The MRes in Sport, Health and Applied Science is a unique opportunity for you to undertake a Master’s degree, with a specific research focus
- The Master of Research qualification allows you to develop a broad range of research knowledge and skills, whilst pursuing a substantial subject-based research project
- Staff at St Mary's have a wealth of teaching and research experience in the fields of Sport, Health and Applied Science
- This programme is designed to equip you with the knowledge and practical expertise needed to progress a career in research.
The MRes in Sport, Health, and Applied Science gives you the unique opportunity to develop key research competencies and transferable skills focused on research in sport, or health, or applied science, or any combination of these three fields.
Your study will be centred around an independent research project supervised by staff in the Faculty who are highly experienced and well-established in their areas of expertise. The rest of your study will be based on two core modules in research skills and advanced research methods.
You will be taught via lectures, seminars, workshops, and regular meetings with your supervisory team. The taught modules will be delivered face-to-face but will also be simultaneously delivered live online using our hyflex teaching option. Our hyflex teaching ensures that you receive the same taught content and also still have the capacity to interact with staff and fellow students through Q&A and discussion.
This hyflex mode of delivery is especially valuable if you are unable to attend sessions on campus because of work, family, or other commitments. All taught modules are supported by online materials available on the Virtual Learning platform including recordings of lectures, seminars, and workshops to give you maximum flexibility in how, when, and where you study.
You will work on your research project either in your workplace or in our excellent state-of-the-art sport facilities, biomechanics, rehabilitation, nutrition, biochemistry, and physiology laboratories.
Why St Mary's
The MRes course has a highly flexible approach to learning and you have the option to study full-time or part-time. If you are working while studying or if you have family or other commitments, the hyflex learning method will allow you to tailor your studies around your life and work. The MRes course enables you to develop your skills as a researcher and undertake an in-depth and extended research project in an area of interest in sports, or health, or applied science, or any combination of these three in collaboration with, and under the supervision of, our excellent research community.
The central focus of the MRes course is the independent research project and you will be supported throughout by a supervisory team composed of staff who are expert in your chosen area of research. You will be able to conduct your research project either at your workplace (if you are working and studying at the same time) or in our state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories.
Some examples of past research projects are the following:
- The effects of low-load blood flow restriction training compared to heavy load resistance training on muscular adaptations: a systematic review
- Comparing GPS Units and their Ability to Measure Team Sport Metrics & Predictors of Agility Performance in Academy Footballers
In addition, some of the research projects have been published in peer-review journals, such as:
- Uddin, Nasir, Tallent, Jamie and Waldron, Mark (2020) Physiological and perceptual responses to a five-week pre-event taper in professional mixed martial arts athletes. The Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 4 (2). pp. 90-99. ISSN 2703-240X
- Rebecca Fowler, Owen Jeffries, Jamie Tallent, Nicola Theis, Shane M. Heffernan, Melitta A. McNarry, Liam Kilduff & Mark Waldron (2021) No thermoregulatory or ergogenic effect of dietary nitrate among physically inactive males, exercising above gas exchange threshold in hot and dry conditions, European Journal of Sport Science, 21:3, 370-378, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2020.1739144
We provide a range of opportunities to work closely with world-leading researchers from our Faculty in areas such as:
- Biomechanics
- Health sciences
- Nutrition
- Psychology
- Skill acquisition and motor learning
- Sport and exercise physiology
- Sport rehabilitation
- Strength and conditioning
- Coaching science.
The focus of our work at St Mary’s is manifold:
- to contribute to and advanced scientific knowledge about improving sport biomechanics, sport performance, sport coaching, sport physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition, nutrigenetics, sport nutrition, skill acquisition, psychology (including counselling), cognitive science, sport psychology;
- to work with local communities to enhance people’s quality of life;
- to increase the impact of our research and expertise on people’s wellbeing in our local community.
We have an established research profile and a new postgraduate research centre, which you will have access to. We excel in applied research and have a number of recognised research clusters:
- Cognitive Science
- Expert Performance and Skill Acquisition
- Female Health and Wellbeing
- Gender and Sexuality
- Injury and Rehabilitation
- Lifestyle Management, Treatment and Prevention of Chronic Diseases
- Musculoskeletal Mechanics
- Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics
- Professional Practice in Sports Psychology
- Sport and Exercise Physiology
St Mary’s is committed to having a positive impact on, and to engage with, people and the public by having staff and students work on real-life projects that benefit not only our local community but our society at large. We are committed to developing our staff and students and to expand our reach through partnerships with civic, public health, and sport organisations.
As an MRes student you will become a part of and contribute to all this.

Dr Elisabetta Canetta
Course Lead - Applied Physics BSc and Master by Research: Sport, Health and Applied Science
Upcoming webinars and events

Course content
Modules
The modules listed below are the modules that were available to students in the 2022/23 academic year and are illustrative of what may be offered for 2023/24.
Please note: it is possible that a module listed on the website will not be able to run due to reasons beyond our control. For more information please refer to our course information disclaimer.
Entry requirements
Lower second class degree (or equivalent) in a related field.
2:2
Previous degree
Additional requirement information
Related fields include sport science, physical education, sport rehabilitation, physiotherapy, psychology, and nutrition. Applicants with other appropriate qualifications or experience will be considered.
International Requirements
International students should check our country-specific pages for equivalents. If English is not your first language you will need to achieve an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any section.
We now accept IELTS Indicator test results as proof of your English language level.
