Sport and Exercise Psychology BSc (Hons) BSc (Hons)

UCAS code C810

Study options Award

Duration

3 Years

Location

Stoke-on-Trent campus

Study on the UK’s only interdisciplinary sports and exercise psychology distance learning degree and kick-start your future career.

Discover how athletes think, feel and behave as part of our unique degree for aspiring sport psychologists.

We offer the UK’s only BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Psychology to be delivered through distance learning. It’s the ultimate flexible approach for students with busy lifestyles.

You’ll learn how psychology plays a pivotal role in both human performance and wellbeing. This includes helping athletes cope better under pressure and developing people’s confidence, motivation and resilience.

We teach the fundamentals of sport and exercise psychology from day one. But you’ll also get a multi-disciplinary perspective as the course covers aspects of biomechanics, social and developmental psychology.

It could take you from exploring group dynamics and leadership through to how the brain interacts with the spinal cord. You could also be delving into the psychology behind exercise addiction and interventions for dealing with stress and irrational beliefs.

We place a strong focus on applying theory to real-life situations. And as our team of academics are research-active, internationally recognised leaders in contemporary practice, your practice will be research informed.

The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society, which means we meet rigorous national standards. It’s an ideal springboard for careers in a range of specialist roles, including working with professional sports clubs, becoming a wellness coach or performance consultant, or setting up your own business.

We have years of experience in delivering distance learning degrees and attract a diverse student cohort. They include athletes competing at a national or international level, sports coaches, military personnel and students straight from school or college.

You can develop your professional skills while at home or in the workplace, with the option of using our facilities on campus too. The degree can be taken full-time or part-time.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Psychology

Work placements

The Sport and Exercise Department works with local, regional and national employers to provide placement and work experience opportunities. We also have international university partners.

Other opportunities include becoming a volunteer with our Sports Academy. You could be helping to deliver physical activity and classroom-based workshops to young people in schools and communities.

Course content

You will explore a wide-ranging curriculum, covering subjects such as applied sport psychology techniques, group dynamics and leadership (social psychology), research methods, cognitive psychology, psychobiology, physical activity and mental health, developmental psychology, stress, and resilience.

You will end your degree with a supervised research project which focuses on the application of psychology in a sport and exercise environment.

All teaching is delivered in an online, distance-learning format. We use a mixture of live sessions and those you can study at a time that suits you. You’ll contribute to online discussion boards and will have weekly tutorials and recorded lectures. Assessments can be through presentations, reflective pieces on your own experience, essays, lab reports and exams.

Professional body accreditation

Accredited against the requirements for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Paris Olympics 2024: under immense pressure to win, athletes need to practise self-compassion

News

Dr Katie Sparks, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, writes for The Conversation

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module where available.

Year 1 compulsory modules
Year 1 compulsory modules
Foundations Of Human Psychology In Sport And Exercise	40 credits
Fundamental Principles Of Biomechanics And Exercise Physiology For Sports Performance And Minimising Injury Risk	20 credits
Individual Differences And Psychometrics In Sport And Exercise	20 credits
Research In Sport And Exercise Psychology	40 credits

Year 2 compulsory modules
Year 2 compulsory modules
Advanced Research Methods In Sport And Exercise Psychology	40 credits
Biomechanical Analysis Of Human Movement For Sport, Exercise And Health	20 credits
Cognitive And Biological Psychology In Sport And Exercise	40 credits
Social And Developmental Psychology In Sport And Exercise	20 credits

Year 3 compulsory modules
Year 3 compulsory modules
Applied Physiology In Sport And Exercise	20 credits
Applied Sport And Exercise Psychology	40 credits
Research Project	40 credits
Stress, Emotion And Sport Performance	20 credits

Year 2 compulsory modules
Year 2 compulsory modules
Individual Differences And Psychometrics In Sport And Exercise	20 credits
Research In Sport And Exercise Psychology	40 credits

Year 3 compulsory modules
Year 3 compulsory modules
Cognitive And Biological Psychology In Sport And Exercise	40 credits
Social And Developmental Psychology In Sport And Exercise	20 credits

Year 6 compulsory modules
Year 6 compulsory modules
Research Project	40 credits
Stress, Emotion And Sport Performance	20 credits

Entry requirements

112-120 UCAS Tariff points

GCE A Levels - grades BBC or equivalent
Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM
Access to HE Diploma - Pass Access with a minimum of 80 UCAS tariff points. Applicants to Staffs who are taking the Access to HE Diploma receive a reduced tariff point offer as part of our access and participation plan activity
UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM
T Levels - Eligible T Level applications will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of P (A*-C) or Higher Pass as a condition of offer

We welcome applicants from a diversity of backgrounds and all applicants are individually assessed.

