Chelsea Football Club Foundation Coaching and Development (Top-up) BSc (Hons)

In order to transition to a career in Nutrition I needed a course that would provide professional, evidence-based qualifications. The Human Nutrition MSc at St Mary's is comprehensive, covering all relevant aspects of Human Nutrition from fundamental Biochemistry to Public Health.

Being accredited by the Association for Nutrition only reinforces the quality of the material and relevancy to a career as a Nutritionist.

The lecturers are approachable and friendly, always willing to answer questions and engage in debate. Whilst this course is challenging, it encourages a increased level of critical thinking and new perspective on scientific research. Application of this knowledge and the skills developed over the course of this MSc are invaluable to my future career as a Nutritionist. 

As an international student, I was always encouraged and fully supported during my studies. The language barriers were overcome due to the devoted team of academic tutors and the language support that the university provides. This allowed me to improve my language skills and it gave me the opportunity to discuss topics from different disciplines with other international students.

 

Choosing St Mary’s to do my PGCE was the best decision I made, and if I had to do it again that is exactly where I would go.

I chose to do the PGCE at St Mary’s - rather than doing School-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) - as I had already completed my undergraduate at the University and friends who had already finished the course said that the content of the course was really good. Additionally, I knew about the percentage of getting a job was high.

Doing the PGCE helped me to become a confident teacher and enabled my professional development both at University and on placement. St Mary’s offered me a good balance of University and placement time and as time spent at University decreased, it allowed us to become more independent and confident in schools.

The support provided on this course was invaluable. In both lectures and subject-specific sessions, no question or query was stupid. It was an open environment that allowed us to make mistakes and learn from them, which helped us when going into school.

I also believe that St Mary’s provided great feedback when it came to observations throughout the year, as I could see how my teaching improved when applying the feedback into my future lessons.

I chose St Mary's because it's a well renowned University. The pleasant atmosphere and surroundings make you feel part of a small and a happy community. Throughout the course I've developed a passion for education and feel very enthusiastic about working in the educational sector. I gained a lot through my school-based work experiences and they were one of the main reasons why I got onto my current PGCE course.

My three years at St Mary’s have been the most enriching adventure that I’ve had the pleasure to experience. The campus is gorgeous, surrounded by nature, in one of the most beautiful parts of London. I made lots of friends and attended a variety of student events as well as joined societies. The learning part was fulfilling too and helped me reach my best – the lecturers are extremely helpful and the teaching is performed with enthusiasm. I had the chance to enjoy the city of London during my free time, experience lots of different cultures and learn in a friendly environment. St Mary’s is the place to be!

With a first class MA from St Mary’s, I have held a number of posts at Italian Universities and am currently lecturer in English Phonetics as the Collegio IPASVI in Rome. I am the author of a book on medical English pronunciation and listening comprehension for Italian students entitled L'inglese medico-scientifico: pronuncia e comprensione all'ascolto (2014; EdiSES).

"I wanted to study a subject that contained transferable skills and studying a joint honours degree - more specifically Business Law - certainly achieved that. Skills ranging from communication, analytical and strategic planning, attention to detail and maintaining composure under pressure. The breadth of modules available proved beneficial for my Master's and also my career.

"At St Mary's I made lifetime friends who encouraged me during my studies. I also received continual support from staff throughout, many of whom I still keep in regular contact with.

"St Mary's University offers fantastic staff, a stimulating and challenging degree, and arguably most importantly; strong career prospects."

Having already started a career in professional strength and conditioning with London Wasps prior to commencing the MSc, I was hoping that St Mary's MSc Strength and Conditioning programme would be stimulating, thought provoking and a challenge to my current philosophy.

In all honesty, it did more than that and I can definitely say that this programme has raised my strength and conditioning practices to the next level.

The course was an extremely rewarding experience and allowed me to home in on an area that already interested me.

With the world becoming increasingly globalised, I felt like this was the perfect opportunity to live, work and study abroad, whilst also developing my passion for the international marketplace through the syllabus at St Mary's.

Read the full story...

I cannot recommend the Bioethics and Medical Law degree highly enough. The MA brought together a diverse and engaging group of people, with different backgrounds, ideas and experiences, to learn with and from each other. Thought-provoking and rewarding, the course challenged me to examine and understand not only why I hold the beliefs and opinions that I do but also why others hold their beliefs and opinions.

The course material is presented in an accessible and understandable way, backed up by an excellent teaching team, so despite having no philosophy background I quickly found my feet. As a distance learner, I found the course well structured and felt fully engaged throughout all the modules, including writing my dissertation.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Master's degree and plan to take my studies further. I would recommend this course to anyone with an interest in biomedical science (human or animal), or to anyone with an interest in bioethics.

