Sport and Health at UEA
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Find out moreMSc Professional Practice in Sport (Part Time)
Key Details
- Attendance
- Part Time
- Award
- Degree of Master of Science
- Course Length
- 2 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2026
Other Course Options
Other Start Dates
Other Start Dates
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Why you should choose us
Course Overview
Unlock your potential with our cutting-edge part-time programme, designed to shape the sport leaders of tomorrow.
Sport has long served as a platform for developing physical and mental wellbeing, fostering social and community growth, driving economic progress, and advocating for under-represented groups. Study with us, and you’ll explore the importance of social justice and ethical principles in contemporary professional sports practice.
Our dynamic part-time MSc in Professional Practice in Sport emphasises the value of collaboration, making it an ideal choice for current leader-educators, aspiring future leaders, and recent graduates alike. You'll cultivate essential skills for success in leadership and development roles within the sport and physical activity sector. Our programme is informed by current professional and personal practices in both the UK and global contexts. You’ll study the development and implementation of public policy, strategies of leadership and management, the role of wellbeing in supporting performance, as well as ethics, integrity, and representation in sport.
Our interdisciplinary course aims to nurture your curiosity while building your confidence, understanding, and insights around various approaches. You’ll gain a deeper awareness of your professional practices and how these are influenced by your personal connections with the populations you serve. Whether you're looking to advance your professional development, improve your work environment, or create innovative strategies for under-represented groups, you’ll have the flexibility to shape your studies to your interests through a diverse range of modules.
Our course is structured to foster your professional and personal reflective practice, embedding it within a broader academic and policy context. You’ll strengthen your skills in independent learning, enhance your critical thinking, and elevate your communication abilities to an advanced level—all essential qualities for becoming an effective leader in the sport and physical activity sector. Designed to enhance your career prospects across both public and private sectors, our course will equip you with the qualities, competencies, and skills necessary for success in this exciting and rewarding field.
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Study and Modules
Structure
This two-year, part-time course is carefully structured to accommodate your existing work, family, and life commitments. It offers numerous opportunities for you to reflect on both professional and personal practice, whilst developing the critical skills needed to engage with policy and academic literature.
You’ll be encouraged to think critically about the structures within which you currently work – or may work in the future – and identify areas for further research. You’ll explore the central role of social justice and wellbeing within sporting organisations, and how these values can support performance at all levels.
In addition to the core modules, you’ll also have the opportunity to tailor your learning through a selection of optional modules that align with your personal and professional interests.
Compulsory Modules
Optional A Modules
(Credits: 20)Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
You’ll be taught by leading specialists in the field of sport and physical activity. These include sport, physical activity sociologists and psychologists, health and physical activity researchers, physical education experts, sport coaching and development experts, and those who have rich first-hand experience of leadership in a variety of sport and physical activity, as well as educational contexts.
Our course combines lectures, seminars and embedded wellbeing workshops, and we place an emphasis on interactive as well as reflective activities and critical thinking to support the development of effective communication skills.
You can find further information about our teaching staff by visiting staff profiles available on School of Education and Lifelong Learning website pages.
Enrichment activities
Guest lectures from individuals working in the sport and physical activity sector will form an integral part of the course. This will provide vital opportunities for you to exchange knowledge and to consider real-life applications of some of the work we’ll be focusing on. It'll also permit you time to network with practising leaders and managers.
Academic support
As a Master’s student in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, you’ll have access to enhanced English language tutoring to support the development of your academic writing. In addition, the ‘Critical Reading’ module will offer you focused activities and workshops designed to support your critical reading and advanced academic writing. You’ll also be encouraged to engage with your academic advisers, and module leaders on a regular basis, and you’ll have access to English language support.
Independent learning
To master your independent learning, you'll spend time carrying out independent study and research. You’ll benefit from access to our excellent library service, as well as specialist study spaces designated for postgraduate students at UEA.
Assessment
Across both years, this course is assessed through coursework, which you’ll submit at the end of each module.
In addition to summative coursework, you’ll have the opportunity to produce formative work, designed to give you an early chance to practise your assignments. By making use of these early opportunities to plan your work and articulate emerging ideas, you’ll be able to refine your arguments and present them clearly in your final summative assessments.
You’ll also receive regular feedback during taught sessions, both in person and via our online learning platform, helping to enhance your learning and overall academic development.
