Strength and Conditioning (MSc)

Our masters degree in Strength and Conditioning provides you with in-demand skills and a solid foundation for a rewarding career.

This programme develops your skills and knowledge in strength training and your ability to apply them in practice. Teaching is based on the latest research and input from highly experienced practitioners in the field who can provide insight and advice that will help you prepare for your career. You can also choose to undertake an internship or placement with one of the many organisations, athletes or teams we have relationships with. 

Through our programme, you'll: 

  • understand and evaluate current research and thinking in strength and conditioning 
  • inform the design and delivery of appropriate training interventions 
  • understand the theoretical and practical aspects of strength and conditioning interventions 
  • gain the skills necessary to operate as a practitioner in a sports performance environment 

Our current teaching staff are all active researchers in the field who have experience working with sports people at all levels up to international standard. For example, staff have served as consultants to the Scottish Institute of Sport and international motorsport schemes. 

Apply now

Visit the University’s Degree Finder for detailed entry requirements, fees, international grade equivalency, language requirements and to apply.

Programme redevelopment

We are always evolving and aiming to improve the teaching, learning, experience and employability of our students. If you join us from September 2025, you will join a redeveloped programme that focuses on practical learning. Our experts and accredited practitioners will prepare you to thrive in a competitive job market and a changing world.

What you will study

Masters degrees at the University of Edinburgh comprise 180 credits.   You can take the masters degree full-time in one year. 

The first 120 credits are taught courses where you will learn about areas relevant to strength and conditioning. You'll also consider wider professional skills and issues associated with the application of scientific principles. 

Once you successfully complete the taught courses you will progress to the dissertation component (60 credits) to achieve the award of MSc.

You will complete five compulsory courses, with your learning comprised of lectures, tutorials and practical sessions.  

  • Applied Practice in Strength and Conditioning (40 credits): This two-semester course encourages you to develop and exercise professional judgement in applying your strength and conditioning knowledge and understanding in practical scenarios and across disciplines, and to communicate and justify your rationale for training, coaching, and monitoring decisions.       
  • Professional Development for Strength and Conditioning (40 credits): To positively impact physical performance, strength and conditioning coaches need to combine technical knowledge with knowing how to motivate and support their clients. Professional skills, such as communication, reflection, and understanding, are therefore required by coaches to positively transfer their knowledge to others. This course encourages you to appraise your current level of proficiency in skills related to your future career goals in strength and conditioning, and to plan, implement, and reflect on the development of these skills.
  • Training Science (20 credits): A critical knowledge and understanding of training science is required to inform the application of particular athlete preparation strategies. This course will develop a critical awareness of the demands of a range of sports for athletes and explore how effective training promotes physiological adaptation. The research evidence to support current training recommendations will be evaluated across a range of sports and environmental contexts.

You will take two Research Methods courses to help you prepare for your dissertation: 


Once you successfully complete the five taught courses, you can progress to the dissertation component (60 credits).  


An indicative academic year calendar is included here to give a sense of the programme schedule. 

Semester 1 (September to December)

  • Professional Development for Strength and Conditioning - full-year
  • Applied Practice of Strength and Conditioning - full year
  • Training Science - October-December
  • Understanding Research Concepts - September-November

Semester 2 (January to April)

  • Professional Development for Strength and Conditioning - full-year
  • Applied Practice of Strength and Conditioning - full year
  • Training Science - December-March
  • Research Process - February-April

Summer (May to August)


Our assessment methods are designed to test you academically and help you develop skills and attributes you can use in your career. Some examples include:  

  • written critical reviews
  • examinations
  • oral presentations
  • reflective accounts
  • infographics  
  • continuing professional development plans 

Each taught course includes: 

  • weekly contact with the course organiser followed by an assessment period
  • assessment, exam and/or assignments (equivalent to a 4000-5000-word assignment for each course) 

Internships and placement

Alongside your academic studies, you can take up voluntary strength and conditioning internships and placements in a variety of roles. We have well-established relationships with organisations such as professional rugby and football clubs, and a range of performers, including those at elite level in sports such as athletics, rowing, swimming, cycling, basketball, hockey, fencing and tennis. 

These opportunities are not a formal or assessed part of the programme but will provide a valuable source of further development and experience that can be reflected upon during the Professional Development and Applied Practice courses. There may also be an opportunity to link your dissertation with an internship. Please discuss this with the programme director and internship provider.  

