Performance Psychology MSc, PgDip

Your learning will be in the form of lectures, seminars and directed reading.

You will complete a series of seven taught courses that 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 designed to develop your ability to critically appraise scientific literature and to apply research methods. This will enable you to plan, conduct and disseminate your own research, following the established principles of rigorous scientific study.

These courses are:

• Dynamics of Performance Teams
• Peak Performance
• Planning and Instruction for Performance
• Professional Skills in Development Environments
• Research Process
• Stress: Coping and Control
• Understanding Research Concepts

To graduate with the MSc degree, you will also produce an independently researched dissertation.

This programme is ideally suited for those interested in working in sport psychology and in related areas, where you can capitalise on the increasing interest in the application of performance psychology, such as:

• occupational or business psychology
• executive coaching
• team building
• outdoor management and adventurous training

Recent graduates have taken up roles in:

• private consultancy in sports, business, music/performing arts
• management and technical roles in sporting bodies
• sports psychology practice in Sport Institute (public funded)
• lifestyle management in Sports Institute
• military and training agencies (for example, primary medical care)
• research (PhD in sports and business/management fields)
• further professional training, such as for Clinical or Educational psychology
• initial jobs in business to develop into Human Resource role
• teaching / lecturing (Higher & Tertiary education)
• outdoor and adventure training

You may choose to extend your studies with a doctoral degree (after completion of the MSc) or apply the transferable skills you will gain in areas such as communication and project management to a career in any field.

These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2024/25 academic year will be published on 2 October 2023.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant discipline, such as psychology, exercise psychology, organisational behaviour, or sport science.

We may also consider your application if you have relevant employment or experience; please contact us to check before you apply.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 62 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Tuition fees

Moray House Country Scholarship

Moray House School of Education and Sport is pleased to offer five £10,000 scholarships to study a Master’s degree programme commencing in September 2023. These will be based on merit and available to applicants from eligible countries.

• Moray House Country Scholarship

Moray House Access Scholarship

Moray House School of Education and Sport is pleased to offer a scholarship covering tuition fees and living costs for one student. The scholarship is for UK nationals domiciled in the UK, from backgrounds or groups which are underrepresented in our School.

• Moray House Access Scholarship

(Revised 1 February 2023 to add funding opportunities)

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding