M. Sc. High Performance Sport

About the programme

The international Master of Science High-Performance Sport is hosted by the Institute of Sport Science and the Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine at Saarland University in Saarbruecken (Germany). It aims at qualifying sport scientists for jobs in professional and performance-oriented sport and for academic positions that focus on research fields relevant for high-performance athletes. This international Master´s program has a regular duration of four semesters in which 120 ECTS (often referred to as ´Credit points´or CP in German) must be gained. The programme is accredited as a full-time, on-site degree programme. The number of participants is limited. In total, 20 places are available, and students can usually begin the Master´s programme at the winter semester of each year (October to March). Students with an undergraduate degree in sport science or related fields are allowed to apply.

The international M.Sc. High-Performance Sport aims at improving the scientific approach to elite sports, in particular by offering courses in advanced research methods and statistics Furthermore, it gives insights in other sport science disciplines. Graduates have the opportunity to gain sport- and discipline-specific knowledge and experience which are deemed important for future appointments in the sport science support and/or academia. Among other topics, they will be familiarised with international methods of elite training and performance analysis, international sport structures and talent identification/development programs as well as strategies for international communications and leadership in elite sports.

Erasmus collaborations are established with the Liverpool John Moores University (United Kingdom), the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and the UCS Institute of Sport and Health (Irland). Besides the Erasmus opportunities Saarland University has several international partnerships within and outside of Europe. In general exchanges outside of Erasmus are organised for research projects, especially the master thesis.

The degree is divided in the mandatory units “Generic aspects: Methodology and Basic Theories” as well as the elective units “High-Performance Sport”. Modules within “Generic aspects: Methodology and Basic Theories” include advanced courses on Research design and analysis, Statistics, Organisation and Quality assessment. Within the elective units “High-Performance Sports” students have to choose two out of the following core modules:

  • Medicine and exercise physiology in high-performance sport
  • Strength and conditioning in high-performance sport
  • Sport psychology in elite environments
  • Socio-economics of elite sport

Mor information on the study programme can be found

Here…