Sport & Exercise Psychology

About the course

The course has been developed in conjunction with the rapidly growing field of sports science and a proportion of your study will involve practical laboratory sessions and fieldwork.

Personal supervision from staff throughout the course provides you with the best possible opportunity to achieve your true potential. Teaching is by experienced and highly qualified staff who have a wide range of research expertise and interests in the field.

The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society which enables you, on graduation, to progress to further professional qualifications and employment as a professional chartered psychologist.

What you will learn

You will develop the skills required to carry out investigations into sport and exercise psychology and learn the principles and application of psychology in the context of sport and exercise, for example counselling sportsmen and women, the interaction between coach and athlete and preparation for sport and exercise.

You will develop an understanding of the psychology, techniques and methods of coaching and learn about psychological processes in a wider sports context such as attention, arousal and anxiety and their impact on sports performance; ways of managing these processes and techniques and methods for boosting performance.

You will also learn about sport and the individual, for example the role of sport and exercise in personal development and also exercise and self in terms of body image, identity and the impact of exercise on mental health, mood, emotion, stress and tension.

Special features

• The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society and is one of a very few Sport and Exercise Psychology degree courses in the country to have this accreditation.

• The programme is accredited as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Registration, the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.

• Study on the course will provide you with the foundation for future membership of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES) which offers career advice and opportunities for continued professional development. Completion of this course, and further study, will also allow you to pursue BASES Accreditation as a Sport Scientist (Psychology).

Careers and professional development

The huge growth of interest in exercise, sport and healthier lifestyles has resulted in an increasing number of career opportunities in the exercise and health industry. Sport and exercise psychologists are in demand to work with professional teams and the governing sports bodies as well as in education, the health sector and in the private health industry.

To strengthen your CV further, you will have the opportunity to gain Level 1 sport-specific coaching awards from national governing bodies and attend Sports Coach UK coaching workshops.

Accreditation of the course by the British Psychological Society (BPS) will allow for progression onto professional qualifications in applied psychology.

If you take additional modules in counselling and occupational testing (subject to validation and accredited by the appropriate professional body), you will be able to get professional qualifications in these areas.

Professional recognition

Successful completion of the degree course is approved as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) of the British Psychological Society provided the minimum standard of qualification of second class honours is achieved.

The British Psychological Society is the professional body of psychologists.

Mode of attendance: Full-time