Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Applied Personal Training and Specialist Exercise Instruction (Top-up)

at University of Bedfordshire - Bedford Campus United Kingdom

The huge popularity of sport and fitness means clinical exercise therapists are much in demand. This course gives you the skills to use exercise, physical activity and therapeutic treatments to promote health and fitness as well as help rehabilitation after an injury.

The course aims to provide you with the skills and knowledge to progress into a career as a graduate clinical exercise therapist (GCET). Completing the degree allows you to join the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) at Level 3. REPs is the independent public register recognising the qualifications and expertise of health-enhancing coaches and therapists in the UK.

The course explores relevant fields such as physiology and anatomical structure, and includes units on sports massage, manual therapies and the management of sports injuries. In your final year, you undertake a research project of your choice and can also follow a specialism with a range of optional units.

Why choose this course?

• Apply your knowledge and skills while completing a minimum of 150 hours on practice placement in a range of different environments
• Benefit from guidance from practising therapists, coaches and injury-rehabilitation professionals as well as academic staff
• Build your skills in planning and conducting your own research as well as in reading and interpreting other researchers’ work
• Learn wider transferable skills relevant to a range of career options
• As a graduate, enter degree-level employment within the field of health, fitness, sports and exercise medicine in the public sector (NHS) or private sector (health clubs and clinics)
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year in industry (see below), gaining experience and making contacts for the future
• If you need a step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the undergraduate degree

Coaching is a great way to express your passion for sport. Great Britain is now seen as a leading competitor in world sport and there are increasing opportunities to make a career out of coaching. There has never been a better time to become a coach.

This course offers you the opportunity to specialise in the academic study of sports coaching, gaining the qualifications and practical skills to be a successful coach.

It combines a thorough understanding of sport and exercise science with knowledge of the range of roles and contexts within which a coach works. Theoretical, vocational and practical elements are included to help you gain a comprehensive understanding of sport science, which underpins coaching practice.

Why choose this course?

• Learn from internationally-recognised staff in the fields of science, exercise and sport
• Study a challenging and enjoyable course which prepares you for employment – 90% of students in work/study 6 months after finishing
• Gain from the opportunity to work with staff who were closely involved with the London 2012 Olympic Games and interact with support services for elite and top-class athletes
• Develop your skills through coaching in partnership with local clubs and teams
• Explore the development of sporting participation or ‘sport for sports sake’ (at all levels) and the role and delivery of sport as a social instrument for change
• Benefit from using state-of-the-art facilities including muscle cell and molecular biology labs for a range of sports science experiments and studies

Corporations today work in a highly regulated environment so need managers who understand the legal aspects of business. This degree gives you this knowledge as well as the skills to successfully manage any organisation.

By taking this course, you benefit from an integrated syllabus that brings together business management and the legal framework within which it operates. You study essential aspects of business management including marketing, accounting, human resource management, strategy and project management alongside the fundamentals of business law such as contract law, tort law and intellectual property law.

You also learn how to apply theory to real-life situations, making you an efficient and effective manager in any organisational, cultural or social context.

Why choose this course?

• Learn in small classes through lectures, seminars and workshops, cementing your learning via group projects, research exercises, presentations and case study analyses
• The combination of business skills and legal knowledge make you attractive to employers across a wide range of organisations. It is also an invaluable preparation if starting your own business
• Gain from the opportunity to work independently on a final-year dissertation, undertaking research in your chosen area
• Take the course over four year and benefit from a fee-free placement year in industry (see below), gaining experience, building your CV and making contacts for the future
• If you need an entry route into degree-level study, start with a Foundation Year (see below), completion of which guarantees you entry to this degree course
• Benefit from a degree which gives you access to careers in general management roles, plus more specialist opportunities in human resources, e-business, operations or project management

If your ambition is to enter an Early Years profession and you have a Foundation Degree or equivalent, this top-up course will bring you up to a full Honours degree in just one year.

The Applied Early Years Studies BA (Hons) is a top-up (progression) course which builds on knowledge and skills gained from a previous relevant Foundation Degree or a similar 240-credit course.

Your studies take a whole-child approach to learning; early education; the needs of the child; and child development within the family and society, locally and globally. Your learning builds on your experience in the workplace and the course content adapts to suit your interests and circumstances.

 Why choose this course?

