Sports Cardiology

To be considered for this course, you will need to:

• meet the entry criteria
• write a personal statement
• provide two suitable references.

Research shows that those who participate in sport, on average, live six years longer than those who do not. Sports and regular exercise has countless beneficial effects on a number of conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and heart disease.

On this course, core modules will help you understand the effects of exercise on the cardiovascular system and the impact of exercise on individuals with heart disease; from coronary artery disease most commonly associated with middle aged adults, to some of the more uncommon heart conditions, ranging from arrhythmias to structural abnormalities such as cardiomyopathies.

The goals is not to tell people to avoid sport, but to understand how we can best monitor athletes and those who want to safely participate in exercise to reduce the risks presented by undiagnosed heart conditions. Referring to real-life cases and dealing with patients in clinic, you will discover how lifestyle modifications, pharmaceutical remedies and surgical options can allow a continuation of a relatively active lifestyle even for those with inherited or congenital heart defects.

MSc students will select and research an in-depth topic on a subject/issue of their choice, with supervision from our expert staff and the possibility for additional external supervision. Previous students have, for example, researched the composition of coronary artery disease in older athletes, the prevalence and impact of arrhythmias in older athletes, and the impact of exercise on the adolescent footballer’s heart and aorta. They have implemented and assessed the impact of resuscitation training in schoolchildren and even created a national screening programme for cardiac conditions in high schools in Malta.

The full-time MSc will normally be completed over one year, part-time over two years. To qualify for the award of Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip), you must complete all core modules (excluding the research project) and two option modules. For the award of Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert), students are required to complete four modules. Lectures and tutorials are typically delivered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, leaving Wednesday free for self-study.

Our wide range of specialist modules can also be studied individually as part of Continuous Personal and Professional Development (CPPD) however, practice modules must be studied with their corresponding theory module.

Modules throughout the course may include the following.*

*Modules listed here are indicative and the actual modules available when you enrol may vary.

Traditional teaching is delivered through a variety of methods such as lectures, course-specific seminars and small group sessions. You will also participate in self-directed study and wider reading, as well as individual and group practical sessions.

This is a highly practical and interactive course where you will have the opportunity to review hundreds of real-life cases and their investigations, including ECGs, echocardiograms, exercise tests and cardiopulmonary exercise tests, ECG monitors, cardiac MRIs and more advanced cardiac investigations. You’ll have access to state-of-the-art equipment used by cardiac physiologists, such as ECG, echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise machines and cardiac MRIs.

You’ll learn how to treat young patients and top-level athletes, which has previously included footballers from Premier League teams such as Chelsea and Tottenham, the England rugby squad and the British Olympic squad.

The growth in the number of competitive athletes, the drive for preventive medicine and a healthier lifestyle and the rising population of amateur athletes – with 2.5 million marathon runs per year in Europe alone – has led to an increase in the need for cardiologists with an in-depth knowledge of sports cardiology.

Sports cardiologists evaluate a wide range of individuals, including young athletes (with symptoms or as part of cardiac screening), athletes with inherited cardiac conditions, older recreational athletes with coronary artery disease and individuals who simply want to take up exercise as part of improving their general wellbeing.

The lack of dedicated training means that, currently, physicians with no formal training in sports cardiology perform the majority of these evaluations. Given the complexities of the field, individuals with limited knowledge and experience are likely to resort to numerous, costly and often redundant investigations, which has huge implications for health services around the world. In the professional sporting world, such practice has the potential for causing delays in an athlete’s clearance for competition, unwarranted anxiety and potentially false disqualification.

Our MSc Sports Cardiology aims to address the lack of structured training in the field and enhance the qualifications of physicians, physiologists, physiotherapists, nurses and sports scientists who are committed to training in cardiology, sports medicine or exercise physiology by providing them with a unique degree and highly sought-after set of skills.

