Programme structure
The Performance Psychology programme can be studied full time or part time. To earn a Master's degree, you will study a number of courses and complete a dissertation.
You will examine the issues salient to the performance of individual and team or group perspectives and consider the necessity of reducing the influences of common limitations to performance, such as anxiety and distraction, as well as structures and techniques designed to enhance performance such as developing coherence amongst performance teams.
This programme focuses on the study of psychological factors associated with high level performance.
Programme structure
Masters degrees at the University of Edinburgh comprise 180 credits. The first 120 credits make up a Postgraduate Diploma and assuming an average mark of 50% or more is achieved overall and at least 80 credits are passed with a mark of at least 50% in each of the courses that make up these credits, then students can continue to the final 60 credits of the programme which is known as the dissertation component. Successful completion of the 180 credits leads to the award of MSc. The Master's degree can be completed in 11 months full time, or up to 72 months part-time.
Courses
Your learning will be in the form of lectures, seminars and directed reading.
You will complete a series of seven courses. These courses cover key topics related to performance psychology as well as essential professional skills for scientific practitioners such as legal and ethical issues and effective communication. Courses are also designed to develop the ability of students to be able to critically appraise scientific literature and to apply research methods to enable them to plan, conduct and disseminate their own research, following the established principles of rigorous scientific study.
- Understanding Research Concepts (10 credits)
- Research Process (10 credits)
- Professional Skills in Development Environments (20 credits)
- Stress: Coping and Control (20 credits)
- Peak Performance (20 credits)
- Planning and Instruction for Performance (20 credits)
- Dynamics of Performance Teams (20 credits)
Please note that courses and course content may change each year.
N.B. If taking the programme on an intermittent basis, courses from outside the School may have different fees.
Dissertation
Successful performance on the taught courses will enable you to progress to the dissertation which must be completed for the award of MSc.
Dissertation topics can be selected to reflect your interests as long as it remains within the overall rationale of the programme and appropriate supervision is available.
Examples of recent topics include:
- Professional development issues in sport psychology
- Decision making in surgeons
- Mental toughness in military pilots
- Optimism and stress in trainee teachers
- Emotional intelligence and elite sport performance
- Talent development in non-classical music
- Experiences of flow in dance
- Expertise development in international sport
- Change blindness’ effects moderated by experience level in sport
Submission format includes the option to submit in journal article style.
Publications
Students are shown as authors names in bold.
- MacNamara, A., Holmes, P. and Collins, D., (2006).The Pathway to Excellence: The Role of Psychological Characteristics in Negotiating the Challenges of Musical Development. British Journal of Music Education, 23, (3) 285-302.
- Ollis, S., MacPherson, A., and Collins, D., (2006). Expertise and talent development in rugby refereeing: an ethnographic enquiry. Journal of Sports Sciences, 24, (3), 309322.
- Critien, N.,and Ollis, S., (2006). Multiple Engagement of Self in the Development of Talent in Professional Dancers. Research in Dance Education, 7(2), 179-200.
- Hefferon, K. H., and Ollis, S., (2006). An interpretive phenomenological analysis of flow experiences in professional dancers. Research in Dance Education, 7(2), 141159.
- Kamin, S., Richards, H. and Collins, D. (2007). Influences on the talent development process of non-classical musicians: psychological social and environmental influences. Music Education Research, 9, 449-468.
- McClung, M., and Collins, D., (2007). "Because I know it will!": Placebo effects of an ergogenic aid on athletic performance. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 29(3), 382-394.
- Woodcock, C., Richards, H., and Mugford, A. (2008). Quality counts: Critical features for neophyte development. The Sport Psychologist, 22, 491-506.
Part-time study
Part-time students will be able to complete the MSc in Performance Psychology over two years or intermittently up to 6 years. Please contact the Programme Director should you wish to study part-time.
Contact the programme director