Sport Psychology
Entry requirements
A level
Minimum Number of A Levels: 2 Maximum AS UCAS Points: 20 Subject requirements: At least one A level qualification in sport, science or social science-related discipline
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.
Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications.
To obtain the required UCAS points from a related subject area. Contact the Course Enquiries team for details.
UCAS Tariff
About this course
**Why study Sport Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University?**
- Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS)
- Taught by BPS Chartered and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered sport and exercise psychologists
- Study in state-of-the art laboratories and teaching facilities
- Applied learning opportunities within LJMU, with regional partners and remote opportunities further afield in the UK and abroad
- Includes a free applied focus event on understanding the world of applied sport and exercise psychology. Previous events include engagement with the English Institute for Sport, Manchester United FC Academy and a global online symposium
- Step one on the career path to becoming an HCPC registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist
- Entrepreneurship and employability themes integrated throughout the programme
- The School of Sport and Exercise Sciences is ranked 9th for Sports Science (QS World University Rankings 2023)
**About your course**
BSc (Hons) Sport Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University is professionally accredited by the British Psychological Society. The course offers exciting placement opportunities that are all, uniquely for the sector, both external and pre-sourced across a range of settings including schools, councils, local charities and sports clubs.
Sport and exercise psychologists are increasingly in demand to help improve performance by developing key psychological and perceptual-cognitive-motor skills. They can be found working with elite and Paralympic athletes and professional sports clubs, as well as in physical education or therapeutic professions. They also work with individuals with specific neurological conditions to help develop motor learning and control processes, plus aspects of social cognition.
The basis of the programme is to take the core psychological principles and apply them to real scenarios in professional sport, exercise and physical activity settings, plus areas such as physical education or therapeutic professions.
On this course you will develop scientific research skills, theoretical knowledge and skills in reporting empirical findings so that you will be able to carry out research projects based on real practice. Moreover, a key component of the programme structure is to develop applied skills that will allow you to operate effectively in a wide range of contexts.
You will develop fundamental and principal skills in Levels 4 and 5, culminating in a core applied placement and major project in Level 6. On applied placement, you may spend a proportion of your final year working with an external placement provider. In doing so, you will also develop transferable skills that are essential in most careers, such as critical evaluation and verbal and written presentations. For your major project, you will fully experience the research process through the planning, production, analyses and report of a piece of independent research conducted in a responsible, safe and ethical manner.
Practice is an essential part of your studies, so you will have use of our 25 million state-of-the-art science laboratories and equipment, as well as opportunities to gain experience during your core placement.
Modules
Please visit the Liverpool John Moores University website for detailed module information.
Assessment methods
Assessment varies depending on the modules you choose, usually a combination of exams and coursework.
All students perform differently depending on how they are assessed, which is why we use a combination of assessment methods. These include:
•written assignments (essays, brief response questions)
•exams (seen and unseen)
•practical work
•portfolios (including e-portfolios)
•presentations (group and individual)
•and reflective practice/diaries
You will then complete an independent research dissertation supervised by one of your tutors in your final year. You will be given plenty of help with planning your workload as a full assessment schedule is provided at the start of each academic year.
Feedback on all coursework is provided within three weeks of submitting it and may be given via Canvas (our virtual learning environment), face-to-face and/or in writing. You can always arrange one-to-one sessions with your tutors to discuss or clarify issues related to feedback as well. We believe that constructive feedback is vital in helping you identify your strengths as well as the areas where you may need to put in more work.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Please see our Bursaries and Scholarships page for more information: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/discover/fees-and-funding/bursaries-and-scholarships
The Uni
Liverpool John Moores University
School of Sport and Exercise Sciences
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Sport and exercise sciences
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Psychology (non-specific)
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Sport and exercise sciences
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
One of the fastest growing subjects in the country, the number of sports science graduates went from under 3,000 in 2003 to over 10,000 in 2013. Numbers have fallen slightly since 2015, but we still have over 9,000 graduates in the subject. However, the good news is the country's appetite for good health and fitness - and the adaptability of graduates in the subject - means that sports science grads are less likely than average to be out of work. Sports science graduates, not surprisingly, tend to get jobs in sport, fitness and health - coaching and teaching especially - but they're found all over the economy. Management and business are also popular options for graduates from this subject — and sports science graduates are particularly found where drive, determination and physical fitness are an advantage.
Psychology (non-specific)
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
20 years ago, this was a specialist degree for would-be psychologists but now it is the model of a modern, flexible degree subject. One of the UK's fastest-growing subject at degree level, and the second most popular subject overall (it recently overtook business studies), one in 23 of all graduates last year had psychology degrees. As you'd expect with figures like that, jobs in psychology itself are incredibly competitive, so to stand a chance of securing one, you need to get a postgraduate qualification (probably a doctorate in most fields, especially clinical psychology) and some relevant work experience. But even though there are so many psychology graduates — far more than there are jobs in psychology, and over 13,800 in total last year — this degree has a lower unemployment rate than average because its grads are so flexible and well-regarded by business and other industries across the economy. Everywhere there are good jobs in the UK economy, you'll find psychology graduates - and it's hardly surprising as the course helps you gain a mix of good people skills and excellent number and data handling skills. A psychology degree ticks most employers' boxes — but we'd suggest you don't drop your maths modules.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Sport and exercise sciences
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
£22k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Psychology (non-specific)
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£19k
£22k
£23k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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