility of our equipment.
Career
The need for relevant further education for sports professionals continues to increase given the highly competitive nature of the sport industry with hundreds applying for a handful of jobs. Current professionals and new applicants are therefore keen to gain a competitive edge over others for promotion, with postgraduate qualifications providing one such advantage
The MA Leadership in Sport aims and learning outcomes are focused upon students acquiring the knowledge and employability skills to gain employment within the sports sector with the aim of progressing into management roles USW Sport has a strong track record of creating employable graduates within the sports industry and beyond. This emphasis on student employability remains the core focus for the Sport academic subject area.
Graduates can also progress to a PhD or research degree.
Entry Requirement
Entrance to the course normally requires an Honours degree classification of at least a 2:2 in a relevant subject, although related work experience e.g. 3 years working in sports development, leisure management or coaching, can also be taken into account. An interview may be required.
The course welcomes international applicants and requires an English level of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component or equivalent.
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