Our long-standing collaboration with major sporting bodies, clubs and charitable organisations and the participation of key figures from the industry offers the chance to network and explore the prospect of potential employers. You will gain a good understanding of the needs of such organisations and receive career advice from potential employers.

Successful completion of our master’s courses will set you apart from the competition and provide you with unique employment opportunities within national health systems, sporting organisations and charitable organisations dedicated to sport and prevention of sudden cardiac death.

Whether you are interested in a career within the NHS or elsewhere, our MSc will provide you with the skills and qualifications in the field of Sports Cardiology and inherited cardiac conditions to rise above the competition. It will equip you with knowledge to evaluate a wide range of individuals, from high-level, elite athletes, to older recreational athletes at risk of coronary artery disease and individuals with or without heart disease who wish to take up exercise as part of improving their general wellbeing.

Careers

• Charitable organisations

• NHS

• PhD study

• Private practice

• Research

• Sporting events

• Sports clubs

• Sports organisations

• Teaching/training

Facilities

St George’s is the only UK university, which specialises in healthcare education and is based on a hospital site, namely St George’s Hospital, where the Channel 4 television series 24 hours in A&E is filmed. We offer a unique opportunity to study and work alongside the full range of clinical professionals and their patients.

Since its first inception in 1954, the St George’s Hospital Cardiology department has been at the forefront of providing pioneering specialist cardiology care to patients. The Cardiology Clinical Academic Group offers all aspects of treatments for heart conditions across South West London and Surrey. As well as sports cardiology, it runs a specialised service for treatment of the full spectrum of cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, heart rhythm disorders, heart failure and inherited cardiac diseases including diseases of the thoracic aorta. These include weekly specialist clinics, one-stop heart failure clinics, direct rapid access to high quality echocardiography, MRI, BP and ECG monitoring and cardiac rehabilitation services.

We also have a range of specialist health and academic facilities to support your learning, listed below.

Library and learning technology

Our modern health sciences library offers a wide range of books, e-books, academic journals and other resources to support you. You will also have access to online resources, such as the Canvas virtual learning environment

and our Hunter discovery service to help you find the information you need. The library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and comprises silent, quiet and group learning areas, as well as four group discussion rooms. 

IT facilities

We have five computer suites housing 260 workstations. Three of these suites are accessible 24 hours a day. It’s easy to find a free space with our handy real-time computer locator. We also have 75 self-service laptops available. Free Wi-Fi covers the whole campus, including all accommodation. You can use these resources to access your course materials, discussion boards and feedback through Canvas.

How to apply

Before beginning your application please check the entry criteria of the course you wish to study to ensure you meet the required standards.

Applications must be submitted through our online application system, which you can access below. 

Covid-19 safety guidelines

1. Get your shot 
• Get vaccinated as soon as you can to protect yourself and others.
• Vaccinations services are available in the Atkinson Morley Wing of St George's hospital.
2. Wear a mask
• Use a face covering when in communal or crowded areas to protect our community.
• Type II masks are required on campus and available on site.
3. Make space
• Keep your distance when possible to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
4. Take a test
• Get tested twice a week to keep our community safe.
• LFD test kits are available from the University reception Mon-Fri 10am-4pm. 

Our priority is to keep our students and staff safe and support their wellbeing, while protecting our community from the risks of Covid-19 on our site, based inside a hospital. We have listened to feedback and preferences from our student community about St George’s as a place to study.

We won’t be making any significant changes to the content of our programmes, but there will be some changes to the way they are delivered. Please see below for further details of how this may affect this course.

If government advice changes, we may need to update our plans, but our approach is designed to make it possible to continue with much of the on-campus teaching planned. If we do need to make changes, we will update this information, and will keep current students and offer holders informed by email.

We will also continue to update our frequently asked questions page for applicants and offer holders and current students as more information becomes available.

Course content

We are not making any significant changes to the content of the Sports Cardiology MSc programme. There will be some adjustments to the way this content is delivered – see below.

