Course presentation and goals

The European Master of Science in Health and Physical Activity is a 2-yr postgraduate program (120 ECTS), coordinated by the University of Rome “Foro Italico” since 2002 and involving other leading European Universities in the Sport Science studies:

1. the Norwegian School of Sport Science in Oslo – Norway;
2. the University of Vienna – Austria;
3. the University of Southern Denmark in Odense – Denmark;
4. the German Sport University in Cologne – Germany.

The program is carried out in English and successful students will be awarded a joint European certificate plus single or double national second level degrees (that are equally valid in Italy as well as in the other European countries).

It is an integrated program of study involving Faculty and students from Italy and other countries, aimed at upgrading the graduate in sport or movement sciences to a higher and broader professional profile, apt to deal, in a European perspective, with the complexities of the social demands increasingly expressed in the area of physical activity in health, fitness and wellness, reeducation and rehabilitation. In fact, prevalent sport science approaches have for a long time been tailored for competitive sport performance, but less so for needs related to health, prevention and wellbeing, to stress management, and the psychosocial and cultural dimensions, in daily life and in the various age and health conditions.

The development of the program has set out targets favoring the convergence of European Higher Education systems and the creation of an European Higher Education Area. It responds to the need of creating international university programs, whose structure includes studying periods abroad and guarantees an education towards both high professional opportunities and research activities, by making use of regular curricular internships. Master graduates in Health and Physical Activity shall be able to integrate at high level their knowledge of movement sciences, into biomedical, psycho-pedagogical and sociological ones and, in particular, pertaining the use of movement science in the preventive and rehabilitative area, in different age groups.

Activities (120 ECTS)

• Compulsory study subjects and internship (60 ECTS in the 1 a.y and 30 ECTS in the 2 a.y.)
  Teaching, both theory and practice, through Intensive Courses and Internship, and individual study in the intermediate periods, with the support of distance tutoring and learning. Students must participate to all activities, and pass a structured exam for each part of the program. Exams will be rated according to the ECTS system and their ratings will add up in the baseline for the graduation mark. Activities and ratings will be listed in the Diploma Supplement.
• Thesis (30 ECTS in the 2 a.y.)
  Each candidate must defend a dissertation on a topic of scientific and practical interest in one of the three specialist areas, devised and conducted under the supervision of a Faculty member, for an estimated total work load of 750 hr. The thesis must conform to the published guidelines and will be rated with respect to form (editing, layout, etc.), contents and presentation. A Reviewer will contribute to the assessment. The rating will add up to the baseline, and possible extra credits, to produce the graduation mark.
• Elective activities
  Elective activities will not be given marks and may include additional courses, individual studies, research seminars, and other activities to be negotiated between student and tutor. Credits obtained in related programs and professional experience in the area can be recognised. Activities in excess with respect to ECTS requirements can be accounted for in the final rating and contribute to the graduation mark as 1 point each 4 ECTS, up to a maximum of two points.

Curriculum and specialisations

First-year study subjects will cover, along with general aspects aimed at strengthening and widening the basic cultural background, specific aspects related to the theory and practice of physical activity in relation to health and wellbeing, as well as disease and disability, both in general and specifically at the various ages, dealing with such issues as:

• Health and fitness, risk factors and prevention in the general population;
• Movement therapy in functional reeducation & rehabilitation;
• Wellness and coping in disability, chronic disorder, or other limiting conditions;
• Movement in education, maturation and social integration, wellness and creativity, personal growth and expression;
• Ethical issues, advanced IT and research methodology for health and social science research.

Students proceeding into the second year will need to select two different areas of professional formation and learning among the following internship offers:

1. Children: Physical Activity in education, growth, development and maturation, and in relation to health and prevention, disease or disability, from childhood to young adulthood.
2. Adults: Physical Activity and lifestyle for health and prevention, fitness & wellness, in the general population of average healthy adults, and in special groups with disease or disability.
3. Elderly: Physical Activity in relation to health and prevention, fitness & wellness, as well as personal expression, and coping with age problems, disease or disability in the elderly.
4. Musculo-skeletal disorders and sports activity joint diseases.
5. Movement therapy in orthopaedic rehabilitation.
6. Psycho-pedagogic aspects of preventive physical activity.

So, there will be one common path in the first year and several alternative specialisations in the second year focusing on physical activity in disease prevention and rehabilitation.

In the first-year, three Teaching Modules will take place at the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, in the Fall-Winter, while the fourth Teaching Module will take place either in Rome in Spring or in partner Universities.

In the second year, alternative Internships, involving specialisation learning and work, will then be offered in the Spring-Fall by partner universities, particularly Odense (Children and Elderly), Vienna (Adults), Cologne (Sport Therapy) , Oslo (Psychology), Rome (Movement therapy in orthopaedic rehabilitation).

