Clinical Exercise Physiology MSc

Program Overview

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MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology

Overview

This programme develops the required knowledge and skills to be eligible for registration as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP). The NHS and other health care providers are facing unprecedented demand for services while the experience of Covid highlighted and exacerbated issues related to an underlying physical inactivity epidemic. CEPs are University MSc qualified health professionals trained to screen, assess and apply clinical and scientific reasoning to ensure safety and appropriateness of exercise-based interventions that can support long term behaviour change; as professionals they are expected to advance their practice through continuing education, competency development and professional experience.

Our MSc programme helps graduates to meet the Academy for Healthcare Sciences (AHCS) Standards of Proficiency which are in line with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency.

Mode of Study:

• Part-time (available as Full-time)

Duration:

• 2 years

Start date:

• Sep

Course details

This MSc course will prepare you for a career as a CEP, so that you can:

• specialise in the prescription and delivery of evidence-based exercise interventions to optimise the prevention, treatment, and long-term management of acute, sub-acute, chronic and complex conditions.
• work in a range of primary, secondary, and tertiary care settings as part of a multidisciplinary team of health care and rehabilitation providers
• optimise physical function and health and promote long-term wellness through lifestyle modification and behaviour change across the lifespan.

Accreditation (Academy for Healthcare Sciences (AHCS) accreditation pending)

Our MSc programme delivers the Clinical Exercise Physiology-UK (CEP-UK) curriculum framework. This national curriculum framework has been developed for all UK MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology degrees to ensure the required knowledge and skills and forms part of the AHCS MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology degree accreditation.

How you’ll be taught

You’ll learn by a variety of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials, practical lab sessions, and work-based learning.

• Years 1 and 2 will be broken down into 3 Trimesters:
  • Year 1
    • Tri 1 - 40 credits
    • Tri 2 - 40 credits
    • Tri3 - 0 credits
  • Year 2
    • Tri 1 - 20 credits
    • Tri 2 - 20 credit PLUS a 60 credit placement running throughout Tri2 and Tri3

Assessments

Assessment methods will be varied including written reports, case studies, portfolios, oral and practical skills assessments, and assessment of clinical competencies.

Work placement

A 60-credit, work-based learning module will provide you with supervised opportunities to learn and demonstrate your taught knowledge and skills, as well as your problem solving and reflective scientist-practitioner skills to the highest level of this award.

Study abroad

At present there are not opportunities to study abroad within this programme, however, there are currently conversations developing with international colleagues.

Facilities

As a postgraduate student at Edinburgh Napier University, our Sighthill campus provides you with a superb learning environment, including state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for exercise physiology, biomedical science, and biomechanics.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

• The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) degree at 2:2 or above, or equivalent experience, in a sport and exercise science or physical activity & health or any human health related science degree (e.g. Biomedical Science, Human Physiology, or allied health professional degree including Physiotherapy and Nursing).

English language

• If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test.
• International applicants MSc CEP programme who are non-native English speakers, will need the following IELTS scores:
  • 6.5, with no element below, 6.5 for reading and writing, and 6.0 for speaking and listening.
  • Please also note that non-native English speaking international applicants wishing to apply to join the AHCS register will need an IELTs score of 7.0

International students

• We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
• Entry requirements by country

Admissions policies

• We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study.
• Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Fees & funding

Tuition fees for 2024/25

• Students from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland-Taught modules: £940
• Overseas and EU-Taught Modules: £2,270
• Fees for modules are calculated according to the number of credits (multiples of 20).
• The rate shown in the table is for 20 credits.
• Tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next.

Careers

What can you do with a Clinical Exercise Physiology MSc?

By studying Clinical Exercise Physiology at Edinburgh Napier University, you will gain the skills and knowledge to be able to work as part of a healthcare team across multiple healthcare settings, such as within a hospital or a community as a CEP.

What does a Clinical Exercise Physiologist do?

As a CEP, you will help a range of people from apparently healthy individuals to those with chronic and complex conditions along the care pathway from primary prevention, through acute management, to rehabilitation and maintenance.

• The role of CEP is to work in a range of primary, secondary and tertiary care settings as part of a multidisciplinary team of health care and rehabilitation providers from hospital to community.
• For example, within:
  • Secondary care pre/rehabilitation settings
  • Primary Care
  • Private hospital settings
  • Public and private multidisciplinary clinics
  • Leisure services
  • Defence Medical Services
  • Population/Public health/ Policy advisors
  • Workplace health and rehabilitation
  • Research/Academic