Master's degree program “SPORT, FITNESS, HEALTH”

Field of Higher Education: Healthcare and Sports

Professional Field: Sports
Specialty: Sports, Fitness, Health
Form of Education: Full-time, Part-time, Distance Learning
Duration of Education: Two semesters
 

Program Director – Prof. Valentin Panayotov, PhD 

The main goal of mass sports is to improve the health status of the population, its physical and intellectual capacity, and to achieve occupational and creative longevity. The primary means of achieving this goal are maintaining optimal physical activity and a balanced diet across all social groups. This goal aligns with the World Health Organization's definition of health: “Health should not only be understood as the absence of disease but as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.”

In recent decades, there has been a significant shift in people's understanding of a healthy lifestyle, with increasing attention being paid to optimal physical activity and proper nutrition. This trend is typical for developed countries but is gradually becoming established in Bulgaria as part of the European community. A healthy lifestyle should be considered and promoted as a national value. It includes, as a key element, optimal physical activity aimed at increasing physical working capacity and maintaining it at a high level with age, developing stress resistance, preventing socially significant diseases, improving the quality of life for people with chronic conditions, satisfying aesthetic needs, and more.

The development and promotion of mass sports as a national priority are connected to the preparation of relevant specialists. These professionals must possess the knowledge and skills to work with representatives of various population groups, who make up the majority of the population and are not part of competitive sports or kinesitherapy.

After completing the master’s program “Sports, Fitness, Health,” specialists gain interdisciplinary knowledge and specialized scientific training on fitness issues, as follows:

  • Knowledge of the theory and methodology of fitness training in various sports disciplines, based on specialized principles implemented through respective methods and tools;
  • Knowledge of the creative application of specialized principles in fitness methodology;
  • Knowledge of the medical and biological foundations of fitness training;
  • Knowledge of psychological characteristics and motivation for fitness activities;
  • Knowledge of socially significant diseases, their characteristics, prevention, and possibilities for fitness activities;
  • Knowledge of healthy nutrition and recovery;
  • Knowledge of a healthy lifestyle for different populations.

Field and Scope of Acquired Skills

The education in the master’s program “Sports, Fitness, Health” equips students with the following practical skills:

  • To diagnose the components of fitness and health status;
  • To apply group and individual approaches in conducting and managing fitness activities;
  • To use appropriate methods based on the individual morphological and functional status of participants;
  • To create general and personalized dietary plans tailored to age, gender, physical activity, and health status of participants;
  • To monitor and creatively analyze innovations in sports science related to fitness through global electronic networks and international media;
  • To participate in the management, control, and administrative operations of fitness centers and sports clubs;
  • To conduct research in the field of sports for all;
  • To conduct research in the field of fitness training;
  • To manage sports and fitness activities;
  • To be proficient in one or more foreign languages, enabling effective use of specialized scientific literature;
  • To provide adequate and competent first aid in case of accidents.

Graduates of the master’s program “Sports, Fitness, Health” have the opportunity to work in national organizations (state, public, and private sports structures – ministries, federations, municipal councils, sports associations, and clubs) as well as in international ones. They can be appointed as coaches, instructors, methodologists, and managers in sports clubs and schools. They may also work as scientific leaders of research teams, laboratories, and other units in the system of club and national sports.