Exercise and Nutrition Science MSc

Understanding Cardiovascular Anatomy and Exercise Physiology unlocks the secrets of how your heart powers movement and adapts to physical demands. This module dives into circulation control, from mechanical and electrical heart functions to neuro-hormonal influences. You’ll explore how cardiac metabolism compares to skeletal muscle, how exercise affects heart rate and blood pressure, and how posture influences cardiovascular performance. Learn about heart diseases like arrhythmia and heart failure, and discover how exercise training drives long-term adaptations in heart structure and function. Key to this is the Fick Principle, which explains oxygen delivery and usage—essential for understanding fitness improvements and cardiac rehabilitation. Most importantly, you’ll grasp how regular exercise lowers disease risk and boosts longevity, using evidence-based insights. This knowledge is vital for careers in sports science, medicine, and rehabilitation, equipping you with the expertise to enhance cardiovascular health through training and lifestyle interventions.

This module dives into the critical connections between nutrition and health, exploring how diet shapes the risk and prevention of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. You’ll investigate nutritional epidemiology and public health, examining how food choices and eating behaviours differ across populations. The role of scientific advisory committees and regulatory agencies will be unpacked, revealing how policies influence what we eat. Most importantly, this module equips you with the skills to analyse and apply evidence-based dietary strategies to improve health outcomes. By understanding healthy eating recommendations and the science behind them, you’ll be prepared to navigate emerging nutrition challenges and contribute to public health initiatives. Whether you aim to work in healthcare, policy making, or nutrition research, this module provides essential expertise for making a real-world impact on diet-related health issues.

Module Content:

1. Emerging concerns in nutrition and health
2. Dietary factors in the aetiology and prevention of chronic diseases (eg. cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes).
3. Nutritional epidemiology and public health.
4. Nutrition needs of different groups, including eating behaviour and food choice.
5. Role of scientific advisory committees and regulatory agencies.
6. Healthy eating recommendations for the general public.

This module equips you with essential skills in nutritional and anthropometric assessment, teaching you how to evaluate a client’s dietary needs using research-backed methods and best-practice guidelines. You’ll master dietary assessment techniques, from gathering and interpreting dietary information to analysing the complex relationship between diet, health, and disease. Hands-on experience with dietary analysis software and biochemical assessments will sharpen your ability to assess nutritional status with precision. Additionally, you’ll explore nutritional anthropometry, learning how to measure weight, height, BMI, muscle mass, and body fat, while understanding their uses and limitations. Key screening tools like the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) will prepare you to identify and address nutritional risks effectively. This module is vital for those pursuing careers in nutrition, healthcare, and public health, ensuring you develop the analytical and practical skills needed to assess and improve nutritional health in diverse populations.

Module content:

1. Dietary Assessment
• Obtaining and interpreting dietary information to assess nutritional/health status
• Obtaining and interpreting information about the interaction of diet, health and disease
• Use of dietary analysis software
• Biochemical assessment of nutritional status
2. Nutritional anthropometry. Uses and limitations of:
• Weight
• Height and Proxy measures for height etc.
• Indices e.g. Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Circumferences e.g. mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC)
• Estimation of muscle
• Skinfolds and the assessment of body fat
• Screening tools using anthropometry e.g. Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)

This engaging module explores the critical role of nutrition in sports performance, covering energy systems, macronutrient utilisation, and hydration strategies. Students will examine how carbohydrate, fat, and protein support different exercise intensities, alongside the latest research on fluid balance and nutritional ergogenic aids. Practical applications include working with elite and club-level athletes, using dietary analysis methods in both research and real-world settings. Additionally, the module delves into the psychological and behavioural factors influencing eating habits, as well as the professional and ethical considerations in sports nutrition. By the end, students will develop a key competency in applying evidence-based nutrition strategies to optimise athletic performance and recovery.

This module provides a comprehensive understanding of clinical exercise testing and prescription, equipping you with the skills to assess and design exercise programs for health and disease prevention. You’ll explore the role of exercise in cardiovascular health, learning essential pre-exercise screening and risk stratification methods. Through both lab-based and field-based assessments, including cardio-pulmonary and submaximal fitness tests, you’ll gain hands-on experience in evaluating functional capacity. A key focus is on analysing exercise and respiratory responses to inform safe and effective exercise prescriptions, factoring in heart rate, perceived exertion (RPE), and cardiovascular medications. Practical skills in aerobic fitness testing, such as Step, Cycle, and Shuttle Walk Tests, will prepare you for real-world clinical settings. By the end of the module, you’ll have the expertise to develop tailored exercise programs, ensuring safety and maximising health benefits for individuals across various fitness and medical conditions.

This module provides a comprehensive foundation in research methods and data analysis, equipping you with the skills to design, conduct, and interpret scientific research. You’ll explore different research types—analytical, descriptive, experimental, and qualitative—while mastering key concepts like hypotheses, variables, sampling, and measurement reliability. Learn how to collect and analyse data effectively, from experimental designs and surveys to case studies and qualitative research techniques. A strong emphasis on ethical research practices ensures you understand the responsibilities of scientific inquiry. You’ll also gain hands-on experience with SPSS software, learning to establish databases, transform variables, and apply statistical tests like ANOVA, t-tests, and chi-square analyses. By the end of the module, you’ll be able to critically evaluate research, apply statistical techniques, and use data-driven insights to inform decision-making—essential skills for careers in academia, healthcare, and scientific research.

This module provides an opportunity to conduct independent research, allowing you to contribute to the growing body of knowledge in your field of study. Working closely with a supervisor and research coordinator, you will design and execute a research project that aligns with your academic discipline. This involves identifying a research question, reviewing existing literature, selecting appropriate methodologies, and analysing data to generate meaningful insights. Through this process, you’ll develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and research skills, essential for academic and professional success. The module emphasises independent inquiry and evidence-based analysis, preparing you to engage with real-world challenges in your chosen field. By the end, you’ll have completed a rigorous, well-structured research project, demonstrating your ability to contribute valuable findings to your discipline—an essential competency for further study, professional research, or industry application.