Structure
Throughout the course, you’ll develop advanced reading, analytical, and research skills that will enable you to critically evaluate a range of approaches to conducting research in sport, physical activity, and broader educational contexts.
In your second year, you’ll have the opportunity to apply and further refine these skills through the completion of your Master’s dissertation.
Compulsory Modules
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.
Teaching and Learning
In year two, you’ll continue to learn from leading experts across sport, physical activity, and education, including specialists in sociology, psychology, coaching, and leadership. Your learning will continue to blend lectures, seminars, and wellbeing workshops with interactive, reflective activities designed to enhance your critical thinking and communication skills.
As before, you’ll take part in guest lectures from sport and physical activity professionals, gaining real-world insights and valuable networking opportunities. You’ll continue to benefit from strong academic support, including enhanced English language tutoring and focused workshops on critical reading and academic writing. Independent learning remains a key component throughout both years, supported by access to UEA’s library and dedicated postgraduate study spaces.
Assessment
In year two, you’ll continue to be assessed through coursework submitted at the end of each module, including your dissertation.
In addition to summative coursework, you’ll produce formative work, designed to give you a chance to practise your assignments. You’ll receive regular feedback during taught sessions, both in person and via our online learning platform.
Employability
After the Course
Upon successful completion of the course, you'll be able to demonstrate advanced skills essential for working in leadership and/or management roles in the sport and physical activity sector. Depending on your previous professional experience and career aspirations, you'll also gain knowledge, understanding and advanced critical reflective skills to succeed in a range of sport, physical activity or education-related roles. Our course is designed to open career paths in sport and physical activity sectors, not-for-profit organisations, as well as leadership and management research and consultancy.
Through our interdisciplinary curriculum, you’ll build a strong foundation for pursuing doctoral research.
Careers
Examples of careers that you could enter include:
- Local government, development, advocacy roles in sport and physical activity sector
- Leadership and senior management roles in sport and physical activity sectors, including schools and colleges
- NGBs, NGOs, not-for-profit and private sport, physical activity, and educational development organisations
- Sport and physical activity policymaking in the public and private sectors, think tanks, research organisations and charities
Discover more on our Careers webpages.
Entry Requirements
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
Degree classification
Bachelors degree - 2:2
Degree Subject
No specific degree subject is required, however it is advantageous to have studied in the sports science subject area, health sciences, and broader social sciences.
- Additional Entry Requirements
- Applicants without a traditional undergraduate degree are welcome to apply as applications may be considered based on relevant professional experience, and/or voluntary work.
- Interviews
- Note that applicants who have had an extended period of time away from formal education may require an interview.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
- This course is open to
UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.
- Typical International Entry Requirements
Degree classification
UK Bachelors degree - 2:2 or equivalent
Degree Subject
No specific degree subject is required, however it is advantageous to have studied in the sports science subject area, health sciences, and broader social sciences.
- Additional Entry Requirements
- Applicants without a traditional undergraduate degree are welcome to apply as applications may be considered based on relevant professional experience, and/or voluntary work.
- English Foreign Language
Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):
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IELTS: 6.5 overall (minimum 6.0 in all components).
We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.
Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.
If you do not meet the English language requirements for this course, UEA International Study Centre offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the required English skills:
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- International Study Centre
If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study the International Pre-Masters programme offered by our partner INTO UEA. This programme guarantees progression to selected Master's degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details, please click here:
International Pre-Masters in Business, Economics and Social Sciences
- Interviews
- Note that applicants who have had an extended period of time away from formal education may require an interview.
- Admissions Policy
Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all postgraduate applicants.
Fees and Funding
Tuition fees for the Academic Year 2026/27 are:
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UK Students: £11,200
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International Students: £23,850
If you choose to study part-time, the fee per annum will be half the annual fee for that year, or a pro-rata fee for the module credit you are taking (only available for Home students).
We estimate living expenses at £1,136 per month.
Further Information on tuition fees can be found here.
Scholarships and Bursaries
The University of East Anglia offers a range of Scholarships; please click the link for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
How to apply
Applications for Postgraduate Taught programmes at the University of East Anglia should be made directly to the University.
To apply please use our online application form.
Further information
If you would like to discuss your individual circumstances prior to applying, please do contact us:
Postgraduate Admissions Office
Tel: +44 (0)1603 591515
Email: admissions@uea.ac.uk
International candidates are also encouraged to access the International Students section of our website.