Ph.D. Course in Sport Sciences
Why a Ph.D. Course in Sport Sciences?
Sport Sciences in contemporary societies are recognized as one of the activities or areas of growth and social valorisation, either by their direct impact on the economy, either by the recognition of establishing interactions with the culture, development and employment, both at global, national and sub-national levels.
This program is developed in the context of an advanced training, applied to research and professional performance in new contexts, where the capacity for self-learning and problem-solving skills are articulate with advanced research, using multi purpose processes and interdisciplinary research, maintaining a balance between the lines of basic research, applied research and research-action. The students trained in this program will be able to use the resources of research in analysis and resolution of critical problems, in the evaluation and synthesis of complex and new ideas and in the dissemination of original research among their peers and the community at large.
This program is aimed at the training of competences, skills and multidisciplinary research methods, in objects of study that integrate physical education, physical activity and sport training in their multiple social and professional expressions.
What are the main features of course?
The Ph.D. course in Sports Sciences is organized in four specialties, including specific and interdisciplinary aspects.
FIELD OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH
This area of specialization focuses on the epidemiological evidence that links physical activity to health and disease. It allows a greater understanding of the mechanisms involved in the physiology and psychology of physical activity and health. It examines the combined effects of physical inactivity and other risk factors such as poor nutrition and smoking in health status. It also considers the role of physical activity in the prevention and control of chronic diseases. It covers the issues of health promotion and physical activity for different populations, as well as the methods of measurement in health and quality of life and impacts at the level of social management and public health.
It is an advanced research program with emphasis on new research problems, the study of literature research and programs of practical application, the promotion of skills and multi-disciplinary methods of research, in objects of study incorporating physical activity, exercise and health (both physical and mental health). This area also seeks a specialized preparation for the implementation of knowledge in broad contexts and multidisciplinary research essential for the development of projects promoting physical activity that can be used by health, sport and active leisure promoting organizations.
FIELD OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION
The educational field in contemporary societies is recognized as one of the activities or areas of growth and social valorisation, either by their direct impact on the economy, or by the interactions that it establishes with culture, development and employment, both at global, national and sub-national levels.
This specialty is organized in three major aspects:
a) Training in the Teaching and Curriculum Studies;
b) Training in the area of Teacher Education;
c) Training in the area of Educational Administration;
This specialty also aims to prepare the students for the application of knowledge in broader contexts and multidisciplinary research, where communication with their peers, the remaining academic community and society in general, constitutes a critical component of the development of educational organizations, namely in areas of central government and at regional, municipal, cultural, social level, in the management of equipment, social-educational animation, in personal development and in the general and social development.
FIELD OF SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
The area of specialization in Special Needs Education - Adapted Physical Activity aims to promote knowledge in the field of sport and physical activity for targeted groups with special needs, which usually have a higher tendency to inactivity. This branch of studies focus in two aspects well defined in the literature:
a) The study of sports adapted to the high-level competition, focusing attention on bio-psychosociological variables associated with high performance sport and the maximization of individual performance in athletes with disabilities
b) The study of regular exercise practice of it’s bio-psychological implications in health promotion, quality of life and well-being of people with disabilities.
FIELD OF SPORT TRAINING
Sports Training has been a subject of study in the Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, University of Coimbra since its creation. It is in this perspective that the specialization in Sports Training was created. It is organized and promoted as an area of education and advanced research.
This area of specialization is structured in three eclectic areas:
· Theory and Methodology of Sports Training
· Sport Biology
· Pedagogy of Sport
· Optimization of Sport Performance
Who is the target public?
The course is targeted to all graduate and masters who, having obtained an initial training of 120 ECTS in the areas Sport and Health Sciences, that want to complete their academic education.
How is organized the course?
The course is organized in six semesters, including the completion of a doctoral dissertation, with a total of 180 ECTS, according to the following study plan:
