The Master’s Degree Program in Preventive and Adapted Physical Activities aims to train qualified specialists ready to respond to emerging health needs through the interdisciplinary use of movement. This academic track focuses on the use of movement as an educational, preventive tool and promoter of physical, mental and social well-being, as well as a means of facilitating the inclusion of individuals with diverse abilities.

Graduates of this course will acquire in-depth knowledge in exercise science, integrating biomedical, psycho-pedagogical and sociological skills. Based on scientific evidence, they will be able to apply physical activity in prevention at various levels, personalizing interventions in a multidisciplinary context.

The training curriculum is structured to consolidate the scientific basis and develop specialized skills necessary for the design, development and management of motor activity programs aimed at:

• counteracting the sedentary risk factor in different age groups, promoting the attainment, recovery and maintenance of the best conditions of psychophysical well-being, postural set-up and autonomy throughout life;
• Contribute to the promotion of individual and collective health, including through health education actions in the performance of motor activities;
• Cooperate with other expertise in prevention and recovery from distress in children, adolescents, and the elderly;
• Be able to maintain and increase motivation for participation in physical activity in different populations and socio-cultural contexts;
• Be able to perform assessments aimed at calibrating and customizing motor and sports activity programs and direct their execution;
• Recognize and meet motor needs by adapting physical activity in an integrated multidisciplinary context;
• To develop the role of movement within medical-therapeutic, social-assistance, and cross-cultural inclusion and integration interventions;
• To know how to recognize and identify social-affective behaviors in person-enhancement processes;
• Be able to update their education on technical and scientific topics of expertise.

The course of study employs highly specialized and diverse expertise, with annual quality checks based on student assessment and continuous monitoring of the course of study.

The first year focuses on an in-depth study of the anatomical, biological, physiological and pathophysiological basis of movement, while the second year deals with the role of motor activity in prevention and health education, placing these topics in a public health perspective.

Theoretical lectures are complemented by practical exercises and internships in selected facilities, with students able to choose from a variety of courses offered by the University to further personalize their education.

The final proof

The final examination consists of the presentation and discussion of a thesis, written by the student/student in an original way, on a topic assigned to the candidate with his/her consent, in a discipline chosen from those in the course of study and may also be discussed in a foreign language. The topic of the thesis is agreed by the student/student with the lecturer and must be assigned at least six months before its discussion.

The development and discussion of the final thesis allow for the verification of the graduate student’s communication skills and learning abilities, as they allow for:

• Set up and manage a literature search strategy in order to conduct a literature review and critically discuss the results;
• Set up and develop an experimental hypothesis designed and organized under the guidance of a course instructor, starting with context analysis and problem description and ending with the development of methods for collecting and interpreting experimental data of a qualitative and/or quantitative nature.

The content of the thesis may consist of:

• In the critical analysis of a topic in the relevant literature;
• in the in-depth study of one of the topics covered in the various educational activities of the course of study;
• In drafting and extending the project work (project work) carried out during the internship period.

For the purpose of passing the master’s degree examination, a minimum score of 66 points must be achieved. The possible award of honors, in addition to the maximum score of 110 points, is subject to the ascertained relevance of the candidate’s achievements and the unanimous evaluation of the Commission.