Professional Doctorate in Applied Sport and Exercise Science

Program Overview

The Professional Doctorate in Applied Sport and Exercise Science program at Liverpool John Moores University is a 4-year, part-time program designed for individuals seeking to create and interpret new professional practice in their field. The program emphasizes applied learning through real-world research projects and placements, and provides individualized support and guidance to students to ensure their professional development. Graduates of the program will be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a variety of careers in the field of Applied Sport and Exercise Science.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• Program Name: Professional Doctorate in Applied Sport and Exercise Science
• Program Type: Postgraduate, Professional Doctorate
• Study Mode: Part-time
• Duration: 4 years
• Objectives:
• Enables students to create and interpret new knowledge associated with their own professional practice.
• Supports the creation and interpretation of new professional practice in the student's own area.
• Equips future Applied Sport and Exercise Scientists for a range of professional scenarios associated with problem solving.
• Develops research practitioner skills, specifically the ability to complete research projects in the real world.
• Demonstrates the generic professional skills required to be an Applied Sport and Exercise Scientist through work-based learning experiences, taught sessions, and extensive supervision.
• Program Description:
• Designed to support the creation and interpretation of new professional practice in the student's own area.
• Offers high-quality supervision underpinned by high-grade research.
• Provides opportunities to work with elite athletes or take up positions in physical activity promotion, education, teaching, or research.
• Allows students to work closely with academic staff who are leaders in their research field and experts in training.
• Emphasizes the growing possibilities for qualified professionals in the established discipline of Applied Sport and Exercise Science.
• Highlights the increasing importance of doctoral-level professional training for vocational careers within sport and exercise.
• Focuses on equipping future Applied Sport and Exercise Scientists for a range of professional scenarios associated with problem solving.

Outline:

• Program Structure:
• The program requires completion of a related Masters program or MPhil and two or more years of acquiring supervised skills connected with applied research.
• The program is underpinned by a strong focus on equipping future Applied Sport and Exercise Scientists for a range of professional scenarios associated with problem solving.
• Course Schedule:
• Students are required to attend the University for five days of staff-supported learning in the first five months of the course (January to May).
• A development day following this initial period will be held approximately every eight weeks.
• The remaining delivery will largely be focused upon individually negotiated contact sessions with the supervisor.
• Individual Modules:
• Professional Planning Training in Sport and Exercise Science (30 credits):
• Introduces the program and supports students in self-audit and planning professional research activity.
• Enables students to critically evaluate their current status with respect to relevant competencies for Applied Sport and Exercise Scientists.
• Provides evidence of a systematic plan for the student's own development, specifically a plan relating to the development of their professional practice.
• Sport and Exercise Science Professional Practice (270 credits):
• Comprises 2,100 of the course's 2,700 work-based activity hours.
• Captures the competencies associated with applied research, including:
• Professional skills and standards important for research.
• Strategies to support the completion of independent research projects.
• Key themes in disseminating applied research.
• Reflection in Sport and Exercise Science (60 credits):
• Prepares students for the future by closing the loop on their research training, reflecting on their original plan and experiences, and looking towards future practice.
• Demonstrates the student's overall professional skills development.
• Demonstrates the student's ability to critically analyze, reflect, and meta-reflect on their development and the decisions and choices they have made during training.

Assessment:

• Assessment Methods:
• Professional training audit
• Systematic review
• Scientific and professional reports
• Reflections
• Viva voce exam at the end of the program

Teaching:

• Teaching Methods:
• The program is designed around individual professional requirements to ensure all students receive tailored, specific support that best facilitates their own professional development.
• Faculty:
• Staff have extensive networks with numerous elite and professional sporting and exercise organizations, providing students with research and placement opportunities.
• Staff have existing experience of supervised trainees working in the Applied Sport and Exercise Science service domain.
• Unique Approaches:
• The program emphasizes applied learning through real-world research projects and placements.

Careers:

• Potential Career Paths:
• Applied settings as practitioners and promoters
• Applied Sport and Exercise Science education, teaching, and research positions
• Opportunities:
• The program prepares students for a range of professional scenarios associated with problem solving.
• The program provides opportunities to work with elite athletes or take up positions in physical activity promotion, education, teaching, or research.
• Outcomes:
• The program equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a variety of careers in the field of Applied Sport and Exercise Science.
• The program helps students develop their research practitioner skills, specifically the ability to complete research projects in the real world.
• The program demonstrates the generic professional skills required to be an Applied Sport and Exercise Scientist through work-based learning experiences, taught sessions, and extensive supervision.

Other:

• School Facilities:
• The program is delivered in the City Campus, in the £28 million Tom Reilly Building, which provides world-class sport and exercise science facilities.
• Facilities include:
• 12-lead ECG and cardiopulmonary stress exercise testing equipment
• Ultrasound machines
• Echocardiography and vascular physiology
• 800m2 of exercise physiology laboratory space
• 100 m2 of molecular/biochemistry laboratory space
• Program Leader: Dr. Simon Roberts
• Dr. Roberts joined LJMU in 2004 and was conferred as a Reader in Sport and Exercise Pedagogy in 2014.
• He has held a number of research positions within the university, such as being a member of the Faculty Research Degrees Committee and the University Degrees Committee.
• His research interests are pragmatic and applied in professional contexts, crossing traditional sub-discipline boundaries.
• He is more interested in solving the question than adhering to a specific scientific discipline.
• He was appointed as a Justice of the Peace in 2020 and currently sits on the criminal bench of the Merseyside Magistrates court.
• Program Highlights:
• The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences is ranked 6th for Sports Science (QS World University Rankings 2024).
• Sport and Exercise science was awarded a Royal Charter in June 2024.
• The program is designed to provide students with a high-quality learning experience that prepares them for successful careers in the field of Applied Sport and Exercise Science.