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

For equivalent entry requirements in your home country, please see the information on our country pages.

Choose your country

Check our entry and English language requirements for your country.

Facilities

Support for distance learners

Studying remotely doesn't mean that you will be left to study alone. Which is why we ensure that however you study with us, you'll still be able to access the same services as our on-campus students. Read more

However you study with us, or wherever in the world you’re based, you’ll still be able to access the same services as our on-campus students, including IT and study support, online library, careers and wellbeing service. We’ll help to connect with other online learners to help you get the most out of your learning experience and feel a part of the community. Find out more: Support for distance learners

Blackboard (VLE)

Blackboard is a virtual learning environment which houses your learning content. It enables online teaching/learning, provides spaces to build online communities and knowledge sharing.

Sports Psychology Lab

The Basil Ashford Sports Psychology laboratory and consulting room are used extensively for teaching, research and consultancy in the areas of Sports Psychology, Exercise Psychology and Motor Learning. Read more

Find out more about our Ashford Sport Psychology Lab.

Psychology Observation Suite

The Observation Suite contains an Observation Laboratory setup with a one-way mirror, video cameras and microphones to allow activities to be observed and recorded from the Control Room. Read more

Find out more about our Psychology Observation Suite.

Biomechanics Facilities

The Gait Analysis Laboratory within the Biomechanics Facility consists of motion capture and associated software, force platforms, digital video camera and associated kinematic analysis software and plantar pressure measurement system. Read more

Find out more.

View virtual tour

Careers

This degree will put you at the forefront of a growing field, equipping you for roles in sport, healthcare, industry and teaching.

You can go on to train as a qualified sport and exercise psychologist, become a self-employed consultant or work with a sports club or business.

There are opportunities in both public and commercial sectors, with typical roles including:

Wellness coach
Active living consultant
Practising sport psychologist
Performance consultant
Exercise psychologist
Professional sport welfare officer
Athlete career and education advisor

Many graduates also pursue Masters-level study in relevant fields of science and technology. You’ll be perfectly placed to take our MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology, which is also delivered through distance learning.

All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team.

Undergraduate Open Day

Saturday 22 March 2025

Explore our campus and facilities, find out more about the courses you're interested in and connect with our lecturers and current students.

Book now

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

As a distance learning student, you'll be an active learner interacting with content, your fellow students and your module tutors. Support is available when you need it. You can contact your module tutor, your personal tutor, Information Service staff and subject specialist librarian by phone, email or in person.

Our teaching is supported through our Virtual Learning Environment called Blackboard. This means you can access a range of materials to support your studies wherever you are via your PC, tablet or phone. This includes accessing video, audio and discussion forums where you can debate subjects with your tutors and fellow students.

We also interact with students (including webinars, feedback and student discussion) using the suite of software provided by Microsoft, in particular Microsoft Teams.

You'll have the opportunity to develop your digital proficiency with external and industry approved qualifications provided by Microsoft.

Assessment

You’ll experience a wide variety of assessment formats including project briefs, negotiated assignments, self-initiated proposals and reports tailored in the form appropriate to professional outcomes required for each module.

For each assessment undertaken, you receive a set of guidelines and a set of specific grading criteria outlining the standards expected.

Summative assessment is provided in the form of a grade percentage, an annotated assignment and accompanying summary feedback sheet.

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include:

study skills such as reading, note-taking and presentation skills
written English, including punctuation and grammatical accuracy
academic writing and how to reference
research skills
critical thinking and understanding arguments
revision, assessment and examination skills
time management

Additional support

Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Feedback

We know that it’s important for you to be able to gauge your progress. So, your tutor will give you feedback on any practice assessments you do.

We will normally give you feedback on formal assessments within 20 working days.

We know that it’s important for you to be able to gauge your progress. So, your tutor will give you feedback on any practice assessments you do.

We will normally give you feedback on formal assessments within 20 working days.