1) Clinical Anatomy and Kinesiology of Sports
Bones, muscles, vessels, nerves, and kinesiology of all joints and muscles of the human body. Detailed description of the anatomy of the upper and lower limbs, pelvis, cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. Description of muscle fibers, tendons, joint structures, ligaments, and dermatomes. Correlation of anatomical variations, as well as the relationship between muscle function and the likelihood of muscle injuries, including prevention and management plans. The student will be able to associate the anatomical area with patient history and clinical examination. Additionally, they will be able to correlate the anatomical region with imaging interpretation required for further investigation.

2) Research Methodology
Introduction to Educational Research: The scientific way of producing knowledge, objectives, and significance of Educational Research. Quantitative and Qualitative approaches: historical overview, differences between the two approaches, types of quantitative and qualitative research designs. Research Design: defining the research problem, literature review, theoretical-conceptual framework, purpose identification, formulation of research questions or hypotheses. Measurement scales and variables, tools and tests, reliability and validity. Probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling designs. Main data collection methods: questionnaires, interviews, observations. Advantages and disadvantages of each method. Quantitative Data Analysis: descriptive and inferential statistics, data file organization, software for data processing and analysis. Descriptive statistics elements: frequency distributions and graphical representations, measures of central tendency and dispersion, distribution shapes, and the normal distribution, variable transformations. Inferential statistics elements: point estimation and confidence intervals, basic concepts of hypothesis testing (null and alternative hypothesis, significance level, types of errors), common hypothesis tests (comparison of two or more means, association between two categorical variables, correlation between two quantitative variables). Qualitative Data Analysis: organizing data, coding, software for qualitative data analysis. Writing a research report. Ethical issues in Educational Research. Statistical analysis of biomedical data. Interpretation, presentation, and reporting of biomedical research results. Survival analysis and understanding meta-analysis. Use of Geographic Information Systems in medical research. Longitudinal data analysis with repeated measurements. Handling missing values in biomedical data. Competing risks data analysis.

3) Exercise Physiology & Biochemistry
Applications of exercise physiology, basic applied cellular metabolism, and biochemical pathways for energy production. Aerobic, anaerobic, and phosphocreatine pathways for energy production. Energy systems during exercise. Energy release from various sources such as fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Use of energy substrates during short, medium, and long-duration exercise. Oxygen kinetics, maximal oxygen uptake, oxygen debt. Measurement/cost of energy during exercise. Basal metabolic rate. Calorimetry/daily energy expenditure. Cardiovascular changes and adaptations to exercise. Blood pressure/heart rate/effects of exercise. Respiratory changes and adaptations to exercise. Neuromuscular adaptations to exercise. Motor units. Structure and function of muscle fibers. Types of muscle fibers. Estimation of metabolism at rest and during exercise, assessment of neuromuscular activity. Hormones and the endocrine system in exercise. Principles of training: aerobic, anaerobic, training adaptations, training types, maintenance training, functional and overtraining. Principles of strength training and physical fitness. Anabolic and catabolic processes. Concentric and eccentric resistance training. Exercise in children and pregnant women. Exercise in vulnerable groups (cardiovascular patients, COPD, etc.). Physiological changes with exercise in muscles, bones, respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. Monitoring training load. Intense training and prevention of overtraining. Physical fitness assessment: definition, components, high-performance evaluation. Tests for aerobic and anaerobic capacity, strength, power, speed-strength, flexibility, and body composition.
Environment and exercise: thermoregulation during exercise, hypothalamic, pituitary, and hormonal functions. Exercise at altitude, high temperature, low temperature, underwater, and in microgravity. Training principles and adaptations in extreme environmental conditions. Ergogenic aids. Genetics and exercise. Nutrition and exercise: macronutrients and energy (carbohydrates, fats, proteins), recommended daily energy intake, energy and nutrient requirements. Micronutrients, vitamins, vitamin supplements, minerals and exercise performance. Hydration and exercise: body water, fluid replacement during exercise, hydration and performance. Energy substrates during exercise: principles of glucose, fat, and protein use. Effects of diet on energy, exercise in extreme conditions. Body composition: body mass index, methods of assessing body mass, health risks associated with different body types. Diet and health: effects of diet on exercise in cardiovascular patients, impact of exercise on development and management of diabetes. Obesity, exercise, and weight control. Principles for energy balance, individualized exercise for obese individuals. Various diets, exercise and weight loss. Special nutrition for exercise before competition: carbohydrates before, during, and after exercise. Nutrition for children during training and competitions. Diet and endurance competitions. Pediatric diet and exercise. High-protein diets and exercise. Dietary supplements. Alcohol and exercise. Eating disorders and health effects in young girls, athlete triad. Learning outcomes: calculation of energy requirements for each form of exercise, estimation of oxygen consumption required, assessment of respiratory capacity during exercise. Evaluation of strength, power, and speed-strength (isokinetic, isometric, and plyometric). Assessment of health and physical activity in healthy and vulnerable populations. Calculation of caloric needs. Analysis and counseling for athletes’ and non-athletes’ diets. Calculation of energy requirements for each exercise, designing individualized nutrition for various exercise forms. Counseling on dietary supplements. Body mass calculation. Dietary counseling according to exercise intensity and type, including the use of supplements.

