Masters study

With the ever evolving nature of health-based industries, we know how important it is to keep your professional practice up to date, so we’ve created a system of flexible Continuing Professional Development pathways to ensure you can acquire additional skills, qualifications and training in a structure and time-frame that suits you. We offer two pathways, both available at Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or Masters level.

We have two research groups: SPF (Sports Performance and Fatigue) and HEAL (Health Exercise and Active Lifestyles). These groups have international expertise in pacing and competitive performance in middle-distance and endurance sport, training physiology, gait mechanics, biomedical optics, disability and Paralympic sport, performance-enhancing drugs, leadership, social support, green exercise, paediatric exercise science, cardiovascular health and rehabilitation.

Members of the teaching team have also attended the Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships and the Commonwealth Games in sports science and sports medicine support capacities, and other team members currently work at national and international level in various sports. 

As a postgraduate student in SRES, your research will be informed by our cutting-edge resources. You will be able to utilise our new state of the art facilities, which are due to open in early 2018, while the diverse research backgrounds offered by our teaching staff means you will have plenty of opportunities to explore different areas of interest. You will also be able to attend SRES research seminars where guest speakers from across the industry are invited to present. 

As well as developing your academic skills, our CPD courses provide you with the opportunity to acquire new attributes to inform your professional practice. We understand you may not have time to take on a full-time degree, so these courses are designed to offer flexibility. 

It's important to us that you know what you're signing up for. We'd expect that you've read our course pages carefully, and have done plenty of research about both life at Essex and the careers associated with our courses.

Working in a healthcare environment can be highly rewarding, but like any sector, it also comes with its challenges. It's important that you have an awareness of these challenges, and are up to speed with current issues. We'd recommend you keep up with health and social care news, and subject appropriate journals and magazines , e.g Nursing Times, Community Care, etc.  You may find your local library already has a subscription that you can access.

You'll notice that many of our courses are underpinned by the NHS Constitution, as well as our own Essex values. The NHS Constitution is an important document which establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. 

This document very clearly explains that the patient is at the heart of everything the NHS does. We take this commitment seriously, and so are looking for people who have the potential to be future healthcare superstars.

If you are applying for a healthcare course, in your application, you will need to briefly explain how you currently demonstrate the NHS 6Cs. You don't need to write at length about each, but we do need to see that you have these values:

1. Care
2. Compassion
3. Competence
4. Communication
5. Courage
6. Commitment

Many of our courses are a blend of both theory and practice, so we also need to hear from you about both your academic and practical skills. Think carefully about how your experiences have prepared you for some of the challenges of the course, and how they can make you stand out from the crowd. For example, if you've worked in retail, you're likely to have developed your communication skills, so you may be able to talk about this.

For many people, the idea of being interviewed is quite daunting. There's no need to panic. We're on your side.We aim to use the interview process to get to know you and to find out your plans for the future.

Our interview panels are made up of current staff and students, service users/experts by experience, and local placement partners. Many of the panel will have been through a similar process at some point in their career, so they'll appreciate you'll probably be feeling nervous. Try to relax (as best as you can) and think of it more as a discussion with colleagues about why you'd like to join us.

As part of our interview process, many of our courses require you to undertake English and Maths tests so you can demonstrate that you have a basic level of literacy and numeracy. For courses with professional accreditation, the regulatory bodies will often set the standards for us. 

You can find out if your course requires and English and Maths test by looking at our entry requirements on our webpages. If you have a documented educational need, then you may be entitled to specific access arrangements for the literacy and numeracy tests. If you think that this applies to you, please contact our admissions team as soon as possible.

Literacy 

The literacy test will assess your reading and writing skills.  A variety of questions will cover the following areas:  

• Writing
• Spelling
• Grammar and syntax
• Presenting information in a logical sequence
• Vocabulary
• Punctuation
• Common prefixes
• Free writing

Reading

• Proofreading
• Comprehension
• Fact or opinion?

Numeracy

The numeracy test will assess your ability to apply number, to use measurements and to handle data.  Calculators can be used.  You will be given a total of 45 minutes in which to complete both tests.  Question topics will include:  

Number

• Addition
• subtraction, multiplication, and division
• Fractions, decimals and percentages
• calculations, conversions and equivalencies   

Measurement

• Time, weight, distance, volume, money and conversion of units  

Handling data

• Extracting information from tables, diagrams, charts or graphs.

 Feeling anxious about your numeracy or literacy skills?  Don't worry, once you are here, we have lots of support in place.  

We don’t release our past tests for applicants to practice on, but we do recommend taking a look at the following resources to help you prepare:

Literacy and numeracy practice tests:

• Learn my way English and Maths
• Edexcel Online Practise Tests 1
• Edexcel Online Practise Tests 2
• Edexcel Online Practise Tests 3

Literacy

• Literacy - Interactive Resources (you will need to scroll down to access the Level 1 and 2 resources)
• BBC Skillswise – Literacy for Adults

Numeracy

• Numeracy – Interactive Resources (you will need to scroll down to access the Level 1 and 2 resources)
• National Numeracy Challenge: Strength in Numbers
• BBC Skillswise – Numeracy for Adults

Mobile apps

There are a number of apps that can help you to develop your literacy and numeracy skills. The following are all free to use. In-app purchases are possible, but are neither required nor endorsed by the University of Essex, and the University cannot answer any queries relating to their use.

• Elevate
• Learndirect