• Develop your understanding of the importance of education research and enquiry
• Choose a research dissertation topic and carry out research in your own area
• Gain practical skills by undertaking work placements
• Benefit from a course that provides a clear route into a professional graduate role, through Early Years teacher status, Primary initial teacher training or leadership and management

If you’re interested in football and keen to work in a related area this course offers you an overview of football from business, coaching and development angles, as well as a detailed study of the sport industry.

It covers football administration, social issues in football and coaching (with a chance to gain coaching awards), as well as broader areas of sport.

There are opportunities to volunteer with local Football Associations, helping you build your CV and employability skills.

Why choose this course?

• Learn through a combination of lectures/seminars, field trips and practical experience – including on-site events management operations
• Study areas including football business, football and the media, developing coaching, football development, sport management and sociology of sport
• Gain football coaching awards
• Explore the study of football coaching, management and development in this multi-disciplinary course

If you’re fascinated by the science behind sport and exercise performance, this course gives you a rare chance to be part of a world-leading research team, using high-spec equipment to get to the heart of what makes a great sports performer.

The course combines scientific knowledge and sports performance, covering the core areas of sport and exercise science. Study involves lab work using discipline-leading equipment including online gas-analysis machines, an environmental chamber, light gates and echocardiography. It also offers specialist units in biomechanics, exercise physiology and social psychology, to name a few.

You learn in a high-performance environment with a leading research team specialising in exercise physiology; molecular exercise physiology; and exercise and health. You can be part of the team working on prestigious projects for elite sports teams, governing bodies and government initiatives.

Why choose this course?

• It is endorsed by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES)
• There is a fitness qualification, endorsed by Skills Active, embedded into the course, allowing you to enter onto the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) Level 2
• Gain employability skills with specific, industry-proven guidance and participation in the latest sports science research
• Explore your area of interest with a final-year research project of your choice
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year’s placement in industry (see below), gaining experience and making contacts for the future
• If you are looking to step up into higher education, take the degree with a Foundation Year which guarantees entry to the Undergraduate course (see below)

This course is designed for recent graduates who are looking to develop their career in physical education teaching or youth sport coaching.

It will support you in developing the knowledge and skills required to progress to teacher education and/or higher-level employment. It will deepen your critical understanding of the issues facing professionals in physical education and sport settings.

The course undertakes a research-informed and practice-based theory approach. Many of the units require you to draw on observations and activities in work-related environments in order to link experience and theoretical learning.

MA Physical Education and Sport (Pedagogy) is a rigorously designed and intellectually demanding professional education and development programme.

It is studied in order to become a more effective and reflective teacher or coach in school, club and other community settings. Each unit is grounded in the most recent developments in research on physical education, sport pedagogy and youth sport, and draws on your practical experience.

We use intensive, compressed teaching time combined with flexible off-site guided learning to fit around your work in a school or youth sport setting.

This course will also provide the advanced knowledge and research training required for direct access to higher degrees by research (MPhil/ PhD).

Why choose this course?

• Study in a supportive environment, on a course covering a unique combination of topics designed to integrate research with current physical education policy and practice
• Develop an advanced and critical understanding of pedagogy and practice for social justice and youth voice; sport and education policy; action research; and public health concerns in physical education and youth sport environments
• Gain the necessary personal competencies, applied practical skill-sets and subject expertise to become a theoretically informed and reflective practitioner
• Gain a grounding in the theoretical study of physical education and sport pedagogy in your practical workplace experience.
• Develop your personal and professional network and benefit from our links with schools, Sport England, Governing Bodies, and Active Partnerships
• Receive support from peer mentors who are studying on our MA Physical Education and Sport (Leadership) course
• Exchange knowledge with aspiring graduates in sport, physical activity and health industries/institutions by attending units that will also include students from our other MA and MSc courses.
• Gain experience of working with young people, practitioners and employers to investigate and analyse real problems and develop the ability to develop innovative solutions
• Undertake a semester long research project on a chosen topic, working in a physical education, sport or physical activity environment of your choice
• Study using range of learning activities including lectures, seminars, practicals, problem-based-learning and tutorials
• Learn from a team who have a wide range of academic expertise and experience in specific subject areas including critical pedagogy, youth voice, models-based practice, policy, leadership, and the sociology of sport.
• Gain insights from experts through the seminar series coordinated by the Institute of Sport and Physical Activity Research (ISPAR)

If you want to take your love of literature to the next level, this course will give you a confident critical voice across prose, poetry and plays, from Chaucer to Zephaniah. As an English Lit graduate, the degree opens the door to a wide range of rewarding careers.