4) Exercise, Health & Quality of Life

Exercise and health physiology. Basic elements of epidemiology. Epidemiology of related diseases, e.g., cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular incidents. Theoretical basis of health promotion. Strategies for promoting health in communities by acting with and for societies. Evidence linking exercise to health quality. Effects of exercise on cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and cerebrovascular events. Exercise and diabetes, obesity, musculoskeletal health, and metabolic syndrome. Exercise as a therapeutic tool for chronic conditions. Effective interventions to promote health through exercise. Policies for proper exercise implementation for health promotion. Policy design and application. Services supporting the promotion of physical activity: public health system, local government, public and private organizations. Collaborations to promote physical activity. Planning and implementing physical activity programs. Quality of physical activity services and methods of evaluation. Assessment of physical activity, fitness, and health in individuals and populations. Social and national particularities affecting exercise implementation. Overview of current exercise promotion programs in society. Public policy and health promotion. Understanding factors affecting health and disease (psychological, biological, social, national, and economic). Understanding the impact of lifestyle on health and the need to adopt new lifestyle habits. Understanding population assessment programs. Understanding positive and negative aspects of health promotion programs, e.g., vaccinations. Understanding the relationship between individual health and community health. Understanding negative consequences in communities from habits such as smoking, obesity, and alcohol. Understanding global mobilization strategies for health promotion on issues affecting communities. Identification of leading causes of morbidity and mortality nationally and globally, and the interventions required. Analysis of the impact of harmful addictions and their consequences at individual and societal levels, and how exercise contributes to rehabilitation. Learning outcomes: Ability to design a health monitoring program. Ability to provide practical guidance in designing and implementing exercise programs for vulnerable populations. Ability to evaluate exercise programs for vulnerable populations. Planning and implementing health programs for different populations. Ability to promote lifestyle changes that positively affect quality of life. Identifying the relationship between psychological, physical, and social well-being and developing corresponding programs. Advising patients on the benefits of exercise and the risks of sedentary behavior. Identifying patients’ interests and designing programs aligned with these interests to engage them in a healthier lifestyle. Collaborating with various stakeholders to promote exercise. Developing disease prevention strategies through exercise programs. Recognizing the need to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to promote exercise. Understanding the need for exercise program design for refugees and migrants. Demonstrating readiness for the needs of special populations and designing appropriate health promotion programs through exercise.

