Sport and Exercise Psychology MSc

University of Staffordshire

Take our MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology and you’ll be part of a diverse and supportive community of students. They include athletes, coaches and those with other professional skills who want to carve out new careers or improve their current practice. The MSc looks at the links between physical activity and mental health, how athletes perform under pressure and wider strategies for handling stress. You’ll also cover group dynamics and leadership - giving you the skills to help others - as well as data analysis and the fundamentals of sport psychology professional practice. If your goal is to become a sport and exercise psychologist, the course also counts as the first stage of your training as it’s accredited by the British Psychological Society (depending on your undergraduate degree programme). During our accreditation, the BPS awarded us four commendations for our outstanding work in student support, delivering a high quality student experience, excellent assessment feedback, and research collaborations between staff and students.The material covered provides students with a critical understanding of current issues relating to the theory and practice of both sport and exercise psychology. Some of the topics relate predominantly to exercise settings (e.g., physical activity and mental health), while other relate predominantly to sport settings (e.g., skilled performance under pressure) however most of the topics covered relate equally to both sport and exercise settings and include an exploration of the role of social processes in sport and exercise settings, the practice of sport and exercise psychology, and research methods and data analysis. Throughout the award a conscious decision has been made to have a strong link between theory and practice with many assignments requiring students to apply current theoretical and research knowledge to hypothetical ‘real life’ scenarios. Throughout the course every effort has also been made to draw upon the wealth of research and applied experience which the staff team have.CareersThe MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology is accredited by the BPS. Alongside GBC (graduate basis for chartered membership, acquired through a BPS recognised undergraduate degree or GBC conversion course during/after the MSc), it counts as stage 1 of the training to become a chartered psychologist and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a practitioner sport and exercise psychologist. Stage 2 involves a minimum of two years of supervised practice. Successful completion of the MSc provides the academic knowledge required to begin a training process to become a Chartered (and therefore practicing) Psychologist in sport and exercise psychology, together with GBC. The award can also provide the required postgraduate qualification for an individual seeking to engage in the accreditation process with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) that can also support a career in sport and exercise psychology.