Master academic

This Master program contains a list of obligatory and elective courses, conducted during two semesters. In the first semester, the student achieves 30 points, attending seven obligatory subjects and one elective subject.

Obligatory subjects in the first semester are:

1. The methodology of scientific research in the field of prevention and exercise therapy with the basic principles (5 ECTS),
2. Biostatistics in the field of prevention and exercise therapy (5 ECTS),
3. Public health aspects of physical activity and exercise (2.5 ECTS),
4. The psychological aspects of exercise (2.5 ECTS),
5. Exercise physiology with the basics of nutrition (2.5 ECTS),
6. Motor control and motor learning, the basics of biomechanics (2,5 ECTS),
7. Evaluation of the physical activity level and individually dosed exercise programs (5 ECTS)

During the first semester, students must choose one of following 4 elective subjects:

1. Chronic, non – communicable diseases, prevention and therapy practice (5 ECTS),
2. The influence of physical activity on the children growth and development (5 ECTS),
3. Applied psychology in regular exercise program (5 ECTS),
4. Physical activity and exercise of persons with disabilities (5 ECTS).

During the second semester, students must choose two of following 18 elective subjects:

1. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in children and adolescents (5 ECTS),
2. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in women population (5 ECTS),
3. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in elderly population (5 ECTS),
4. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in obese population (5 ECTS),
5. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in patients with diabetes melitus (5 ECTS),
6. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in patients with cardiovascular diseases (5 ECTS),
7. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in respiratory disease patients (5 ECTS),
8. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in patients suffering from depression, and other psychiatric diseases (5 ECTS),
9. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in patients with cancer (5 ECTS),
10. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in persons with disabilities (5 ECTS),
11. Individually measured and controlled physical activity in persons with motor and cognitive disability (5 ECTS),
12. New technologies in the modulation of motor skills and motor learning (5 ECTS),
13. Assessment of functional ability in patients with functional disability (5 ECTS),
14. Physical activity and exercise in the changed environmental conditions (5 ECTS),
15. Nutrition and supplementation specifics in elite athletes (5 ECTS),
16. Specifics of the elite athletes training (5 ECTS),
17. Modalities of psychological preparation in top sport (5 ECTS),
18. Reparative and regenerative medicine (5 ECTS)

After attending and completing the obligated and elective courses, student is accessing the application the final Master thesis. The theme final thesis is submitted to the Council for specialized courses.

After the application of the thesis, student gains the right to submit the final Master thesis to the Council for specialized courses, for the final evaluation. The final Master thesis is than publicly defended in front of the Commission of three members appointed by the Council for specialized courses. After defending the Master thesis, the student acquires the title of Master of sports and therapeutic exercise.

Right to enroll in Master program “Physical activity, health and exercise therapy” have all students who have completed following:

1. Integrated academic program study in medical sciences for a period of 6 years (360 ECTS); or
2. Academic studies in Faculty of Philosophy – section of Psychology, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education and the Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation, with achieved at least 240 ECTS

The main goal of the study program is to prepare competent professionals in the field of exercise application in maintaining and improving health, as well as for therapeutic purposes. It is expected that graduate students possess the knowledge and skills necessary to design various exercise programs for medical purposes, as well as for analysis, monitoring, evaluation and correction of these exercise programs, depending on the obtained results.

Students acquire knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate the epidemiological importance of exercise, the influence of physical activity and exercise on morphological, functional and psychological characteristics of people, the connection of exercise modality and health effects, effects of individually measured, programmed and controlled physical activity on the conservation and health enhancement, on the proper growth and development of children, on the improvement of functional capacity (in the training purposes), on specificity of exercise program in regard to gender (women), age (children, elderly), different physiological states (pregnancy, lactation), on specificity of exercise program in special populations (people with disabilities, motor and cognitive disability) and in patients with chronic non-infectious diseases (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, anxiety, depression, etc.).

Students are enabled to gain the general competence in applying the basic knowledge in dosage of physical activity and its application in prevention and treatment, as well as in special populations. Mastering the study program, they will gain practical experience in describing, analysing and practice, in a critical assessment of literature and interpretation of studies that examine the impact of exercise on health. Subject-specific competencies include knowledge and skills related to the design of individually measured and controlled physical activity program for the health conservation and enhancement, for the proper growth and development of children, for the improvement of functional capacity (in the training purposes), for specificity of exercise program in regard to gender (women), age (children, elderly), different physiological states (pregnancy, lactation), for specificity of exercise program in special populations (people with disabilities, motor and cognitive disability) and for patients with chronic non-infectious diseases (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, anxiety, depression, etc.). Students also participate in planning and designing of physical exercise programs for special populations after the conducted rehabilitation. A significant segment of subject-specific competencies is related to the competencies related to the application of methods for management in health behaviour and acceptance of desirable attitudes related to health, (considering primarily exercise).

