MSc

Applied Sport Psychology

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MSc Applied Sport Psychology provides you with the opportunity to extend your theoretical understanding of sport and exercise psychology in a supportive environment. This programme draws on the strengths of a sport and exercise psychology team, who are actively conducting their own research, to provide you with an academic programme that supports your career aspirations of working as a sport and exercise psychologist.

Sport and Exercise Psychology

Course overview

Applied Sport Psychology enables you to become an evidence-based practitioner who is an active problem-solver, providing the best psychological solutions to the challenges you encounter.

The course has been developed for individuals who possess Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) with the British Psychological Society (BPS). The programme is accredited by the BPS, and therefore provides the first stage in a training process towards becoming a Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist.

The course encourages you to actively participate, engage in independent study, and develop a passion for the subject and the process of learning. You draw on your own experiences in a variety of ways throughout the programme, and improve your skills in both critical self-reflection and the ability to share these reflections with others.

You study core modules including Philosophy Development & Ethical Practice, Psychological Skills and Intervention and Leadership and Group Dynamics in Sport, along with two modules designed to help you with the research for your dissertation.

MSc Applied Sport Psychology is the first step (Stage 1) in gaining Chartered Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and Registered Practitioner status with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). On completion of the course, you can progress to Stage 2 of training in Sport and Exercise Psychology, which is also offered by the Department of Sport and Exercise at the University of Winchester.

Accreditation

Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) for the purpose of eligibility to apply for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership, provided the minimum standard of qualification of second-class Honours is achieved and the empirical project is passed.

What you need to know

Course start date

September

Location

On campus, Winchester

Course length

  • 1 year full-time
  • 2 years part-time

Apply

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Typical offer

A first or second-class honours degree

Fees

From £9,550 pa

Course features

  • Complete Stage 1 of BPS chartership and HCPC registered practitioner status
  • Develop your skills of analysis and practice
  • Participate in an active and supportive research department
  • Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)

Course details

Learning and teaching

A diverse range of teaching methods are employed including seminar and workshop sessions interspersed with more formal lecture-style presentations from teaching staff and guest lecturers. Fostering critical self-reflection, and the ability to share these reflections with others, is central to learning on the programme. It encourages active participation, autonomous learning and passion for the subject and the process of learning. Students draw on their own experiences in a variety of ways throughout the programme.

Location

Taught elements of the course take place on campus in Winchester.

Assessment

Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.

We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.

Feedback

We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.

Further information

For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures

Modules

Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions

Modules

Philosophy Development & Ethical Practice

This module will introduce students to those aspects of applied sport psychology which underpin service delivery and fundamentally shape the technical aspects of the consultancy process. This critical examination of professional philosophy will encompass issues such as core beliefs and attitudes, theoretical frameworks (e.g., cognitive-behavioural; humanistic), and models of practice (e.g., psychological skills training; counselling model; medical model) including theories and models of performance excellence. The module will empower students to begin to develop their own philosophies and challenge them to consider how these might influence their practice, for example in terms of assessment and intervention. Importantly, students will also examine the ethics of sport psychology delivery and practice and critically consider common ethical dilemmas that occur in the field.

Practitioner Competencies and Reflective Practice

This module provides students with an opportunity to gain an understanding and appreciation of the essential skills required to work as a practitioner in a sports performance environment. It focuses on critically examining and reflecting upon the interpersonal, psychological and personality factors which determine the practitioner-athlete relationship. It further demonstrates how these are applicable within a range of environments including the elite sports environment. Using professional practice based research, students will evaluate a range of factors underpinning practitioner competency and analyse the impact of each upon perceptions of consultancy experiences and outcomes. A core focus of the module will be to introduce students to basic counselling and communication skills and develop a conceptual and practical understanding for how to use these skills to build more effective working relationships with athletes and other stakeholders (e.g., coaches, parents, performance directors)

Psychological Skills and Intervention

This module provides students with the opportunity to gain an advanced critical understanding of the psychological skills that underpin sports performance (e.g. attentional and emotional control) and critically analyse the techniques used to enhance those skills (e.g. imagery, mindfulness). Building on a theoretical foundation, students will explore a range of psychological skills and their application/s and crucially consider how to intervene to ensure the most efficacious outcomes for athletes.

