Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition
Qualifications
Overview
The Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition major is one of five majors of the Bachelor of Sport Coaching (BSpC) degree, which is a unique blend of practical application and theory that will immerse you in the sociology, science, theory, and practice of sport and sport coaching. It is a popular degree choice for students seeking to move into education.
The Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition specialisation is targeted at those who wish to train and motivate individuals and teams to help them meet performance and body composition goals. The major focuses on nutrition, strength and condition, and offers optional courses in psychological skills training. Students have the opportunity to work with individuals and teams to set and meet training goals, rehabilitate and recondition injured or under-performing athletes, and analyse and prescribe programmes for strength and conditioning training.
Courses will challenge students to critically assess various contemporary nutritional and recovery techniques and research their effectiveness. They will study the multi-disciplinary relationship between the sports nutritionist and the strength and conditioning coach to gain an appreciation of when it is appropriate to recommend a particular supplement or recovery intervention.
Minors in Strength and Conditioning and Nutrition
Strength and Conditioning, as well as Nutrition, may also be taken separately as minor subjects within the Bachelor of Sport Coaching, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership.
These two minors enable students wishing to study towards a different major to gain expertise and recognition in the area of strength and conditioning, or explore the challenges of applied nutrition and exercise prescription practice for sport and health.
- UC is investing heavily in strength and conditioning education in Aotearoa New Zealand. The programme is delivered in a new Performance Education and Training Centre, providing you with the opportunity to practice your skills in a strength and conditioning facility with state-of-the-art equipment.
- Classes are taught by experts who are highly trained in their fields and who bring their own professional sports industry experience to help provide context to theoretical and practical subjects.
- The Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition major will develop the theoretical knowledge and technical competencies required to deliver evidence-based strength and conditioning programmes for a range of individuals, including the general population, those with specific needs, and athletic communities.
- There are many specific strength and conditioning or nutrition courses in the Bachelor of Sport Coaching degree, which address the skills and knowledge required to pass the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) accreditation.
- This major will prepare you for completion of the NSCA’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) or Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F) certifications.
- The CSCS offers professional accreditation for strength and conditioning training of athletic teams.
- The TSAC-F prepares you for a career in tactical strength and conditioning training for emergency and protective services personnel, including fire, search and rescue, law enforcement, and the military.
- Developing coaching experience alongside your studies is crucial. The programme has excellent links with clubs and organisations from a variety of sports, and these links enable you to obtain the necessary coaching experience needed to secure employment upon graduating.
UC offers a major in Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition within the Bachelor of Sport Coaching.
You can also study a minor in Strength and Conditioning, or a minor in Nutrition, within the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Sport Coaching, and Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership.
Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition major
To complete a major in Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition within the Bachelor of Sport Coaching, you will need to take the following courses throughout the degree:
100-level
200-level
- SPCO 221 Injury and Rehabilitation Prescription
- SPCO 241 Introduction to Strength and Conditioning
- SPCO 242 Weight Management
300-level
- SPCO 309 Exercise Physiology
- SPCO 310 Practicum 3
- SPCO 341 Strength and Conditioning for Sports Performance
- SPCO 343 Performance Nutrition and Recovery Monitoring
Double majors
Double majors may be completed in any combination of the majors of the Bachelor of Sport Coaching. For any double major combination, SPCO 320 Internship must be in one or more of the subject areas.
Strength and Conditioning minor
For the Strength and Conditioning minor in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Sport Coaching, or Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership, you will need to take these courses throughout your chosen degree:
100-level
200-level
300-level
One of the above 300-level courses can be substituted with SPCO 343 Performance Nutrition and Recovery Monitoring, with approval from the Programme Coordinator.
Nutrition minor
For the Nutrition minor in the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Sport Coaching, or Bachelor of Youth and Community Leadership, you will need to take these courses throughout your chosen degree:
100-level
200-level
300-level
Plus two courses chosen from:
The BSpC degree gives students a strong grounding in transferable career skills which are highly valued in the workforce, including leadership, communication, motivation, and teamwork.
Rewarding careers can involve working as a strength and conditioning advisor or coach, at an amateur or elite level, or as a personal trainer, where you would help optimise performance and enhance nutrition for athletes or individual clients.
Graduates of the Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition major will be eligible for further professional certifications, which offer career opportunities in athletic team training or coaching, or training for emergency and protective services such as the military and police.
Recent UC Sport Coaching graduates have become health advisors, sports coaches, performance analysts, personal trainers, policy analysts, teachers, managers in community sports coaching organisations, outdoor recreation guides, school sports directors, and community development officers.
Find out more about what you can do with a degree in Sport Coaching.
Contact us
Te Kura Mātai Hauora | School of Health Sciences
Phone +64 3 369 3333
Email education@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
Level 3, Rehua building – see campus maps
Postal address
Te Rāngai Ako me te Hauora | College of Education, Health and Human Development
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
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