MRes Sport and Exercise Psychology

Become an expert in the fields of sport and exercise psychology. Apply your psychological knowledge to enhance the personal development and performance of athletes, coaches, individuals, teams and organisations You will use psychological principles to promote exercise participation and motivation among the general population. You'll work with individuals to plan exercise regimes.

Also explore how to help athletes achieve optimal mental health to improve performance whilst investigating how motivations, beliefs and emotions influence behaviours. Apply theories to ensure athletes are psychologically prepared for the demands of competition and training, as well as the emotional consequences of sustaining an injury.

The focus is on developing research expertise, with a project conducted over the entire year of study. The aim is to develop and submit work of publishable quality. Current practical, technical and research skills are embedded in the course to reflect the needs of sport-related careers and industry. You'll learn a strong complement of applied and research skills, balanced with how to communicate key information to relevant sport industry partners.

This Sport and Exercise Psychology Masters is a great stepping stone to a PhD if your career goals are more aligned to academia.

How you’re taught

You will experience a mixture of seminars, lectures, laboratories and you will also have several opportunities to present in front of peers and academic staff.

Assessment includes:

• oral presentations
• poster presentations
• journal articles
• an interview

Careers and employability

Graduates of the MRes have pursued careers in:

• sports marketing and management
• sports injury and rehabilitation
• sport psychology research

Employers have included Manchester United FC, Northumbria University, Institute of Youth Sport, Kings College and English Institute of Sport.

This Sport and Exercise Psychology postgraduate degree can provide a platform for students who are considering a PhD, and want to gain further experience and relevant qualifications before committing to a research degree.