Sport and exercise psychology has been used to help elite athletes perform better for some time, though gained notoriety in 1938 when the Chicago Cubs hired ‘America’s first sport psychologist’. Nowadays, the sophisticated techniques to improve individual or team performance – balancing high performance with wellbeing – are being applied in various professional, occupational and recreational contexts.

This BPS accredited degree provides an in-depth understanding of how psychological factors influence sport performance, wellbeing and exercise behaviour. It is taught by staff including chartered psychologists and sport science practitioners who work with Olympic athletes, top sports clubs, governing bodies, the military and NHS.

Through the internationally renowned Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance (IPEP), their impact extends far beyond sport. A 10-year programme of research funded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) led to changes in the delivery of training across the three Armed Services, which have reduced attrition rates among Royal Marine recruits by up to 15%.

Sport psychology techniques that measure the connection between emotions and performance are bringing a revolution to the sports industry, as well as high-performance companies and activities that involve high pressure or physical demands. Although the idea of the integrated mind-body is not new, these emerging techniques are changing the way we understand and enhance performance.