Having been immersed in sport from a young age and initially studying as a Physical Education and Mathematics teacher in PESS the MSc Sports Performance was the natural progression to further my academic journey,
I elected to take this MSc programme in a full-time capacity, over a fast-paced 12 months spent in the PESS department. Despite the vast amounts of content covered, the course is structured into a manageable three semesters. The teaching and technical staff deliver a programme that is thorough, comprehensive and engaging to ensure students can best display their knowledge. With most of the faculty actively working in applied sport settings, the programme delivers theoretical knowledge framed towards applying it in high performance sport. I particularly enjoyed classroom discussions on how best to integrate new and emerging research into pre-existing practices in the industry. This focus on practical applications ensures graduates are best placed to stay at the forefront of innovation amongst sports scientists.
The PESS department is a hub of conversation, connections and cooperation. The MSc Sports Performance programme attracts students from a vast range of sporting contexts with many having extensive experience as athletes or coaches. This provides an extensive knowledge base to learn from your peers as well as the wider PESS student community. It creates an enjoyable conversation in many classes with many students sharing from their own experiences.
The undoubted highlight of my MSc journey was the intensive summer semester. The semester consists of three week-long professional competencies modules each focusing on different aspects of the sports performance field. The modules draw from authentic case studies identified from athletes and teams embedded in the university community. With assignments focusing on long-term athlete rehabilitation, physiological profiling and warm weather training accommodations, I enjoyed the need to form research-based recommendations to the athletes and coaches whilst also learning to work in a quick and instinctive manner. As part of the programme, I also had the opportunity to work with Munster Rugby as an athletic development coach. This immersive experience allowed me to work in an applied setting as part of talent pathway programme.
The MSc. programme is not without its challenges and the continuous stream of assignments and assessments particularly over the first semester require high levels of time-management. However I cannot speak highly enough to the quality of support offered by the faculty. They were very accommodative of my own training commitments offering support whilst on warm-weather training camps during the semester and regularly checking in on course load across the entire programme.
The MSc Sports Performance program at the University of Limerick is an intensive, well-structured course that blends theoretical knowledge with practical application. Supported by expert faculty and a diverse peer community, it encourages collaboration, preparing students to excel and lead in high-performance sport.
For more information: https://www.ul.ie/gps/course/sports-performance-msc
Email: SportsPerformance@ul.ie
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