Sport and Exercise Science MSc

This MSc degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology is accredited by the BPS. Students who complete the degree could therefore achieve Stage 1 training of the qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology. This is a key component of the career pathway to becoming a chartered psychologist. The course focuses on developing your scientific understanding of the human mind, behaviour and experience, and the complex interactions between these and the domain of sport and exercise. It has been designed to be flexible and relevant to your individual needs and interests, with a strong emphasis, in the taught component of the course, on the links from of theory to practice. The degree will equip you with a blend of evidence-based knowledge and practical skills that act as a stepping-stone to prepare you for a career working with individuals who are involved in these specific settings.

Professional Accreditation

The School is proud to have been the first to gain BPS postgraduate professional training accreditation for this MSc programme. The course aims to provide Stage One of the training required to achieve Chartered Status and full membership of the BPS’s Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Please note: This programme is available to all applicants with at least a 2.2 honours degree in a subject with a substantial psychology component. Applicants who already hold Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society (i.e., they have undertaken a BPS accredited undergraduate degree), OR those who plan to obtain it by subsequently completing a BPS accredited conversion course will be eligible for Chartered Status and full membership of the BPS's Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology upon graduation. Applicants who do not hold Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership are still eligible to apply for this programme and upon successful completion will graduate with an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology, but this will not be BPS accredited.

To have GBC, students must have successfully completed a BPS accredited undergraduate degree. For more information about BPS accreditation and to check the accreditation status of a course that you have completed please click here. Click here for information about conversion courses. For applicants without GBC we would normally only admit those whose first degree has a substantial psychology component. Should you want to discuss your eligibility before applying, please email sport@bangor.ac.uk.

The BPS does not accredit overseas institutions (apart from Chinese University of Hong Kong and University of Hong Kong) therefore students with an overseas degree in Psychology will need to apply for individual Graduate Membership of the BPS. International students can apply for individual recognition by the BPS here.

Due to our reputation for research excellence, we attract students from all over the world and have postgraduate course leaflets available in Arabic and Chinese.

Further Information

Have a look at this page for more reasons to study for a postgraduate degree in the field of Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences at Bangor University. You can also find some funding information here for students applying to study on any taught postgraduate programme. There is also a Bangor’s Sports Scholarship scheme for those who excel at sport.

What will you study on this course?

This Sport and Exercise Science MSc aims to provide graduates with the opportunity to engage in a multi-disciplinary approach to their development. Specifically, the degree is designed to increase students’ understanding of both the physiological and psychological approaches to performance enhancement (e.g., competitive athletes and casual exercisers) and simultaneously to offer students an insight into approaches that may be taken when working within rehabilitation settings (e.g., healthy ageing, chronic disease).

The degree programme is taught through traditional lectures, interactive seminars, one-to-one tutorials, computer sessions, and laboratory practical’s. Students will therefore gain experience of working independently and in group-based settings both in the classroom and in practically driven sessions (the extent of which will depend on module choices). They will also complete a substantial period of self-study that, on the Masters degree, includes the completion of a research project or dissertation. To complement these teaching approaches, the degree also utilises a variety of assessment methods including case-reports, practical skills, the ability to communicate effectively with diverse populations, and the delivery of presentations (e.g., posters and talks).

Graduates of the degree programme will be able to show a critical scientific knowledge and understanding of the physiological, psychological, and rehabilitative principles that are involved a variety of sport and exercise settings; will demonstrate an understanding of the scientific principles and statistical procedures that underpin effective research design, data collection, and data interpretation in sport and exercise science; and will be able to illustrate how scientific ideologies can be used to design, implement, and evaluate client-based interventions in sport and exercise settings.

Graduates will also develop practical skills that might be used when collecting data for research and/or applied purposes in laboratory and field settings. They will have developed contextual awareness and problem solving when considering how scientific principles and practical interventions might be applied to sport and exercise settings, and will be able to interpret and communicate scientific data to suit the needs of the audience (e.g. clinicians or patients). They will also be able to demonstrate a range of standard key skills, including awareness of health and safety and ethical considerations.

Collectively, these approaches are designed to equip graduates with the communication and presentation skills, interactive and group skills, reflective practice skills, and numeracy and information technology skills that will allow them to demonstrate professionalism as required in the workplace.

Modules for the current academic year

Module listings are for guide purposes only and are subject to change. Find out what our students are currently studying on the Sport and Exercise Science MSc Modules page.

Course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.