Further Information
For more information about entry requirements please email apply@stmarys.ac.uk.
Fees & funding
September
Home
£7,250
International
£15,750
Additional costs
Your tuition fees will cover the cost of all mandatory elements of your programme. Additional costs could be incurred depending on optional modules chosen and other projects undertaken.
For further information about additional costs please see our additional costs webpage.
Alumni discount
A 20% tuition fee discount is available for our alumni (undergraduate and PGCE) planning to study this Master's degree. Those studying for a PGDip of PGCert are not eligible for the discount.
Funding
Government-funded loans of over £11,000 are available to many home postgraduate students. Home and international students may also be eligible for external sources of funding. International students should check their eligibility for our International Scholarship.
For more information, please look at our postgraduate funding page.
How the degree is taught
Teaching methods
The teaching methods include a mixture of formal lectures, seminars and practical problem-based learning classes, and meetings with your supervisory team. You have the opportunity to choose either to attend the sessions on campus, or in live streaming, or asynchronously (recordings of the sessions and online material) due to our hyflex approach to learning.
All the taught modules are supported by material that can be accessed online via the Virtual Learning (VL) platform. All the sessions will also be recorded and the recordings made available on VL to give you maximum flexibility in your studies by studying asynchronously.
You will work on your project either in your workplace or in our excellent state-of-the-art sport facilities, biomechanics, rehabilitation, nutrition, biochemistry, and physiology laboratories.
As an MRes student, you will have either one supervisor or a supervisory team of two or more supervisors, who between them offer a unique range of academic and professional experience. The supervisory team will keep in touch with you on a regular and frequent basis.
The MRes course has a highly flexible approach to learning and you have the option to study full-time or part-time. If you are working while studying or if you have family or other commitments, the hyflex learning method will allow you to tailor your studies around your life and work. The MRes course enables you to develop your skills as a researcher and undertake an in-depth and extended research project in an area of interest in sports, or health, or applied science, or any combination of these three in collaboration with, and under the supervision of, our excellent research community.
The central focus of the MRes course is the independent research project and you will be supported throughout by a supervisory team composed of staff who are expert in your chosen area of research. You will be able to conduct your research project either at your workplace (if you are working and studying at the same time) or in our state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories.
Some examples of past research projects are the following:
- The effects of low-load blood flow restriction training compared to heavy load resistance training on muscular adaptations: a systematic review
- Comparing GPS Units and their Ability to Measure Team Sport Metrics & Predictors of Agility Performance in Academy Footballers
In addition, some of the research projects have been published in peer-review journals, such as:
- Uddin, Nasir, Tallent, Jamie and Waldron, Mark (2020) Physiological and perceptual responses to a five-week pre-event taper in professional mixed martial arts athletes. The Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 4 (2). pp. 90-99. ISSN 2703-240X
- Rebecca Fowler, Owen Jeffries, Jamie Tallent, Nicola Theis, Shane M. Heffernan, Melitta A. McNarry, Liam Kilduff & Mark Waldron (2021) No thermoregulatory or ergogenic effect of dietary nitrate among physically inactive males, exercising above gas exchange threshold in hot and dry conditions, European Journal of Sport Science, 21:3, 370-378, DOI: 10.1080/17461391.2020.1739144
We provide a range of opportunities to work closely with world-leading researchers from our Faculty in areas such as:
- Biomechanics
- Health sciences
- Nutrition
- Psychology
- Skill acquisition and motor learning
- Sport and exercise physiology
- Sport rehabilitation
- Strength and conditioning
- Coaching science
The focus of our work at St Mary’s is manifold:
- to contribute to and advanced scientific knowledge about improving sport biomechanics, sport performance, sport coaching, sport physiology, rehabilitation, nutrition, nutrigenetics, sport nutrition, skill acquisition, psychology (including counselling), cognitive science, sport psychology;
- to work with local communities to enhance people’s quality of life;
- to increase the impact of our research and expertise on people’s wellbeing in our local community.
We have an established research profile and a new postgraduate research centre, which you will have access to. We excel in applied research and have a number of recognised research clusters:
- Cognitive Science
- Expert Performance and Skill Acquisition
- Female Health and Wellbeing
- Gender and Sexuality
- Injury and Rehabilitation
- Lifestyle Management, Treatment and Prevention of Chronic Diseases
- Musculoskeletal Mechanics
- Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics
- Professional Practice in Sports Psychology
- Sport and Exercise Physiology
St Mary’s is committed to having a positive impact on, and to engage with, people and the public by having staff and students work on real-life projects that benefit not only our local community but our society at large. We are committed to developing our staff and students and to expand our reach through partnerships with civic, public health, and sport organisations.
As an MRes student you will become a part of and contribute to all this.
Assessment methods
You will be assessed in ways that reflect the requirements of researchers in the real world. Methods of assessment include written reviews and reports, essays, data analysis tasks, journal article reviews, professional research proposals, final research project dissertation, and final research project viva.
Career opportunities
As an MRes graduate, you will have acquired advanced skills in research design, data collection and analysis, and a strong understanding and a solid knowledge in your area of interest. This knowledge and understanding in your chosen field will benefit you in your workplace.
Furthermore, the MRes course will equip you with the research skills and experience that will benefit you in undertaking a PhD should you wish to continue your progression as a researcher and further deepen your knowledge and understanding in your chosen area of interest.
A number of MRes students have now progressed on to PhDs both here at St Mary's and externally
Apply now
September 2023
Make sure to check our step-by-step guide to application process.
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