Sport Performance Analysis MSc - Distance Education

Sports Performance Analysis is an area experiencing massive growth, with virtually every professional club and elite athlete employing or working with performance analysts who provide them with objective data to ultimately improve their sporting performance.

This online master’s course will help you develop your career as a performance analyst by developing the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge and skills to fulfil the typical responsibilities required. These responsibilities include the collection of sport performance data using performance analysis software packages; preparing specific videos for presentation to players and coaches; analysing datasets for trends and relationships and finally visualising data through dashboards.

Our successful on-campus programme in the UK, was one of the first of its kind when it was established in 2010 and has a strong track record of developing employable graduates who have gone on to secure jobs in the UK and abroad to become Sport Performance Analysts at high profile clubs and organisations, complete PhDs and become University lecturers.

The on-campus version of this course can be found here.

What you will gain

We have an international reputation for excellence in delivering performance analysis and creating employable graduates. You’ll learn from academics who regularly work and consult with international teams, national governing bodies, elite clubs and athletes. Our pioneering programme is designed to prepare you for accreditation with the International Society of Performance Analysis of Sport.

You will learn how to identify and develop performance indicators, how to create performance profiles, how to test reliability and get to grips with performance analysis software that is used in the industry. You’ll also gain experience as a performance analyst through our work-placement module.

Course highlights

• You will have access to leading industry-standards performance analysis software
• We have strong industry links within performance analysis, many of our graduates have gone on to secure jobs at international renowned clubs and organisations
• We believe that our graduates should be high achievers both practically and academically. As a result, we actively encourage students to publish their dissertation through peer-reviewed journals and conferences
• This course prepares you for accreditation from the International Society of Performance Analysis of Sport
• Our performance analysis staff publish frequently and therefore underpin teaching with relevant and new research. Alongside this, our PA staff also consult with a number of high profiles organisations, teams and athletes
• Small class sizes allow you to receive the personal attention required to thrive in your studies.

How can the Sport Performance Analysis MSc support your career?

This Sport Performance Analysis programme is for students who would like to develop key skills and competencies, acquire a body of knowledge, and gain exposure to new and innovative areas of the subject. A Sports Performance Analysis degree opens the doors to a number of exciting career paths, with excellent career progression opportunities.

Career opportunities exist for well-qualified sport performance analysts in both professional and amateur sports. Previous graduates in Sport Performance Analysis are currently working in:

• Soccer: English Premier League, English Championship, the FA
• Rugby: Welsh Rugby Union, Professional rugby teams in England and Wales
• Multiple Olympic sports: working for the English Institute of Sport is sports such as cycling, canoe slalom, disability swimming, hockey, judo
• Squash: England Squash
• Badminton: England badminton
• Regional bodies: Irish Institute of Sport.

Work placements typically coincide with the sporting season (August to April for soccer or rugby).

Graduates will also be capable of establishing their own consultancy business or progressing to additional study/research including MPhil/PhD.