5) Applied Biostatistics
Basic concepts, frequency distributions, central tendency, dispersion, normal distribution, sampling distribution, estimation, hypothesis, simple linear correlation & regression, parametric comparison of 2 samples (t-test), chi-square analyses & non-parametric correlations, non-parametric comparisons (Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, Kruskal-Wallis, Friedman tests), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), introduction to experimental design & analysis, post-ANOVA comparisons, multiple ANOVA & ANOVA, multiple regression, introduction to multivariate analysis. Analysis software: SPSS, Excel. Assessment: exercises, assignments, exams. Understanding and critical evaluation of clinical and research papers. Critical appraisal of scientific evidence in reviews and meta-analyses. Presentation of research data in written reports or conference communications. Designing and conducting clinical studies. Integrating research data into clinical practice. Supervising research projects. Participating in meetings presenting critical analyses of research data in relation to patient outcomes. Comparing healthcare services. Understanding access to and use of health data in the workplace.

6) Sports Injuries – Upper and Lower Limbs
7) Sports Injuries – Head, Neck, Spine
Injury mechanisms, description of exercise impact on musculoskeletal system and chronic stress. Head injuries: concussion. Facial, nasal, eye injuries. Shoulder, arm, forearm, hand, and finger injuries. Pelvis, hip, perineum, scrotum, femur, knee, tibia, ankle, foot injuries. Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine injuries. Management of sports injuries, prevention and treatment methods. The student will be able to diagnose injuries based on mechanism, history, and clinical examination. They will be able to identify the cause, develop prevention and rehabilitation methods, and design sport-specific injury prevention programs individualized for each participant.

8) Sports Injuries and Prevention Methods
9) Applied Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation of Sports Injuries
General musculoskeletal pathology in athletes: malignancy, infection, inflammatory arthritis, connective tissue disease, neuropathy, myopathy, degenerative disease. Congenital and acquired spinal deformities. Metabolic and endocrine disorders. Exercise and rehabilitation. Open and closed-chain exercises. Therapeutic modalities: electrotherapy, cryotherapy, thermotherapy. Exercise equipment: cycle ergometer, elliptical, stairs, elastic bands. Continuous passive exercise, stretching. Proprioception and functional joint training. Functional training for anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention. Pre-disposing factors for knee injury. Understanding the needs of individuals with special conditions (cerebral palsy, amputations, blind, deaf). Understanding specialized medical devices (catheters, prosthetics). Understanding challenges of athletes in wheelchairs or with special prosthetics. Understanding types of wheelchairs and prosthetics for different sports. Principles of spinal injury rehabilitation depending on injury level for special athlete classifications (Special Olympics, Paralympics). Understanding disease progression and designing appropriate rehabilitation through exercise. Coordinating rehabilitation services to provide continuous care to athletes. Understanding exercise considerations in children, women, elderly, and rehabilitation after injury. Learning outcomes: Taking medical history, clinical examination, early pathology identification. Early recognition and referral before exercise starts. Pre-exercise screening. Importance of warm-up and cool-down for injury prevention. Ensuring integrity of equipment used during exercise. Designing special strength and fitness programs for all ages. Awareness of surfaces and footwear for each sport. Principles of managing soft tissue, muscle, ligament, sprain, hematoma, fracture, dislocation, epiphyseal injuries in children. Principles of pathophysiology of soft tissue injury and common pharmacologic treatments. Principles of evaluation, diagnosis, and management of overuse injuries. Principles of conservative rehabilitation of sports injuries. Principles of multifactorial rehabilitation for ligaments, tendons, muscles, bones, and joints. Maintaining cardiovascular fitness during rehabilitation. Principles of joint mobilization and manual therapy for soft tissue injuries. Use of braces, orthoses, special tapes. Use of intramuscular and intra-articular injections in rehabilitation. Rehabilitation of acute soft tissue and bone injuries. Ability to design injury prevention programs after full athlete assessment. Ability to apply joint mobilization techniques and inject medications in injured areas. Ability to diagnose injury type and collaborate with specialists for management. Ability to manage rehabilitation of special athletes, including choice of brace, prosthetic, or wheelchair. Ability to assess injuries in athletes with special needs. Recognition and management of autonomic reflexes. Coordination of all teams involved in holistic athlete care. Understanding exercise considerations in young girls and women.

