Course summary

This course includes a Foundation Year, so it is a 4-year course. The additional Foundation Year will allow you to develop your skills and build confidence in your academic abilities, identifying your strengths and weaknesses so you can progress onto the undergraduate programme. The course is aimed at serving Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors (RAPTCIs), Royal Air Force Physical Training Instructors (PTIs), and Royal Navy/Royal Marine Physical Trainers (PTs), with an additional year to prepare for academic study at degree level. Why study at BNU? BNU is already successful at developing and delivering flexible and applied programmes, specific to the needs of military students. You can be sure that you’ll receive a high-quality education with us, utilising our multidisciplinary experiences and in-depth first-hand knowledge. Furthermore, the programme is closely mapped to the new United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) and Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA) Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach (GSCC) professional standard. With our university campus being within a 30-minute commute of London and 35-40 minutes from Heathrow airport we are an accessible, open and welcoming university with easy access links no matter where you are based. In addition, our programme offers you the opportunity to take your learning online which helps you fit around your schedule. We have been able to build great links within local emergency services, military, police and other organisations, and our course has developed a good reputation for quality in these areas amongst our peers. What will I study? On the course, you will develop an understanding of the concepts, theories, and techniques which underpin effective strength and conditioning practice. Areas of study will include biomechanics, physiology, sports psychology, nutrition, applied strength and conditioning, performance analysis, research skills, skill acquisition and learning, sports injury and rehabilitation, topical issues in strength and conditioning and the application of strength and conditioning in tactical populations. Our course is a part-time, blended learning programme of study aimed at serving Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors (RAPTCIs), Royal Air Force Physical Training Instructors (PTIs), and Royal Navy / Royal Marines Physical Trainers (PTs). This course is an opportunity for any of these instructors to undertake a bespoke programme of higher education. Our course content has been aligned to the core requirements of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA), and the Graduate Strength and Conditioning Coach (GSCC) professional standard. Our course has been designed to address the specific educational needs of service PTI’s and will increase your knowledge in both in-service strength and conditioning applications and civilian life. The discipline of strength and conditioning requires you to be both an effective coach and a knowledgeable sport scientist. Career prospects Upon completion of the programme, as a graduate you will be encouraged to sit the UKSCA accreditation assessment and the NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam. At the end of this course, you will be well prepared to take your knowledge of strength and conditioning to a higher level. You will have gained new skills, new insight and a greater understanding of the disciplines of sport science, strength and conditioning and physiology. Should you choose to take this knowledge into civilian fields, or advance further within your current organisation, the skills gained here will be invaluable. In addition, students who graduate with a 1st or 2nd class BSc (Hons) will also be well prepared to go onto postgraduate study at MSc level, such as our MSc Sports Performance course.