The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Open Campus is adding three Sport degrees to its list of offering for the new academic year, 2019-2020.

The three Bachelors of Science degrees being offered starting in August are BSc Sport Coaching, BSc Sport Leadership and Management, and BSc Sport Kinetics. The programmes have been approved by the Board of Undergraduate Studies of The UWI and will be offered online.

BSc Sport Coaching

“The creation of the BSc in Sport Coaching is intended to provide students with an opportunity to combine their  practical  sport  experiences  with sport coaching theory to prepare them for successful sport coaching careers,” according to the programme description.  “The Open Campus Academy of Sport (OCAS) views the study of sport  coaching as facilitating an integrative understanding of sport coaching theory within the dynamic contexts of Caribbean and global sport coaching practices,” the document goes on to say.

Among the subjects to be covered in the Coaching programme are Functional Anatomy, Physiology for Coaches, Sports Nutrition, Biomechanics, Origins and Growth of Sport 1850-1946, Communication in the Workplace, and Statistics. The programme also includes a six-week practicum which will be supervised by certificated coaches in various sports.

On completion of the programme, candidates are expected to be well-rounded coaches equipped with sound scientific principles and possessing modern sporting knowledge.

BSc Sport Kinetics

The introduction of the BSc Sport Kinetics is intended to fill the void created by the lack of sports science programmes in the Caribbean, focusing on exercise and movement science.

The programme will introduce coaches, athletes, sports scientists and sports enthusiasts to the science behind movement and high athletic performance.  It will provide the foundation for persons wishing to become Biomechanists, Sports Nutritionists, Sports Physiologists and experts in athletic training. It will also expose persons to other emerging fields associated with sport and movement science.

The programme is divided into three categories: basic sciences, research and general education. There are two courses that have laboratory components that will require students to attend face-to-face classes. These courses are Sport and Exercise Biomechanics and Applied Biomechanics in Sport and Exercise and will require students to spend one week at laboratories located at the Cave Hill Campus Academy of Sport in Barbados.

BSc Sport Leadership and Management

The BSc in Sport Leadership and Management is intended to provide students with an opportunity to combine their practical sport leadership experiences with sport management theory, and to prepare them for successful careers in a sport organisational environment.

Students pursing the degree in Sport Leadership and Management have the option of also pursuing one of two minors, one in Parks and Recreation and the other in Facilities Management.

On completion of this degree, students should be able to demonstrate pragmatic knowledge in the areas of general leadership and management, sport leadership and management and parks and recreation management, develop a thorough understanding of the theoretical and work-based knowledge relevant to the application of leadership and management principles to sport organizational environments, and articulate sound policy positions that are in keeping with best practices and cultural sensitivity.

The programme will provide a variety of challenging learning experiences for students, enabling them to combine research and theoretical knowledge with professional/practical experience in several related fields. In this regard, some of the subjects comprising the degree include: Introduction to Sport Business Management, Sport Law, Data Analysis in Sport and Exercise Science, Sport Operations and Planning, Sport Policy and Development, Sport Economics and Finance, Fundamentals of Sport Administration, Sport Technology and Design, and Human Resource Management in Sport.

“The UWI Open Campus Academy of Sport is excited about the three new programmes on offer from 2019,” stated Mr. Kervin Jean, Head, Open Campus Academy of Sport. “These cutting edge sport degrees will revolutionise the sporting landscape of the region, both in terms of management and on the field of play as we equip our sporting professionals with the latest available knowledge and international best practice techniques.”

All three BSc programmes will be offered online and will be of four-year duration.

To find out more about the new BSc in Sport programmes, please visit http://www.open.uwi.edu/programmes or send e-mail to ocas@open.uwi.edu.