10) Sports Biomechanics
Introduction to Biomechanics: Fundamental concepts, vectors, basic terminology, forces, torques, linear and angular motion, kinematics and kinetics. The role of biomechanics in sports (performance, safety). Sports and loading. Biomechanical properties of biomaterials, adaptations due to exercise or disuse: Biomechanics of collagenous tissues, mechanical properties of tendons, ligaments. Biomechanics of joints. Mechanical properties of articular cartilage and bones. Biomechanics of skeletal muscles. Types of muscle contraction. Lengthening-shortening cycle. Muscle performance analysis: Dynamometry methods, isokinetic dynamometry. Kinematic analysis: Basic concepts, procedures, applications. Kinematic and kinetic analysis: Force plate function, combined motion and force analysis. Electromyography: Basic concepts, signal processing, results analysis, key points, applications. Proprioception and balance: Analysis of human balance (laboratory methods, field tests). After completing the course, students will be able to: Understand the fundamental concepts and basic principles of biomechanics. Recognize the mechanical characteristics of types of muscle contraction, exercise types, and associated loading. Understand the structure and function of biomaterials and their adaptations due to exercise, disuse, or overuse. Identify and interpret loads on musculoskeletal structures during daily and athletic activities. Understand the theoretical basis, capabilities, and limitations of modern biomechanical analysis tools and critically evaluate relevant literature. Understand the biomechanical basis, usefulness, limits, and constraints of field tests for measuring muscle and neuromuscular performance.

11) Design, Supervision, and Submission of a Master’s Thesis Proposal
The purpose of this course is to train the student in independently preparing and presenting the topic of their scientific dissertation to the broader scientific community. Through individual and close collaboration with the Supervising Professor, the student develops skills in approaching, processing, and organizing the material of the Master’s Thesis. Within this collaboration, the topic is selected, contemporary literature is thoroughly reviewed, and the knowledge related to the Master’s Thesis is systematically organized.

12) Specialization – Practical Training PART I
Master’s students are required to complete 100 hours of practical training in specialization areas related to the fields under investigation in their Master’s Thesis. This practical training is conducted within the programs and activities of the Department of Sports Excellence at the Orthopedic Research and Training Center "P.N. Soukakos" of the University General Hospital "ATTIKON" under the supervision of faculty members. The training institution submits a report of activities and a certificate of attendance for the required hours.

13) Medical Organization and Management of Teams-Clubs-Federations
Acquisition of knowledge on prevention and health promotion of athletes during training cycles. Planning and organization of pre-competition medical screening. Health education. Practical management of medical issues. Maintenance of medical records. Risk management and handling of emergency situations. Developmental problems, overtraining, and use of performance-enhancing drugs.

14) Assessment and Monitoring of Physical Fitness Parameters
Acquisition of knowledge in specialized areas affecting performance development and improvement in individual sports. The student gains knowledge through theoretical instruction and practical application in anthropometry and measurement of specific physical abilities related to the performance of athletes in combat and dynamic sports.

15) Surgical Management of Sports Injuries
Courses on surgical management of sports injuries including: anterior-posterior cruciate ligament injuries, medial-lateral collateral ligament injuries, hip labral tears, ankle ligament tears, medial collateral ligament tears of the elbow, rotator cuff tears of the shoulder, shoulder dislocations, and fractures-dislocations of all bones.

16) Medical Evaluation and Monitoring of High-Performance Athletes
Special topics related to the effects of exercise on athlete development, biochemical and endocrine parameters, and recovery from overtraining and injuries. Cardiological evaluation. Recording and assessment in collaboration with the coach, physiotherapist, and team physician. Nutritional supplements and performance-enhancing drugs.