You study the development of English literature from Chaucer to the contemporary works of Benjamin Zephaniah and Monica Ali. The course introduces you to less well-known literary periods, critical approaches and world literature while offering deeper exploration of favourites such as the Romantics and Victorian literature. Plus you can follow a special interest with options in creative writing; gothic fiction; Shakespeare and his contemporaries; and language, power and ideology.

You will also develop your own critical or creative voice with a final dissertation choice of an extended essay on your preferred subject or a portfolio of your own creative writing.

Why choose this course?

• You work in small groups, guided by expert lecturers and supportive, enthusiastic tutors with strong research backgrounds in their specialist subjects
• Study all the major periods of English literature, including the Middle Ages; Renaissance; Restoration; Victorian; the Romantics; and the modern age
• Explore the exciting Hockliffe and Cinderella Collections, two of the most important archives of children’s literature in the UK, held at the University of Bedfordshire
• Develop valuable transferable skills including communication and debating
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year’s placement in industry, gaining practical experience while building your CV and your contacts for the future
• If you need to get up to speed with education at a higher level, take our Foundation Year option which guarantees entry to the Undergraduate degree
• Benefit from a degree which could lead to careers such as academic librarian; copywriter; arts administrator; editorial assistant; journalist; public relations officer; and teaching

Graduating with an LLB from the University of Bedfordshire is the first step on your journey towards becoming a solicitor or a barrister as well as a range of other professional opportunities.

The LLB (Hons) Law is the undergraduate degree for all students wishing to pursue a career in law.

During your degree, you will explore the latest developments in legal practice. In addition to the core subjects all LLB undergraduates are required to study, you will have the opportunity to study a range of specialist optional units including medical law and ethics; family and child law; immigration and asylum law; aviation law; commercial law; and international law.

Teaching is delivered by a dedicated team with professional experience in the legal industry. In-class teaching is supported by a range of fantastic extra-curricular opportunities including our Law Clinic; our award-winning Refugee Legal Assistance Project; and our mooting programme.

Our law graduates leave us as articulate and knowledgeable individuals with a range of transferable skills, ready to pursue a career in law, management, human resources, the civil service and public sector, education, and many other areas.

All our LLB courses satisfy the requirements set by the Bar Standards Board for the academic component of Bar training. For further information, go to the Bar Standards Board website here.

Why choose this course?

• Study law within its broader economic, social, political, historical, ethical and cultural environment
• Develop your advocacy skills in our modern Moot Court, giving you confidence in a realistic setting
• Explore your ability to present arguments in a persuasive and authoritative way
• Gain skills in critical analysis, research, teamwork, use of language and argument, and the ability to work and learn independently
• Benefit from the option to obtain an additional qualification, the Higher Diploma in Paralegal Practice, accredited by the National Association of Licensed Paralegals (NALP).

Pursue your own intellectual interests and develop advanced critical thinking and literary analysis skills.

Research-active experts in their fields deliver the taught elements - small seminar groups enabling significant individual support and guidance.

A thorough knowledge of 19th century and 20th century texts and contexts, and specific units in Reading Ulysses, Literary Pilgrimages, and Children’s and Young Adult Literature allow you to reflect on significant historical, intellectual and philosophical debates.

Research Methods develops further skills necessary at postgraduate level.

Building on your interests, a final dissertation project allows you to conduct independent research in a topic of your choosing.

Why choose this course?

• Study on an interdisciplinary course that combines the fields of language teaching and learning, teacher training management and leadership in an international context.
• Gain relevant and practical teaching experience and professional practical experience with a work placement programme where you will meet home and international students at various levels in their career, enabling you to work in an international environment and learn from each other’s experiences.
• Develop your understanding of English language teaching and learning in order to operate successfully in a management and leadership role and support others.
• Learn from experienced lecturers and researchers whose expertise and research lie in the areas of ELT, Language Teaching and Learning and Assessment, Materials Development for Language Teaching and Learning, and Leadership Management in Education. They are also involved in consultancy work with colleges and schools preparing for acceptance into accreditation schemes and inspections.
• Enhance your professional thinking and develop your own personal initiative as you conduct research in a specific area related to the fields of ELT, Management and Leadership.
• Benefit from close links with our Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA), a world-famous centre in language testing and programme evaluation.