Course summary

Overview The MSc Sport Psychology programme at Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh campus combines expertise from our Department of Psychology with the sporting excellence of Oriam, Scotland’s Sport Performance Centre. This programme is led by expert sport and exercise psychologists and is accredited by the British Psychological Society, a highly regarded marker of quality assurance that prospective employers value. Applicants for MSc Sport Psychology are eligible for Sports Scholarships that we offer for a variety of student-athletes. These scholarships are available on an individual and team sport basis and give you exclusive access to benefits as well as a percentage reduction on your tuition fees based on the level of scholarship. This degree will provide you with a stepping-stone towards the qualifications you need to work with athletes, coaches, and exercisers in psychological settings across community and elite sports. This master’s degree is also ideal if you want to pursue further academic study in research-driven environments and a research career. While studying MSc Sport Psychology, you’ll gain a critical understanding of the knowledge and skills involved in Sport Psychology practice, together with developing specialist psychological knowledge within principal contexts in Sport Psychology including elite sports, community sports, team sports, and individual sports. You’ll be able to apply advanced research knowledge and skills which are relevant to psychology, including completing a significant independent project. You’ll also obtain transferrable skills that will be useful in careers outside of sport and exercise psychology, both in the public and private sectors. Each course included in the programme will equip you with highly employable expertise and skills in sports psychology, from the psychology of team sport, professional practice in sports psychology and the psychology of elite sport. You’ll benefit from the industry relevance and connections that are embedded in the programme, which afford a highly successful trajectory in your career after graduation. Assessments on the programme are designed such that you will build a portfolio of resources and experiences as trainee sport and exercise psychologists, providing a firm foundation towards progressing in the profession. Upon completion, you’ll be able to use a significant range of professional skills, techniques, and resources to understand the application of good ethical practice across the entire research process. Expertise The MSc Sport Psychology degree is taught by experienced, leading academics who have published research which shapes their discipline, and which will guide your learning. Academics delivering courses on the programme balance teaching time with research and professional practice in their discipline, including sports and exercise psychologists. They bring real-world experience to the classroom. Collectively, staff have practised as sport and exercise psychologists with elite national sporting organisations, have edited leading international academic research journals, and are internationally recognised, publishing widely in their disciplines. Customise your learning The MSc Sport Psychology programme includes innovative, contemporary courses and teaching methods which will allow you to acquire the knowledge and skills to successfully contribute to performance and wellbeing initiatives in dynamic sport and health-related contexts.