There is a possibility that government advice on social distancing may change in the future and this may restrict access to the campus. Even if this were to be the case, we expect to be able to continue to deliver all modules of the programme as planned.

Supporting vulnerable students

Students considered to be most at risk from Covid-19 should work at home wherever possible in line with government advice. Students who are going on placement will be required to complete an individual risk assessment and others may choose to do so. In addition, students from vulnerable groups, including care leavers, students estranged from their families and students with disabilities, are prioritised for help from the University’s Hardship Funds and for accommodation in Horton Halls. Priority for loans of laptops from the University will be given to those eligible to receive a hardship grant; those registered as disabled, care leavers or with caring responsibilities; and international students who may have difficulty sourcing an appropriate device on arrival in the UK.

We recognise the impact that the current circumstances may have on mental health and have expanded our counselling provision, offering remote appointments to any student. In addition, every student will be allocated a personal tutor to offer individual pastoral and academic support from the start of their studies. (Further information about health and wellbeing advice during Covid-19 is available here.)

Priority consideration has been given to support for students with disabilities when accessing teaching and learning online, through the provision of automatic live captioning and British Sign Language within our primary technologies of Panopto, MS Teams and Big Blue Button. These can benefit a range of students, especially those who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as students with an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), memory processing issues, and for whom English is an additional language.

Human-level captioning is also available where a need has been established through the Disability Advisory team. Human-level captioning requests are processed by the Learning Technology Services (LTS) section and can be requested by email to lts@sgul.ac.uk.  

How the course will be delivered

The existing learning outcomes for our modules and courses will remain in place. From September to December 2020 all students will primarily access their learning, including learning materials, via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Canvas. Hands-on practical teaching and learning activities will be delivered on campus with appropriate social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) measures put in place, and with controls on the number of people in each location.

The online components of the course will be designed to balance interactive real-time sessions with lecturers and other students, with self-paced independent study. Students will have clear learning pathways through the activities they are expected to engage with, and there will be opportunities to check learning and progress.

Personal tutor support and all other student support, such as the Academic Success Centre, will also be online for this period, using a range of methods for staying in touch, such as telephone, email and the University’s web conferencing systems BigBlueButton and MSTeams.

Pending Health Education England (HEE) approval, placements are currently expected to resume from September 2020 with minimum changes to planned delivery or timings. All students on placement will be expected to undertake a risk assessment and adhere to local Trust working patterns and guidance.  

To get the most from online study, hardware requirements have been established and communicated to all existing students and offer holders. Students will need their own personal computer or laptop and an internet connection in their place of accommodation. This needs to be in place at the start of the course. Once enrolled, students will have the ability to use Office 365 as part of our institutional licence, and access software required for their modules/courses via AppsAnywhere. In addition, we offer Office for Mac via Ofice365, but only the following applications are available for Mac: Teams, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, OneNote. Web-based Office applications are available on Mac. Full details are available here. There is a provision for students who may struggle to meet the hardware requirements to contact our IT Hardship team.

The MSc Sports Cardiology is well equipped to cope with the distance learning element required during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since its inception, our course has been at the forefront of trialling and successfully using the learning technologies available at St George’s. Our module pages offer detailed material to guide you through your learning in and outside the class. All our lectures are recorded in order to offer flexibility to our students. In contrast to other clinical MSc degrees where clinical examination plays an important role, our speciality relies predominantly on history and interpretation of investigations, with a very limited role for clinical examination.

All our theory-based modules (Cardiovascular Anatomy and Physiology, Principles of Cardiovascular Evaluation of Athletes, Principles of Cardiovascular Screening, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Advanced Management of Inherited Cardiac Conditions and Cardiovascular Genetics) are well equipped to be delivered remotely with small adjustments. We are reviewing all of our existing recordings and may split some of them into shorter lectures interspersed with single best answer questions or other material. We intend to deliver a considerable proportion of the module material via live webinars on the video conferencing software BigBlueButton. We will definitely deliver any material with new developments since last year’s module this way. BigBlueButton allows for interaction between students and students and tutors, re-creating the class experience.

