Course overview

With current obesity and diabetes epidemics resulting from sedentary living, poor dietary habits and high stress lifestyles, the need for the expertise of the Clinical Exercise Specialist (CES) is now greater than ever before. The duties performed by a CES are linked closely to treating patients with a chronic disease in which exercise has been shown to provide therapeutic benefit. Specifically, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, peripheral arterial disease and obesity remain important health concerns that have all been shown to benefit from regular safe exercise. This innovative course is, therefore, designed to offer you an interdisciplinary approach to the clinical aspects of exercise, providing a qualification that will enable you to apply theory to practice.

The integration of theory and practice within this course will enable you to:

• develop and improve your ability to become proficient in diagnostic techniques
• plan and deliver safe and effective physical activity programmes
• adapt, modify and critically analyse existing approaches to optimising the health-related fitness of clients
• obtain lab-based and field skills, as well as the ability to communicate with clients in a professional and approachable style

Why study this course at Portsmouth?

Our course draws on the strengths and thriving research expertise of a variety of departments, enabling you to benefit directly from their cutting-edge research. You will be based in the Department of Sport and Exercise Science, alongside our specialists in physical activity and health, kinanthropometry, pulmonary physiology, bioenergetics and power. The Department will deliver the majority of the course units including Exercise Programming and Health Behaviour Change, the Clinical Placement, Applied Research Methods and the Research Project.

The School of Health Sciences and Social Work will deliver the clinical physiology aspects of the course. As a student on this course, you will use the equipment from the simulation suite, to gain practical skills in health-related diagnostics.

The School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences will teach nutrition and health. All academic staff are research active within their chosen specialism and research is both laboratory and field based, with an emphasis towards application. Your learning experience will be research-informed, as well as delivered by enthusiastic, dedicated and knowledgeable staff who will encourage and assist you to achieve your full potential.

Is this the right course for me?

The course is aimed towards:

• health professionals (e.g. exercise physiologists, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, health visitors, dieticians, health promoters, etc)
• those with a related undergraduate degree (e.g. exercise, nutrition, health, biomedicine, psychology, physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, etc)
• medical students who have completed the first three years of their medical studies and are looking for an intercalation course
• those with equivalent professional qualifications and background experience, who wish to work in this field

Intercalation Pathway

The one-year course is available as an intercalation pathway for medical students who have at least successfully completed their third year of study. Please contact the course leader at andrew.scott@port.ac.uk or 023 9284 5298 for further information.

Course content

The course is modular and all of the units on the programme are core units:

• Clinical Physiology and Nutrition is concerned with the diagnostic procedures and pathophysiology of chronic disease and deals with global health concerns relating to nutritional practices.
• Exercise Programming and Behaviour Change develops skills in risk stratification and leading safe and effective physical activities, dealing with the psychology of disease and how to effectively engage clients in health-enhancing behaviours.
• On the Clinical Placement unit, you will gain experience of working in clinical exercise settings, such as cardiac rehabilitation, to allow you to apply your knowledge in a professional environment. Some placement cycles may require travel to Southampton and Winchester. Any travel expenses must be covered by students, but there is no expectation for students to arrange their own placements.
• Applied Research Methods prepares you for the MSc Research Project by covering research design, discussing different investigation strategies and identifying appropriate statistical analyses. The unit will also guide you through the submission of a research proposal and the submission of research in the form of a manuscript. The MSc Research Project will enable you to carry out an individual study in the area of clinical exercise.

Full-time degree structure

• Clinical Physiology and Nutrition (30 credits)
• Exercise Programming and Behaviour Change (30 credits)
• Clinical Placement (30 credits)
• Applied Research Methods (30 credits)
• MSc Research Project (60 credits)

Part-time degree structure

Year one

• Clinical Physiology and Nutrition (30 credits)
• Exercise Programming and Behaviour Change (30 credits)
• Clinical Placement (30 credits)

Year two

• Applied Research Methods (30 credits)
• MSc Research Project (60 credits)

Teaching and assessment

A typical timetable involves a full day on Thursday, Applied Research Methods on Friday morning and another time during the week in placement, depending on the service provider.

Teaching methods include seminar, practical and workshop sessions and tutorials, while recommended reading lists are provided to support learning. The course will test problem-based learning skills, with assignments consisting of case studies, poster and oral presentations, practical activities, portfolios, projects and exams. Assignments are submitted during term time and exams are taken at the end of the academic year.

You will have a personal tutor to assist with academic and pastoral issues and the MSc Research Project will require you to choose a supervisory committee consisting of two members of staff who have expertise in your chosen research area.

Career prospects

The programme will provide opportunities for you to gain 150 hours towards ACSM (the American College of Sports Medicine) Clinical Exercise Specialist certification and units aligned to Level Four National Occupation Standards for Health and Fitness. Career opportunities may include:

• GP Exercise Referral Coordinator
• Exercise Therapist
• NHS Sports Coordinator
• Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Research Technician
• Exercise Tolerance Testing Physiologist
• Mental Health Exercise Instructor
• NHS Physical Activities Adviser
• Private Exercise Physiologist
• Postgraduate research in the UK and the USA

Facilities and features

Our three-storey, purpose-built facility houses fully equipped, state-of-the-art laboratories, keeping the department at the forefront of research and teaching in sports and exercise performance. Our facilities include:

• a psychology laboratory
• two physiology laboratories
• two biomechanics laboratories
• a human physiology lab containing a climatic chamber capable of controlling temperature between 10°C–40°C, humidity at temperatures above 23°C and altitudes up to 8,000 metres (this chamber also houses two water immersion facilities)
• two climatic chambers, with an integrated swimming flume
• a biochemistry and kinanthropometry laboratory for specific activities

We are located right next to the University’s Nuffield Sports Centre and very near to the University’s St Paul’s Sports Centre. These two centres offer many facilities including sports halls, a 100-station gym, squash courts and fitness studios. This means you can very easily apply what you learn in the Exercise Programming and Behaviour Change unit and develop your exercise-related skills. We are confident that these facilities stand up alongside the best.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for MSc Clinical Exercise Science are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: Sport and Exercise Science
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 5550
Email: sci-pgrad@port.ac.uk