Key information
- Funding
- Self-funded
- School
- Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Award
- MScR
- Delivery type
- Full-time, Part-time
- Supervisor
- Marcus Dunn
- Start date
- September
- Duration
- 1 year
Overview
The Master of Science by Research (MSc by Research) in Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences will provide you an opportunity to develop expertise in conducting high-quality research in the fields of sport and exercise science, sports engineering, and human health sciences.
The programme will allow you to tailor your learning to your individual research interests and career aspirations. You’ll work closely with your supervisor, who will be identified and allocated to you based on their expertise in your chosen research area. Your supervisor will ensure that your research project aligns with your academic, professional, and personal goals, as well as the department’s research agenda. This will ensure that you work at the forefront of research in sport, exercise, and health sciences.
By building your skills in research design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, your research will develop novel findings in your chosen area and lead to real-world impact. Whether you choose to investigate new approaches to sports performance, athlete-equipment interaction, exercise and chronic health conditions, or physical activity interventions for public health challenges, you will learn how to develop new knowledge that can make real-world differences to sport and society. You will develop a robust foundation in scientific research, with the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue careers in academic, industry, and other fields, in which evidence-based solutions to sport, exercise, and health challenges are critical.
The MSc by Research programme provides a distinct and valuable pathway for you to pursue a research-focussed career. By emphasising independent research, a collaborative research environment, and by providing training in advanced methodologies, the programme is designed to develop the next generation of experts who will address key challenges in sport, exercise, and human health. The MSc by Research in Sport, Exercise, and Health Science would significantly benefit recent graduates in the area of sport science, sport technology, exercise science, and human health, as well as industry specialists and applied practitioners, seeking to expand their knowledge and expertise.
Your learning environment
During your studies, you’ll benefit from access to our specialist research facilities and equipment, including research physiology, biomechanics, and (brand-new) human tissue laboratories. These laboratories host a range of state-of-the-art equipment, including treadmills, ergometers, metabolic carts, marker and markerless three-dimensional motion capture cameras, high-fidelity inertial measurement units, high-speed cameras, force sensitive and instrumented apparel, flow cytometer, tissue culture equipment, microplate readers, and biochemical analysers. Our close working relationship with Oriam: Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre, means that you’ll have access to undertake your research in some of the best sports facilities in Scotland. Oriam is a leading centre of sporting excellence, research collaboration, and community engagement. It supports athletes, coaches, researchers, and students in their pursuit of excellence in sports performance and provides a platform for innovation and development in the field of sports science.
Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active Sport, Exercise and Human Health Science academic team from the Institute of Life and Earth Sciences, situated within the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS). EGIS is one of the United Kingdom’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity. Our academic team are further supported by experienced practitioners from Oriam’s Performance and Wellbeing Teams, who bring expertise from working with people across the sport and exercise domain, ranging from elite Scottish athletes to the general public.
Outside of the laboratory, you can get involved with the Student Union and take part in student groups and societies, as well as the Sports Union, which offers over 30 sports clubs ranging from football and rugby to mountaineering and ultimate frisbee. Sports clubs offer the opportunity to grow in your sport, meet likeminded friends, and make use of Oriam’s first-class facilities.
Customise your learning
The Programme Director will identify a suitable project supervisor prior to your application. Your supervisor will assemble a dedicated supervisory team who together will support and guide you throughout your research project. You have the flexibility to customise your research and focus on a particular project that aligns with your interests and career aspirations. Further, you will undertake research training offered at Heriot-Watt University, however, the MSc by Research does not require you to complete taught, credit-bearing courses. Together, this exciting postgraduate programme offers you the opportunity to combine your research aspirations with relevant and applied experiences across the sport, exercise, and health industries.
Graduate opportunities
Upon graduating from Heriot-Watt University with an MSc by Research in Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, students will have a vast array of graduate opportunities, including: further research in PhD programmes, applied work in industry as a sport scientist, sports biomechanist, exercise physiologist, strength and conditioning coach, sport psychologist, lifestyle / public health advisor, sports engineer, rehabilitation specialist, clinical scientist/physiologist within the NHS, and many more!
