MSc Strength and Conditioning
Gloucester, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 20,625 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
This is the ideal course for passionate and committed individuals who want to advance their strength and conditioning practice. Many of our module assessments have been designed with industry to provide an experience that develops your subject-specific knowledge that is relevant to your applied practice.
This provides you with the opportunity to critically evaluate, reflect and receive feedback on your current practices that you can act upon to enhance your career prospects.
Designed in collaboration with our key industry partners, the course has a proven track record of helping practitioners progress into the field, via both practice and academic routes.
Focus is on developing your performance as an evidence-based coach, with a strong scientific background. You’ll be challenged and supported to develop your existing expertise to the high standards required by employers, as well as UKSCA and NSCA professional standards.
You’ll be taught by experienced accredited strength and conditioning coaches, who are also research-active lecturers, actively publishing high-quality research in the field.
CIMSPA-endorsement
This course is endorsed by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). On successful completion of the course you’ll hold the professional position of ‘Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach’. Student CIMSPA membership fees are funded by us throughout your studies, providing you with career advice and further learning opportunities. Once you obtain the ‘Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach’ title you’ll then need to enter into a professional membership with CIMSPA in order to maintain the qualification.
Hartpury has a number of scholarships available to support students from outside the UK.
The full master’s degree will provide the tools you need to become a well-rounded strength and conditioning coach, able to bridge the gap between theory and practice, as well as helping support the development of the ‘softer’ coaching skills needed to become an effective practitioner.
You’ll gain a thorough grounding in the role of strength and conditioning as part of the wider sports network through modules covering strength and conditioning practices, coaching science and research methods – these will allow you to develop the advanced critical skills necessary to work within the field.
You’ll benefit from lectures, workshops and practical sessions, working individually and collaborating with peers from different professional backgrounds to share and evaluate best practices and develop your professional network. You’ll also have the opportunity to complete a self-funded British Weightlifting qualification to enhance your development.
It is key that you put what you learn into practice, so we strongly encourage you to fulfil a strength and conditioning practitioner role outside your learning. Roles may be available with our performance Sports Academy teams or through our extensive professional network – please speak to a staff member before application.
Work placements and experience
It’s important that students on this course are developing their applied coaching skills. It’s therefore expected that all students undertake some form of applied practice within the field during their studies.
Due to the diverse locations that our students travel from, they normally prefer to organise experiential opportunities nearer their home. However, you will be able to utilise our extensive industry connections, as well as our own performance Sports Academy teams, to secure a role, locally or nationally. Please speak to a member of staff prior to submitting your application.
Throughout the course, you’ll be informed of paid and volunteer positions that become available and for which you may wish to apply.
Additional qualifications
During the course you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a self-funded British Weightlifting Coaching qualifications at a discounted rate. These will likely take place over weekends and will be run on a first-come first-served basis. Details of dates of the courses and the associated costs of these will be released throughout the academic year.
Graduate destinations
As a graduate strength and conditioning coach, you’ll have many potential career opportunities. During the course, you can make the most of our sports and careers teams for advice about your future. Recent graduate destinations for our students have included:
- Professional sport
- Head of athletic development in schools or clubs
- PE school coach
- Academic researcher (PhD)
- Higher education lecturer
- Business owner