Since graduating I have worked in the Media industry. I went to IBC in Amsterdam on work experience as part of one of my degree modules. I am grateful for this experience as it resulted in a full-time job that I started as soon as I finished at St Mary’s. I now work as a Post Production Bookings Co-ordinator for Sky Sports and my degree definitely helped me get to where I am.

Read the full story...

After doing a languages degree and a Master’s in Project Management, I was eager to study further and do a PGCE course. I decided to study this course because I have always been interested in becoming a secondary school teacher, and teaching children languages and about other cultures from around the world. 

As well as helping me progress academically, the course also developed me personally; the nature of the programme enables you to become more authoritative, confident and patient.

I learnt so much this year and am very grateful for it. I could not have asked for better tutors and staff as they were always extremely helpful and would offer their support constantly. They would give help on assignments, offer support with teaching ideas and always offer advice when needed, even whilst we were on placement. 

St Mary’s offered a variety of workshops and lectures, which included theory and practical teaching (at a subject-specific level and with the entire cohort). This enabled us to gain more from each session and enabled us to meet people studying a different subject.

The programme was well run, with good staff who allowed for a lot of independence. I was more interested in research than teaching, and the programme was flexible enough to allow me to pursue my interests. Afterwards I received a scholarship for the University of Cambridge, where I recently completed my PhD in linguistics.

I wanted to be a teacher since I was young. When I started feeling unhappy in my office job I realised it was the perfect time for me to train to teach. I went to one of the open evenings at St Mary's and spoke with the programme director who was very helpful and gave me all the information that I needed.

The other trainees were very nice and we were encouraged to work together, making a challenging year much more supportive. Lectures were interesting and inspiring; I feel lucky that the University really cared about our professional training needs.

The PGCE year is not always easy, but what truly made a difference for me was the support that I received from my tutors. They cared about me as a trainee, but also as a person and made a point of knowing everyone's strengths and weaknesses, providing each of us with tailored support.

It's truly remarkable how much tutors cared about us. They were always available; even answering emails on evenings and weekends. Beyond their dedication and great teaching during the course, the tutors still give us support as NQTs and are still available when needed.

I am very happy with my experience at St Mary's University and would recommend the course to anyone who is thinking of becoming a teacher.

Being a St Mary’s student made me feel proud and I was confident that I was being given the best route into teaching. Whatever school I visited, when I mentioned the name ‘St Mary’s’ it was greeted with the same response; the University is held in very high regard within the teaching profession. 

Read the full story...

Initially I thought of going outside London to study Tourism Management, but when I came to an open day at St Mary's I changed my plans instantly and decided to come here. It's a small university and I felt welcome as soon as I came through the doors.

All the lecturers who have taught me have been helpful and have never turned their back on me when I've requested help from them, making me even more sure of the choice I made when I decided to study here.

I only had the opportunity to study at St Mary’s for a year, but I wish I could’ve stayed longer to get to know this place better. Everyone here was so warm and welcoming, I never felt out of place. Whenever I felt lost or had a question, I always knew that I could find someone at the student services desk that would help me out. I just felt right at home in the beautiful surroundings and especially in the well-being room of the library. I will always be thankful to St Mary's for the opportunity it gave me to come here to study and help me grow.

- International student, El Salvador

Studying on the Creative and Professional Writing Programme and being a student at St Mary’s have, so far, been great experiences for me. I have developed so much as a writer and students here are given fantastic support from staff. The modules I have attended have made me think in great depth about my writing. I have no doubt that my writing has improved tremendously since being on the course. The teaching I received really helped me to win the Strawberry Hill Gothic Prize for Creative Writing… another good experience!

I chose Creative Writing because I've always wanted to be a writer. You can get a lot of inspiration from being here because of the nature and the city feel.

The lecturers are great, they are really supportive. They tell you if something is wrong with your writing, but not in a bad way - they all support you.

I would definitely recommend to go to St Mary's... it doesn't have that big, stressful city life feel, but still it's London.

Read the full story...

This degree covers a variety of modules that will prepare you not only for football but also other sports. I have gained experience on professional work placements of my own choice, which the FdSc staff supported me on.

The staff on the FdSc Programme are the best practitioners I have come across they make you feel at home and provide you with opportunities to reach your full potential by individualising student learning. The staff on the FdSc Programme always go above and beyond I can't thank them enough for delivering a fantastic student experience. 

The qualities and experience that I have gained from this degree have helped me develop holistically and ensured I am equipped with the correct skill sets to deal with the high demands in the sports industry.