Industry partners and industry-led research opportunities
Based within Oriam, our Sport and Exercise Science department works closely with a wide range of industry partners, including Scottish Rugby, Scottish Football Association, Falkirk Football Club, Heart of Midlothian Football Club, Scottish Gymnastics, sportscotland institute of sport, Sports Labs UK, Babolat, and the NHS. If you work in industry or work with an industry partner and would like to discuss research opportunities that are shaped by the MSc by Research format, please get in touch. We are always keen to discuss industry research needs, and to develop industry-led research opportunities.
Project supervisor
The MSc by Research in Sport, Exercise and Health is led by Dr Marcus Dunn. As Programme Director, Dr Dunn will liaise with you and our academic team, to identify a suitable project supervisor prior to your application. Our academic team works closely with industry partners and practitioners and has published over 120 research outputs in the last three years, in a broad range of research disciplines including biomechanics and human movement, sports performance, athlete-equipment interaction and design, novel measurement technologies and techniques, effects of exercise and physical activity on our physiology throughout the lifespan, dietary interventions for health and physical performance, as well as working with academy and elite athletes to understand the impact of training interventions on their sporting performance. Profiles of our academic team are listed below, to help you identify expertise relevant to your intended area of research.
Research profiles for out academic team (alphabetical order):
- Dr Marcus Dunn, Assistant Professor in Sports Engineering and Biomechanics
- Professor Chris Easton, Professor of Exercise Physiology
- Dr Tomohiro Gonjo, Assistant Professor in Sport and Exercise Biomechanics
- Dr Fergus Guppy, Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology
- Dr David King, Assistant Professor in Sport and Exercise Sciences
- Dr Hannah Lithgow, Assistant Professor in Exercise Physiology
- Dr Mark Ross, Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology
- Ms Deborah Sargent, Assistant Professor in Strength & Conditioning
Entry requirements
Candidate criteria
A minimum of 2.1 honours degree in a relevant subject. Listed subjects are:
- Sport and Exercise Science
- Physical Activity and Health
- Strength and Conditioning
- Sports Coaching
- Human Physiology
- Human Health
- Biological Sciences
- Biomedical Sciences
- Pharmacology
- Data Science (relevant to human health/performance)
Applications and enquiries
For general application related enquiries, please contact the EGIS postgraduate research team. If you would like to know more about programme structure and requirements for undertaking this MSc by Research, or if you work in industry and would like to discuss your research needs, please contact the Programme Director, Dr Marcus Dunn.
Supporting documents
Before you submit your application, you will need to have identified a supervisor. You will need to supply various documents to support your application. These include:
- a research proposal (at Question 9, under ‘Background Information', please enter the full project title and reference number (if applicable). Please also provide at least 250 words (for civil engineering areas we need a title and 6-7 sentences) about your proposed area of research, the topic is normally provided by the applicant. Applications will not be considered until we have received this information from you, (unless stated otherwise in any current advertising we have for specific individual projects where the relevant project title and reference is required instead). The research proposal should be worked on with your proposed supervisor.
- a copy of your degree certificate and relevant transcripts
- proof of your ability in the English language (if English is not your mother tongue or if you have not already studied for a degree that was taught in English). Please refer to the English Language Requirements for further information.
- two references from academic sources (applicants with relevant full time work experience may use their current employer as one of the referees - applications will not be considered until we have received referee reports. You will need to complete the Referee Report Form. Please enter your full name and the research proposal title (as above), then forward to you referees for completion and return.
- Passport - please do not upload this with your initial application. This will only be requested if an offer is made.
- Financial guarantee - please do not upload personal bank statements with your initial application. For some students, a financial guarantee is required to prove how your tuition fees and personal maintenance costs will be met. This will be requested when an offer is made and is only required if you are one of the following:
- an international student applying to study on campus who is not entering the UK on a Student Visa
- an international student who is being sponsored by your government or a commercial organisation.
You can attach all your supporting documents to your online application form using the document upload facility. We will accept scanned documents at the application stage, but you may be asked to provide original copies of your documents at a later date.
Funding information
| Status | Full Time | Part Time |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | £5,006 | £2,503 |
| England / Wales / N Ireland | £5,006 | £2,503 |
| International | £25,480 | £12,740 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).
We offer a number of competitive funded scholarships for research degrees. Full or partial support may be available for well-qualified candidates from UK research councils, research pools, charities or industry.
View our full range of scholarships.
Why Heriot-Watt
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.
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