The program will also be enriched by lecturers from other prominent academic, professional and research institutions from the Universities of:  Athens,  Marseille, Groningen, Stuttgart,  Poitiers, Swansea and others.

Teaching modality

One main goal of the program is to give to the graduate autonomous learning skills. The modality of teaching delivery includes a combination of
lectures, seminars, practical teaching, lab activities, and student driven presentations. As an average, each 15 ECTS subject (375 hours of student workload) is composed of 20-26% of lectures and/or seminars, 8-16% of practical teaching & online learning, 53-61% of individual study and 7-11% of exam development. Depending upon the learning objectives, the 2nd-year curricular internships can demonstrate substantial differences
in the ratio between theoretical and practical learning activities.

As general strategy, the program adopts blended learning classes, where the
traditional face-to-face teaching methods, either in presence or in distance modalities, are complemented by online resources (articles, textbooks, educational videos, etc.), to provide a more independent and effective learning experience for the students.
The online resources are selected not to replace any face-to-face teaching, but rather shall be viewed as integral teaching activities to be used:

• as preparatory activities selected to prepare and motivate the student to a
  responsive and pro-active learning environment during the subsequent face-to-face session;
• as instrument to provide extensive articles or external sites for students to read in their own time to further grasp the subject.

The online resources are made available to enrolled students in the e-learn platform of Foro Italico University (1st-year subjects), as well as in the e-learn platforms of partner universities (2nd-year subjects).

Distance learning

In addition to in presence face-to-face classes, the program makes use of both distance face-to-face classes and online courses. The distance face-to-face activities, mostly limited to the English Academic Writing course and tutoring, are delivered through institutional (Microsoft Teams, ZOOM) or personal tools (such as Skype). The English Academic Writing course, to be compulsorily completed by all enrolled students during the 1st-year teaching period, is fully available online and it is reinforced by face-to-face classes with a language expert.

Language studies

The English course comprises:

• Four on-line modules (approximately 10 hours work each) to be completed during the study intervals. Students have access to on-line tutoring in this period.
• Four hours of classroom lessons per module focussing on introducing (and receiving feedback on) the language and academic writing skills components of the module.

Introductory classes offered to cope with local needs during study periods in Rome.

European and National Titles

Upon completion of the program, the European Master title will be issued jointly by the full partner Universities and be valid in the respective countries to all effects:

• Italy – Laurea Magistrale in Attività Fisica e Salute (Classe LM 67) (national title)
• Austria – Master of Science (national title, subjected to additional local requirements)
• Norway – Master i Idrettsvitenskap (national title, subjected to additional local requirements)
• Denmark – Cand. Scient. I Idrate og Sundhed (national title, subjected to additional local requirements)
• Germany – European Master in Physical Activity and Health (national title recognition subjected to additional local requirements)

The title will be accompanied by a Diploma Supplement, which will certify the special characteristics of the program, with the intensive exposure to a European dimension and highly specialised teaching and research environment, and the high level of cultural and professional specialisation achieved.

Graduates, or qualified students in corresponding second-tier national programs, may have access to the European Master title upon completion of a special track, designed by the Faculty based on the student’s background and related assessment of integrative requirements, which will as a rule include English proficiency, part of the teaching sessions, a mobility period, and the thesis. Admission and the integrative program will be subject to approval by all partner institutions.

Participation to only parts of the program can also be foreseen for qualified students

The program is addressed to students with an undergraduate degree in the sport science or related area, with good knowledge of written and spoken English and adequate credentials.

A total of 35 students will be admitted, with possible extensions in case of qualified applications.
15 positions are reserved to students from partner universities.
5 additional positions are restricted to non-European students.

Wide international participation is encouraged.

Attendance, exams, dismissal

Not less than 90% attendance for each module is strictly required. Delays or absence can be tolerated for exceptional reasons but must be notified and replaced by a specific assignment. Repeated absence or delay, and generally lack of adequate participation may cause dismissal.

In the first year, exams will be held at the beginning of the next Module through the evaluation of written essays and other tutor-assisted procedures. The Italian and ECTS rating systems will be adopted. There will be one exam, and a corresponding mark, for each Module, combining various study subjects. The average of individual marks will provide the baseline for the final graduation mark.

In case of failure, an exam can be repeated. In case of a second failure, a final attempt is allowed, but in front of a Special Commission. After three failures, or in case no adequate participation to the program is shown, or in case of unacceptable behaviour, the Faculty may decide to dismiss a student, with a certification of the exams passed and credits obtained.

Examination rules and procedures

Thesis steps: from proposal to admission and graduation

Main figures and quality assurance indicators 2022-2023 plus 4-year trend