We apply governing body codes of conduct for internships and placements in strength and conditioning to help ensure that you have the chance to develop your skills and gain career-relevant experience. Several of our graduates have gone on to work with their placement providers. Please note that placement opportunities change yearly, and we cannot guarantee any aspect of placement provision.  

We also hold practical workshops to help you develop the practical skills required for accreditation with the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA). 

Video: Graduates talk about their internship and placement experiences

Students talk about their internship experiences.

During my degree I undertook three voluntary internships, none of which I would have had access to without the incredible networking opportunities available at the University. 

Adam Crook Strength and Conditioning graduate

Facilities

Students have access to the Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences’ excellent facilities, which include a dance studio, games halls, strength and conditioning performance gym, and labs for studying biomechanics, physiology, psychology, and environmental and human performance.

Learn more about the facilities available at Moray House

The University is ranked among the best in the world for its sport and exercise facilities. Students can participate in any of the more than 60 sport societies on offer, including fencing, skydiving, horse riding, ice hockey, rugby and rock climbing. 

Sport and Exercise at the University of Edinburgh

Graduates talk about the facilities available at Moray House, as well as what the city of Edinburgh has to offer.

Support for your studies

You will have access to a range of support services if you need them throughout your degree.

We will assign you to a Student Advisor in your first few weeks at Edinburgh. This should be the first person to contact if you need help. They can guide you to other University service teams depending on what support you need.

Support for your studies

Careers

Our graduates benefit from the programme’s strong international reputation and its focus on applying current knowledge to strength and conditioning practice.

Our graduates work as strength and conditioning or physical preparation specialists for professional sports teams and clubs around the world. They have also worked with the armed forces in the UK and US. Some have taken roles in health settings, developing ways to improve staff health and wellbeing in large organisations. Others have gone on to doctoral study. 

The programme aims to develop your ability to appraise and apply scientific literature and to apply theory in practical settings. You will also learn how to plan, conduct and share your own research, following the established principles of rigorous scientific study.

Our focus is on performance sport, but we also cover other areas such as exercise and rehabilitation.

By the time you graduate, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand and assess current research and thinking in strength and conditioning
  • Design and deliver appropriate training interventions
  • Provide knowledge of theoretical and practical aspects of strength and conditioning training
  • Provide the skills to allow others to operate as a sports performance ‘practitioner’.

Students have also benefited from non-credit placements during their studies.

The University of Edinburgh's Careers Service supports all current students (and graduates for up to 2 years) to develop their potential and achieve satisfying and rewarding futures.

Join in and make use of:

  • individual appointments
  • group sessions
  • wider campus-based activity
  • online services and resources

We also deliver a diverse programme of face-to-face and online events throughout the academic year.

Visit the Careers Service website


Our students

Students join a vibrant community from across the world, with previous students coming from Canada, Chile, China, India, South Korea, United States, United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Adam Crook

Adam speaking in the gym

'The experience I gained at the University of Edinburgh, both through the course and voluntary positions, have secured me a new role, working with Hearts FC Academy. Here I hope to contribute to the physical and mental development of youth athletes, through coaching and education, in order to progress and prepare them for future competition at professional level.'

Lindsay Sillers

Lindsay speaking in a gym

'The wide variety of courses that are delivered on the programme help to develop a large knowledge base, including up-to-date research and best practices, to aid with the development of well-rounded coaching ability which, in my opinion, are some of the most important factors in the field of Strength and Conditioning and sports science.'

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees are listed on the Postgraduate Study Programme Fees pages related to your desired exit level and duration of study.

MSc Strength and Conditioning - 1 Year (Full-time)


Information about available scholarships and funding can be found on our Scholarships and Studentships page.

Scholarships and studentships


Contact us

Questions about the programme

For programme-specific enquiries, contact the Programme Director. 

Dr Matthew Weston

Programme Director

  • Moray House School of Education and Sport

Contact details

The Strength and Conditioning team

By studying strength and conditioning at Edinburgh, you gain access to the latest research in evidence-based practice as part of a vibrant community of staff and students from across the world. Many of our staff are accredited with leading industry bodies including UKSCA, NSCA and BASES. Learn about the rich and varied academic expertise of our teaching staff in their staff profiles.

Dr Matthew Weston, Programme Director

Alex Owens

Dr Shaun Phillips

Dr Tony Turner

Kevin Watson

Questions about your application or how to apply

For enquiries about your application or how to apply, contact the Postgraduate Admissions office.

Postgraduate Admissions Office (Education)

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS)

Contact details

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