Sports Science Reykjavík University

Overview

This Sports Science course from  Reykjavík University  two-year, 120 ECTS research-based master’s programme, taught fully in English. It combines academic rigour with practical applications, emphasising independent work, current research methods, and hands-on training. 

The curriculum covers core areas such as training physiology, performance analysis, psychology, nutrition, and statistics. Students complete a 30-ECTS final thesis project tailored to their chosen specialisation.

Students select one of three pathways:

• Coaching — Focus on training elite and competitive athletes, integrating principles of physiology, training philosophy, psychology, and nutrition to optimise performance.
• Performance Analysis — Emphasises sports-related data science: video analysis, GPS tracking, and statistical methods to assess and enhance athlete performance.
• Sport Psychology — Evidence-based sport psychology strategies to support athlete well-being and performance, and to apply psychological methods in other performance domains.

Internship opportunities aligned with each specialisation are available.

Learning Experience

• Courses are taught in modular format (e.g., 5–6 week blocks), combining lectures, projects, and guided research.
• Core modules include research methodology, applied statistics, measurement, performance enhancement, and more, delivered by both local and renowned international scholars.
• Students often engage in collaborative research across departments (e.g., Engineering, Psychology), leveraging RU’s strong interdisciplinary environment.

 Career opportunities:

Career Paths & Outcomes Graduates are highly versatile and prepared for a variety of careers:

• Coaching & Sport Performance: Head coaches, elite coaches, or strength & conditioning specialists.
• Performance Analytics: Sport data analysts, performance analysts for clubs or federations.
• Sport Psychology: Sport psychologist or mental performance consultant for athletes, teams, or organisations.
• Management & Leadership: Project managers in elite sport programmes, sport organisation executives.
• Research & Academia: Graduates can pursue PhD studies or research roles.
• Health & Wellness: Applying sport science principles in public health, wellness coaching, or rehabilitation contexts.

Unique Strengths

• It’s the only MSc Sport Science programme of its kind in Iceland focusing on elite athlete coaching and performance science.

• Strong ties with Icelandic sports federations (e.g., football, handball, basketball), enhancing real-world training and research opportunities.

• Access to high-quality facilities for physiology testing, biomechanics, and coaching work.

• Collaboration with international experts ensures exposure to cutting-edge theory and practice.

Accreditation

National Accreditation and Quality-Assurance Framework: RU uses a formal internal quality-management system, including regular self-evaluations, annual reports, and external assessments by the Icelandic Agency for Quality Assurance (IAQA) through the Quality Enhancement Framework (QEF). RU is a fully recognized higher-education institution in Iceland, which is part of the ENIC/NARIC network.