If required, we will also deliver online the Research Methods module (which already consisted of recorded lectures) and the modules on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues Applied in Genomics and Counselling Skills in Genomics that we use as optional modules from the Genomic Medicine MSc.

For our two practice modules, we are planning considerable adjustments. These will ensure that you are able to gain the necessary experience to fulfil the module requirements and complete the assignments. All students who want to experience face-to-face interaction with patients/clients will have the opportunity to attend our specialist clinics and screenings at their convenience throughout 2021, long after the end of the module. Given the limited number of individuals, we can accommodate per session, this will need to be arranged with the respective module lead.

The module Practice of Cardiovascular Evaluation of Athletes, which runs in November, will be delivered as distance learning this year. As such, students will not have the opportunity to join staff in their NHS clinics to review cases. However, similar to previous years, we will deliver interactive case-based tutorials through BigBlueButton, where you will have the opportunity to review and discuss in excess of 100 cases, as per the module requirements. In fact, we aim to surpass the number of cases from last year, given that we will avoid the inherent delays of waiting for patients in an NHS clinic.

The module Practice of Cardiovascular Screening runs in March. The main component of the module is students attending screening sessions organised by the charitable organisation Cardiac Risk in the Young. Such screenings are currently suspended, but we hope they will resume soon. If they do not, we will still be able to offer students the opportunity to review more than 500 cases with a combination of online review of ECGs and case-based tutorials. We will use this opportunity to further improve our module and the experience students get, irrespective of whether it is delivered face-to-face or remotely. The module assignment will be changed to a reflective essay to reflect the lack of participation in a screening session.

Risk assessment

Course length

At this stage, we expect to deliver the course within the planned timescales to enable successful students to progress through the programme and to graduate without delay.

For our two practice modules, we are planning provisions that will ensure that you gain the required experience to fulfil the module requirements and complete the assignments.

All students who wish to experience face-to-face interaction with patients/clients will have the opportunity to attend our specialist clinics and screenings at their convenience throughout 2021, long after the end of the module. Given the limited number of individuals, we can accommodate per session, this will need to be arranged with the respective module lead.

If social distancing regulations become stricter again, then it may not be possible for students to do clinical projects that involve recruitment of new subjects/patients. The research output of our team, the diverse populations we serve, and the large datasets ensure that we will be able to offer students research projects that they are able to develop without recruiting new subjects.

Additional costs

We do not expect students to incur any extra costs over and above those that we have advertised on the course page.

As a result of our courses beginning with the majority of teaching online, you will need a personal laptop or computer and access to the internet to participate in online lectures. Information is available on recommended device specification. If you are worried you might struggle to meet these requirements, you should email IThardship@sgul.ac.uk so we can look at support options for you.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) will be provided for you if needed.

Assessment methods

We assess the knowledge, skills and attributes of our students in a variety of ways. These include formative presentations and summative written essays such as reviews, case-based essays, reflective essays and log-books.

The formative presentations, which are predominantly aimed to help students with their summative assessments, will continue online as usual.

Most of the summative assessments will also continue as usual, with the following exceptions:

2. For the practice module logbooks, students will complete logbooks based on the online cases and the case-based tutorials they participate in.
3. Reflective essays or reflective components of assignments will be replaced by alternative written assignments and case-based tutorials that explore aspects relevant to the respective module.

Award

The MSc Sports Cardiology programme is not accredited and so the changes that we are making will have no bearing on the qualification.

Location of study

All face-to-face teaching will take place at St George’s, University of London, on the campus that we share with St George’s Hospital in Tooting, with appropriate social distancing measures in place. We have not explored alternative locations for teaching and have no immediate plans to do so. If government advice on social distancing changes, we will consider ways in which we can deliver teaching on-site in a manner that is safe for students and staff.

Consenting to these changes