Clinical Exercise Physiology, MSc

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Course Overview

Clinical Exercise Physiology is a fast-growing and essential specialism both in the UK and around the world. With longer life expectancy comes a greater risk of chronic health conditions, and with an increasingly ageing population, the NHS and other healthcare providers are being, and will continue to be, put under increasing strain from the burden of managing these long-term health conditions. The significant role played by Clinical Exercise Physiologists is becoming increasingly recognised, and the demand for skill sets in this area have never been higher.

Our MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology will equip you with the critical, research-informed knowledge and understanding, and the diverse range of applied and practical skills required to work with service users.

Our programme combines scientific theory with real-world practice. Throughout our programme, you will learn how to design, conduct and interpret a range of disease-specific health and fitness assessments, you will explore the design and delivery of evidence-based physical activity and exercise interventions, supporting service users to promote meaningful behaviour change.

With a heavy practical emphasis, our course also includes a clinical placement. You will gain essential experience in a supervised setting, allowing you to authentically apply your learning to real-world settings and develop practical competencies in a wide range of physiological and phenotypic measurements related to clinical exercise physiology.

Why Clinical Exercise Physiology at Swansea?

As an MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology student, you will be taught at our School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, based on our beach-fronted Bay Campus. The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences boasts state-of-the-art facilities that allow you to further apply learnt theory to real world application.

Sport and Exercise Science programmes at Swansea are ranked:

· Top 20 in the UK for Research Quality (Complete University Guide 2026)

· Top 51-100 in the World (QS World University Rankings 2025)

· 100% world-leading and internationally excellent impact (REF 2021)

Your Clinical Exercise Physiology Experience

When you study MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology at Swansea you will receive an outstanding research-led education, guided by our world-leading researchers in clinical exercise science, exercise physiology, physical activity and health, and behaviour change.

MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology at Swansea will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of various chronic diseases and the principles that underpin the safe and effective prescription of exercise testing and physical activity interventions in the management of these conditions. You will receive an education that applies a heavy emphasis on practical experience. During our programme, you will undertake a supervised clinical placement with the Welsh National Exercise Referral Scheme (NERS) or NHS and private healthcare services. Your clinical placement will allow you to gain essential experience, develop your clinical and interpersonal skills, and apply learnt theory to real-world settings.

Alongside the vital theoretical underpinning, you will also have access to our innovative facilities that will further enrich your experience.

Our Physiology Laboratories house a range of specialised equipment, including:

· Different exercise ergometers - cycling, recumbent cycling, treadmills

· Online metabolic carts with integrated 12-lead ECG

· Muscle function testing equipment

· Vascular ultrasounds

· DEXA scanner

· Lung function equipment

· Facilities to collect and analyse capillary of venous blood samples for various biomarkers.

MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology at Swansea empowers you to work towards competency in the wide range of practical skills required to design, prescribe, and deliver personalised, evidence-based physical activity and exercise interventions tailored to individual health statuses, functional capacities and disease aetiologies.

Your studies will be nourished through our supportive learning environment. You will join our thriving international community of postgraduate students and receive study support in the form of 24-hour access to our on-site library, an assigned Personal Tutor, and the encouragement to build strong relationships with staff whom you can approach for additional support and guidance.

Clinical Exercise Physiology Employment Opportunities

Our graduates are highly skilled exercise professionals, capable of working safely and effectively within a multi-disciplinary healthcare team to improve health and wellbeing in clinical populations.

MSc Clinical Exercise Physiology graduates are equipped to use their skills across a range of healthcare settings including:

· Primary Care

· Secondary Care and Rehabilitation Settings

· Private Hospital Settings

· Public and Private Clinics

· Leisure Services

· Defense Medical Services

Many of our graduates will also be well-positioned to take on roles beyond healthcare settings, including:

· Public health policy, workplace health and rehabilitation, research, and academia

Modules

We're currently reviewing our curriculum to enhance your learning experience and embed skills that will benefit your future career. This means that some modules may be subject to change.

Entry Requirements

We consider all applicants on their own merits and welcome applications from students with a wide range of qualifications.