MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology

at University of Bolton

Teaching will occur in small groups as we believe that this is the most effective way to support you to develop the knowledge and skills required to complete the programme successfully. Rather than formal lectures, you can expect face-to-face sessions to feel more like seminars. This will allow our academic team to engage you and your classmates in debates and discussions, share good practice, and demonstrate core psychological skills. You’ll also be expected to take part in role-play activities. These are designed to consolidate your learning, helping you develop practical skills in delivering psychology support in sport and exercise settings. We’ll also set individual and group work during classroom teaching, and tutorials will be available to supplement your in-class learning. In particular, we’ll encourage and support you to use reflective practice to support your progress and consolidate your learning.|
 

The assessment strategy for the programme is designed to support your professional development and reflective practice. We use a variety of assessment methods such as case studies, research proposals, one-to-one practical activities, workshops, vivas, and stakeholder reports.
 

Practical placement experiences will be arranged for you and are a core component of the programme. The Sport and Exercise Psychology in Professional Practice (SEP7002) module will run throughout the programme, offering you the opportunity to engage in, and learn from, a variety of practical experiences. During the placements, you’ll receive informal feedback on your performance to help you assess your progress and improve your practice, as well as formal assessment that will contribute to your overall grade for the course.
 

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• Research Project
• Sport and Exercise Psychology in Professional Practice
• Psychological Strategies: Exercise and Behaviour Change
• Individual Support: Person and Performer
• Organisational Psychology: Context and Culture
• Research Methods
   

• Normally, you should have at least an upper second class (2.1) honours degree in a relevant subject. Relevant subjects include psychology, sport and exercise psychology, sport and exercise science, and sport rehabilitation. We’ll also consider other psychology, sport or exercise-related undergraduate programmes.
• If your intention is to pursue a career as a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist through supervised training with the British Psychological Society (BPS), then please read the entry requirements for the BPS Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology (QSEP) (Stage 2) route on the BPS website,
• Alternatively, if your intention is to work towards chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist status through supervised training with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES), then please read the full entry requirements for the Sport and Exercise Psychology Accreditation Route (SEPAR) on the BASES website.
• You’ll be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
• Many professional practice placements involved in this course involve unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable young people and adults, also known as regulated activity. If you’ll be undertaking a placement that involves regulated activity (and the vast majority of our students will do), you’ll have to get an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) beforehand. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
• If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.5 with normally no less than 6.0 in any band (or equivalent). 

Overseas students starting this course in the first year will be required to pay a Overseas fee of £12,950 

This master’s degree is ideal if you wish to pursue a career in sport and exercise psychology. After graduating from this course, you’ll possess a strong grounding in sport and exercise psychology. If your ultimate goal is to become a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist, you’ll also possess a wealth of knowledge and skills required to progress onto the required professional supervised training.
 

How you work towards chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist status will depend on your undergraduate qualifications and prior knowledge of psychology. The British Psychological Society (BPS) offers the Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology (QSEP) (Stage 2). This MSc is a pre-requisite requirement for the BPS Stage 2 supervised training route. This route is often preferred by students who possess a BPS-accredited undergraduate degree or conversion course and have already achieved the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC).
 

Alternatively, you may be able to pursue the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) Sport and Exercise Psychology Accreditation Route (SEPAR) supervised training. This route is often more appropriate for students who hold a sport-related undergraduate degree as well as a BPS-accredited psychology conversion course (or other psychology qualification that is acceptable to BASES).
 

Once you’ve successfully completed either the BPS QSEP Stage 2 training or BASES SEPAR training, then you’ll be eligible to apply for professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to practice as a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist.
 

This course is primarily designed for students wishing to pursue a career as a chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist. However, graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or alternative or additional postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:

• Sports coaching
• Physiotherapy
• Sport and exercise science
• Sport rehabilitation
• Performance lifestyle advisor
• Well-being officer
• Higher education teaching and research