17) Special Topics in Sports Psychology
Understanding concepts and theories governing exercise and sports psychology. Study of specialized topics affecting the behavior of both exercisers and athletes. Analysis of psychological factors that contribute to the regulation of athletic behavior and maximize effort and performance, as well as the impact of physical exercise on mental health, personality, and behavior of individuals of all ages.

18) Special Topics in Sports Nutrition
The course “Special Topics in Sports Nutrition” of the MSc program "Exercise and Health" provides students with an in-depth understanding of the nutritional and metabolic demands of exercise, as well as their interaction with health and athletic performance. Balanced nutrition is now considered a fundamental and integral component of an athlete’s success. As part of students’ training and practical experience, a comprehensive program is included to educate and support them in specialized nutrition topics.

19) Applied Exercise Physiology
The aim of the course is to provide students with knowledge on specialized topics related to physiological and metabolic responses, as well as adaptations of the body across a range of individual and team sports and activities. Upon completion, students will understand the physiological mechanisms that improve performance, prevent fatigue, and promote health and fitness.

20) Applied Biomechanics
The course in applied biomechanics includes both theoretical analysis and practical training in various functional tests for evaluating physical abilities such as agility, speed, flexibility, and balance. It also covers the biomechanics of basic exercises for the trunk and limbs, including their variations, and provides practical training to ensure proper execution in terms of load management and efficiency.

21) First Aid Seminars
Basic first aid for beginners and advanced learners. Topics include shock, anaphylaxis, airway management, immobilization and safe transport of injured individuals. Principles of managing unconscious athletes, multi-trauma cases, and injuries to the spine, head, chest, eyes, teeth, and genitals. Ability to assess accidents, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and use automated and manual defibrillators. First aid techniques.

22) Seminar on Genetics and Physical Activity
Cellular and molecular basis of exercise, including the description of molecular mechanisms of intracellular signaling and gene expression that lead to exercise-induced adaptations, with an emphasis on skeletal muscle.

23) Adapted Physical Activity and Health
The student will deepen their knowledge of theoretical and research issues related to developmental and motor disorders, disabilities, exercise, and health promotion.

24) Special Topics in Aquatic Sports
The course provides information related to the latest findings in scientific research on swimming and aquatic sports. Special attention is given to physiological and biomechanical parameters that are critical for maximizing performance. Additionally, the adaptations induced by water-based exercise for health improvement are examined.

25) Special Topics in Track and Field
The course presents both traditional and modern perspectives on the theoretical foundations of training in track and field, focusing on specialized areas such as the structure and function of the neuromuscular system, energy requirements and adaptations resulting from resistance training, cardiovascular training, and exercise-induced cardiovascular adaptations in track and field athletes. The importance of nutrition for maximizing performance is also discussed, along with contemporary approaches to talent identification, emphasizing the biological basis of athletic performance.

26) Special Topics in Contact Sports
Students acquire knowledge in areas affecting performance improvement in individual combat and dynamic sports. Comparative study and presentation of energy systems and muscular capacities of athletes in combat and dynamic sports. Common training characteristics for combat and dynamic sports. Performance enhancement through nutrition and supplements. Long-term training planning. Social inclusion and psychological benefits from participation.

27) Special Topics in Youth Sports
The course aims to provide knowledge through specialized topics related to youth sports coaching, focusing primarily on physiology, pedagogical and didactic aspects, and psychomotor development.

28) Principles of Maximizing Athletic Performance
Basic principles of training. Analysis of fundamental physical fitness parameters. Derived characteristics. Teaching training methods. The importance of technique for achieving high performance. Periodization and long-term training planning. Talent identification.

29) Specialization - Practical Part II
Postgraduate students are required to complete a 100-hour practical training in specialization topics related to the research fields of their Master's Thesis. This practical training is implemented through programs and activities of the Department of Athletic Excellence at the Orthopedic Center for Research and Education “P.N. Soukakos” of the University General Hospital “ATTIKON,” under the supervision of faculty members. The training institution submits a report of completed activities and certification of attendance for the required hours.