Master of Science in Movement and Sports Sciences (Physical Activity, Fitness and Health)
Since sports culture has become such an important element of today’s society, there is a concomitant need for professionals. The professional field being so wide has also had an impact on the academic study of movement and sports. The Master’s curriculum, especially, has an in-depth focus on research and professional competencies. Your choice main subject becomes your area of specialisation.
What
The Movement and Sports Sciences programme offers extensive academic-scientific training. It prepares students to become experts, scientists and professionals who are able to work in various movement- and sports-related professional contexts.
We train you to become:
- a movement specialist who knows how to approach and coach “the human in motion” in a professional and critical-scientific manner;
- a sports scientist who researches the functioning and coaching of “the human in motion” in a critical-scientific manner;
- a professional who knows how to take on individual responsibilities as well as responsibilities in team.
The three main subjects differ in their in-depth and specialised set of course units and two extensive main subject-specific work placements.
If the current social trend related to physical activity and fitness in a health context appeals to you, then our main subject on Physical Activity, Fitness and Health is the right option for you. It focuses on movement coaching of specific target groups as well as fitness coaching, in fitness centres and beyond.
For whom
The admission requirements vary. Depending on your prior education, you are either able to enrol directly, or there are additional requirements.
Structure
The two-year Master’s programme (60 credits-worth each) is an in-depth continuation of the scientific-academic approach initialised in the Bachelor's programme. The curriculum contains a limited number of general course units in the discipline of movement and sports sciences, main subject-specific course units, minors, and a Master's dissertation. The set of general course units comprises a methodology course unit on the one hand, and a number of specific theoretical course units in the discipline of movement and sports sciences. To a limited extent, these general course units are complemented with physical education in a number of new and current sports disciplines.
The main subject Physical Activity, Fitness and Health contains a choice of two 18-credit minors on Nutrition or on Research. The Research minor is an in-depth academic study of one of the research disciplines in our department. The Nutrition minor is a broadening study of nutrition and dietetics in relation to sports, movement and health.
In addition to the specific professional training, the Master’s programme also offers a number of course units on research methodology, which you need in order to complete your Master's dissertation. The Master's dissertation consists of research you set up, conduct and report in consultation with your supervisor.
In addition to the (domain) Master’s programme described above, you can also choose a Master’s Programme in Teaching (in Dutch: Educatieve Master). This diploma gives access to teacher positions in Physical Education in secondary schools or in higher professional (pedagogic) education. Find out more at www.ugent.be/educatievemaster(in Dutch).
Labour Market
Our Movement and Sports Sciences graduates possess comprehensive academic skills, which enable them to approach and research “humans in motion”, how they function and how they are coached in a critical-scientific manner. In addition, they have extensive expertise to apply this critical-scientific approach to coach “the human in motion” in various sports and movement-related contexts. We also train you to become a professional in the field, who knows how to take on individual responsibilities as well as responsibilities in team, and to communicate appropriately in a broad and multidisciplinary society. Last but not least, the programme has an outspoken social character which makes for strong social skills in our graduates. Precisely these characteristics combined, so feedback from the professional field has taught us, are our most important asset. Due to this combination of skills our graduates are highly coveted by the professional field, in the sports and movement sector and beyond. With our clearly-defined main subjects, we deliver graduates who are well-prepared for the labour market. Please take a look at the overview of career opportunities below.
The sports and recreation sector
There are many job opportunities here:
- sports official, policy offer for municipal sports policy;
- manager of sports and recreation centres, manager of sports organisations;
- PhysEd teacher-animator in holiday resorts or large companies;
- specialized trainer at sports clubs, organisations or schools for professional athletes;
- self-employed personal trainer, specialised trainer at a fitness centre or an organisation, or catering to specific target groups (e.g. children or senior citizens dealing with overweight);
- management or co-ordinating positions at sports federations;
- medical representative at a pharmaceutical company;
- sports science coach at a sports medical or scientific counselling centre.
The Business World
Our graduates easily find their way into the business world. Many of them end op in (high-end) management positions, within the sports sector and beyond.
Research
Academic research on sports, movement and health has been on the rise in recent years. Our graduates increasingly choose a research career after obtaining their Master’s degree, which in most cases results in a PhD. A PhD offers a clear added value for certain positions in a company, at university or a university college.
Please take a look at our leaflet with career opportunities (in Dutch).
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
- Commitment and enthusiasm: our programme boasts a closely-knit team of lecturers, (doctoral) assistants and support staff who operate from a great sense of collegiality and an intrinsic interest to educate young people.
- Curriculum: we have thoroughly revised our curriculum in the context of our transition from a one-year to a two-year Master’s programme. In the new curriculum there is more time for the Master's dissertation and the work placement, the four main subjects have been elaborated, and there is more room for international exchange.
- Research and education: opting for our study programme means opting for a curriculum in which sports practice is combined with a solid scientific foundation. From the first year onwards, our students learn to set up and carry out research assignments on their own in a step-by-step manner. This culminates in the Master's dissertation in the fourth and fifth year.
- Infrastructure: our students can count on education that is embedded in an excellent infrastructure. In addition to our own sports accommodations and the state-of-the-art Jacques Rogge Sports Science Laboratory, students are also welcome at our partners (the Flanders Sports Hall, the Bleau climbing hall).
- Talent development: our programme places great store by clear communication on who we are and what we do vis-à-vis prospective students. We offer a highly exhaustive set of support and coaching initiatives, both for students who need help as well as for students who need additional challenges.
Strengths
- Commitment and enthusiasm: we welcome students into a programme that boasts a closely-knit team of committed and enthusiastic lecturers with a passion for education.
- Research-based education: opting for our study programme equals opting for premium-quality education based on state-of-the-art academic research. There is a strong link between the course units in our curriculum and our lecturers’ research expertise.
- Participation and involvement: we invest in the participation of all our stakeholders, among whom students play an important role as do our alumni and future employers. In addition, we enjoy the support of (faculty) advisory committees in the day-to-day management of the programme.
- Assessment: we promote assessment based on clear and reliable agreements (on assessment) so that students know what to expect well in advance.
- Quality assurance takes centre stage in our study programme. We boast a long tradition of internal quality assurance, of which we still bear the fruits today.
Challenges
- Internationalization: only a few students embark on international exchange during their studies. We do our utmost to keep study-abroad experiences as low-threshold as possible for our students. Long-term study-abroad experiences are possible via the usual Erasmus scholarships. In addition, we have our own funding for short-term exchange initiatives. We are currently weighing our options to introduce a partly English-taught Master’s curriculum.
- Feedback and approachability: it is important to us that our students are fully involved in their education. We try to achieve this by means of a two-pronged approach: on the one hand, we encourage our lecturers to give sufficient (content-related) feedback on (written) assignments, during and after the writing process. On the other hand, we want to encourage our students to make use of the various existing feedback opportunities, and to emphasize our lecturers’ approachability.
- Career perspectives: our study programme does not automatically lead up to a career as a PhysEd teacher. This is a fallacy we want to counter together with the other Flemish Physical Education and Movement Sciences programmes. Our curriculum offers an academic training, in which sports practice is founded on a solid basic-scientific approach. A Master’s degree in Physical Education and Movement Sciences gives access to various career paths in the business world (fitness, management, tourism), as well as in the public sector (Flanders Sports, municipal and provincial sports departments).
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch: NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. Programme quality was validated by a quality review, i.e. a screening of the Education Monitor by the Education Quality Board. The Quality Assurance Resolution (in Dutch) can be found here.
This information was last updated on 01/02/2023.
In case of questions or suggestions with regard to the publicly available information, please contact the study programme.