Students will be trained to explore, analyse and suggest specific exercise programs for different users, to adjust them in accordance with the achieved results, as well as to apply different methods and different forms of exercise and training periodization. After mastering the study program, participants will be competent to apply exercise in the health programs of different purposes, to develop, implement and evaluate evidence based interventions in the promotion of exercise and health and to create a broad partnership of all stakeholders (physicians, kinesiologists, therapists, psychologists) for implementing the exercise as the holder of a healthy lifestyle.

The Master in physical activity, health and exercise therapy study program curriculum contains a syllabus, a list of obligatory and elective modules and their description.

The program contains 7 obligatory and 22 elective modules out of which students are electing 3 modules after completion of obligatory modules and through nominal group technique. The structure of obligatory subjects involves defining the basic concepts related to physical activity and exercise, the importance of exercise in maintaining and improving personal health, and also maintaining public health. Especially are processed morphological, functional and psychological changes, caused by regular physical activity, as well as research methodology by which can identify and measure these changes and assesses their interdependence. Students are enabled to accept the basic knowledge in biostatistics and adopt statistical terminology and standard techniques for the collection, grouping, describing, of analysis and interpretation of data, on the one hand and the use of selected statistical software, on the other hand. Within the epidemiology, students accept the concept of causality, measures the frequency of health disorders, risks, sources of bias, as well as types of studies.

In the elective courses, students acquire theoretical knowledge of fundamental and clinical research engaged in possibilities of exercise application in therapeutic purposes, as well as in people with functional and motor disorders. Students also gain theoretic al and practical knowledge about preparing the program of individually measured and controlled physical activity in therapy of non-infectious diseases (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease) and within persons with motor and cognitive disability. Part of the curriculum is dedicated to designing exercise programs for different ages (children, elderly), in different genders (women) and in different physiological states (pregnancy, lactation). In the area of using exercise program for improving athletic performance, important place belongs to elite athletes training methods, to the specifics of the training in the different environmental conditions, to specifics of nutrition and supplementation.

• Anita Milovanović
• Dragan Đurđević
• Jelena Jovanović
• Jovana Todorović
• Lana Krzman
• Milena Tomović
• Sanjin Kovačević
• Đorđe Batinić
• Biljana Đurić
• Goran Janković
• Slavica Mutavdžin
• Zorana Bukvić
• Miloš Radovanović
• Nikola Topalović
• Svetlana Mirčić Vukobrat
• Tijana Ćirković Higl
• Jelena Matijašević
• Ivana Zlatić
• Silvia Keseg
• Jelisaveta Vićić
• Frančesko Lic

• Babić Ivana
• Radovanović Vanja
• Sinđelić Sara
• Dimitrijević Marko
• Barukčić Borko
• Đorđević Dušan
• Nikolić Aleksandra
• Vasilić Jelena
• Stefanović Dragan
• Vranešević Aleksandra
• Pavlović Nenad
• Milovanov Đorđe
• Osmokrović Zoran

The study program is fully consistent with the latest developments in the field of medicine and disciplines that are closely related to public health, health care and health system. It is harmonized with accredited programs in many European countries, above all the European Master on health and physical activity (EMHPA – European Master in Health and Physical Activity) which represents full joint master program at University of Rome “Foro Italico”, The German Sport University, Cologne; The University of Southern Denmark, Odense; The Norwegian University of Sport Sciences, Oslo; The University of Vienna with contributions from the Universities of Athens, Bristol, Groningen, Liverpool, Malta, Poitiers (an overview is available at: www.europeanmasterhpa.it). This master was founded after a couple joint programs were carried out in European universities (European Master in Adopted Physical Activity Leuven; European Master in Biology of Physical Activity Athens; European Master in Health and Fitness Bristol; European Master in Physical Activity for the Elderly Rome), as well as programs with common modules (European Master in Preventive and Adapted Physical Activity и European Master Physical Activity in Children Rome, Cologne, Odense, Vienna). Specifically, Master in Physical Activity, Health and Exercise Therapy is developed within TEMPUS project SPEED, whose European partners are Universities in Rome, Italy, Vienna, Austria, Athens, Greece, and Odense, Denmark.