Skill Acquisition and Expertise Development

This module will examine alternative approaches to the skill acquisition process in sport leading to expertise. In addition quantitative approaches to research in learning and performance will be critically explored and examined. An emphasis will be placed on the application of knowledge in the interface between sport psychologist and coach and the application of quantitative research design and analysis to explore questions relevant to the skill acquisition process.

Leadership and Group Dynamics in Sport

This module provides students with the opportunity to gain an understanding of contemporary theory and research that has examined effective leadership and group dynamics in different sporting contexts. This will involve the interaction between leaders (e.g., managers, coaches, captains) and their athletes, considering the subsequent impact on group processes, and will also exploring and critically evaluating current practice in developing and increasing the effectiveness of group functioning. The module will also explore qualitative approaches to research in investigating leadership and group dynamics, focusing particularly on the application of different qualitative research methods and the rigor of conducting qualitative research.

Transitions in Sport

This module will largely use qualitative methodology to critically examine the impact of transitions on athletes. These transitions will include critically exploring the lives of; elite youth performers as they adjust to the challenges of academy life; injured athletes in the rehabilitation environment; athletes facing career-ending injury and retirement. It will also explore the support given to athletes both during and at the end of their careers to help them manage these critical moments and also critically explore whether transition out of sport can be a positive and enabling experience.

Mental Health and Well Being

This module will examine a range of factors influential in the mental health and well being of those involved in a range of sporting contexts. This enables the students to examine how they perceive sport as something which can enable but also inhibit mental health in performers, coaches and support staff. An emphasis will be placed on the examination of real world scenarios and the potential input from an applied sport psychologist.

Practitioner development and scope of practice

This module will examine the range of ways in which the knowledge and skills of an applied sport psychology practitioner could be utilised. In concert with this the way in which practitioner skills can be developed post MSc (through the available professional development qualifications (i.e. BPS Stage 2, Professional Doctorates and BASES SEPAR) will be examined and the challenges of applied practice in real world environments will be analysed.

Dissertation

This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth and independent empirical study in a topic of interest related to the study of sport and/or exercise. Students will demonstrate originality in the development and application of knowledge and research skills (gained in other modules). A research proposal will initially be produced that will outline the chosen research process, and the students will present their rationale for their proposed study, and their ideas for conducting the research. No research will be permitted without ethics approval.

Students will be required to resolve complex conceptual, methodological and practical problems that are often encountered by researchers.

Completion of a dissertation will demonstrate students’ comprehensive understanding of all stages in the research process, an ability to deal with complex issues creatively and systematically, and how to communicate information in a clear and appropriate fashion (e.g., in a format akin to a research/journal article). The module will also prepare students to undertake future research through the practical experience that they have gained under the supervision of a member of academic staff.

Entry requirements

A first or second-class honours degree

Normally a first or second-class Honours degree or professional experience in the area of study.

Course enquiries and applications

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Normally a first or second-class Honours degree or professional experience in the area of study.

If English is not your first language: IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in writing​

Course enquiries and applications

Send us a message

If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by emailing our International Recruitment Team at International@winchester.ac.uk.

2024/2025 Course Tuition Fees 

  UK / Channel Islands /
Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland

International

Full-time £9,550 £17,450
Part-time £4,775 £8,725
Total £9,550 £17,450

Additional tuition fee information

If you are a UK student starting your degree in January / September 2024, the first year will cost you £9,550**.

If finance is a worry for you, we are here to help. Take a look at the range of support we have on offer. This is a great investment you are making in your future, so make sure you know what is on offer to support you.

**The University of Winchester will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year.

Additional costs

As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.

There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the mandatory and optional costs for this course:

Optional

Core Text

Multiple copies of core text are held within the library and e-books are identified where possible, however due the popularity of some books, there will not be enough copies for every student. It is advised that students seek to purchase their own books - second hand copies are often available. Indicative cost is £350.

Mandatory

Printing and Binding

The University is pleased to offer our students a free printing allowance of £20 each academic year. This will print around 500 A4 mono pages. If students wish to print more, printer credit can be topped up by the student. The University and Student Union are champions of sustainability and we ask all our students to consider the environmental impact before printing. 

SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS

We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships, Bursaries and Awards page.

CAREER PROSPECTS

MSc Applied Sport Psychology is the first step (Stage 1) in gaining Chartered Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and Registered Practitioner status with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

MSc Applied Sport Psychology students can progress to Stage 2 of training in Sport and Exercise Psychology which is also offered by the Department of Sport and Exercise at the University of Winchester.

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