Train to coach sports performers with a Strength and Conditioning Science degree at St Mary’s University – the front-runner for strength and conditioning education
Understand how to physically prepare and coach sports performers with our Strength and Conditioning Science degree. You will learn anatomy, neuromechanics, and how to apply your knowledge to the workplace.
Our strength and conditioning science programme is accredited by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Therefore, you’ll be eligible for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) qualification in the USA.
Our course also meets the requirements of the UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA).
International reputation
St Mary's is internationally recognised as the front-runner for strength and conditioning education. Our strength and conditioning science course was the first of its kind in the UK, and we have made sure it evolved to be highly successful.
We help students pursue careers in elite sport. Some of our graduates have performed in:
Olympic and Paralympic games
shows by The Royal Ballet
premiership football
premiership rugby.
Expert teaching and support
You will learn from accredited and highly experienced coaches here to aid your personal and professional development. Our student, Ben, tells us how our lecturers supported him during his Strength and Conditioning Science degree.
Build hands-on, professional experience
You will gain crucial coaching experience with our partner clubs and organisations, such as:
Crystal Palace FC
London Irish RFC
University London Boat Club
Sutton Tennis Academy
Royal Ballet Company.
If you decide to spend a year studying abroad, you will also build coaching experience in college American football and NCAA basketball – a rare experience in the UK.
Share facilities with Olympians
You will learn in our 5,000-square-foot Performance Education Centre – part of our world-class facilities used by Olympians.
You’ll also access our state-of-the art:
Biomechanics Laboratory
Exercise Physiology Laboratories.
Why St Mary’s?
You will gain skills and support to make a positive impact – for yourself and for others – through high-quality teaching, real-world experience, and a community that lifts each other up. Our campus is a London oasis – blending city energy with open green spaces to think, connect, and grow.
About the Placement Year
A placement year enables you to undertake a year of experience in an organisation between your second and final year.
It will enable you to:
apply the knowledge and skills you gain from your course in a work setting
build your commercial awareness and insights into organisations and industries you might want to work in
develop your professional skills through company training, networking skills and confidence in the workplace
get some great experience for future job applications or even land a graduate job.
Securing a placement can really help you develop your job search skills and the Employability Service placement and Careers Teams can support you to find and apply for available opportunities.
Please note: in the event that you cannot secure a placement you will be able to transfer onto the three year version of your degree programme.
Year 1 - The first year is a foundation year for all students within the sport sciences. In addition to core sport science study you will cover additional modules in fundamentals of strength & conditioning, field based training techniques, & strength training techniques, which require a significant level of practical involvement. The training techniques covered over the first year include weightlifting, plyometrics, strength training, speed & agility, gymnastics, aerobic & anaerobic conditioning & aquatic training. Year 2 - You will now move more deeply into practical understanding & the application of acquired theoretical knowledge. Core topics will progress to cover all of those required as part of the UKSCA & NSCA accreditation processes. Year 3 – You will complete, alongside other theoretical & practical modules, both a work placement & an extended research project. Students have the option of splitting their final year & gaining credit for a work placement or internship.
This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
St Mary's University, Twickenham has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | 6.0 overall with no element below 5.5 |
English Language requirementshttps://www.stmarys.ac.uk/international/english-language/overview.aspx
For many of our three-year degree programmes if you don’t quite meet our entry requirements, we might be able to make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background, your experiences, individual circumstances and whether you can demonstrate transferable skills that you have which will help you to be successful at university. This is called a contextual offer, and we get data from UCAS to help make these decisions.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
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Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Online clearing application form
Email:apply@stmarys.ac.uk
Phone:0208 240 2394
Monday - Friday from 09:00 to 17:00
Email:apply@stmarys.ac.uk
Phone:020 8240 2394
St Mary's University
Waldegrave Road
Twickenham
TW1 4SX
At St Mary's University, Twickenham
