Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

Performance Psychology MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Full-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Performance Psychology

This programme focuses not just on sport but on Performance as a whole. To me this is a no-brainer - other areas such as the military, the arts, business, emergency services etc, also call for the same mental skills required by athletes and sports coaches.

Matilda Mayne MSc Performance Psychology
Matilda Mayne               MSc Performance Psychology

Drawing extensively from research and practice in sport psychology, this programme examines how psychology can contribute to maintaining and enhancing high-level performance across a variety of domains such as:

  • sport
  • the military
  • emergency services
  • forensics
  • medicine
  • business
  • performing arts

You will be introduced to issues that relate to both individual and group performance, looking at current research and practice. You will develop techniques to minimise the influence of limitations, such as anxiety and distraction.

Striking a balance between psychological methods and the wider professional skills needed to apply them, the courses will give you the knowledge and tools you will need to critically appraise and apply scientific literature and to plan, conduct and share your own research.

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.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScPerformance Psychology1 YearFull-timeProgramme structure 2024/25

This programme is suited for those interested in capitalising on the increasing interest in the application of performance psychology in a variety of domains, such as:

  • sport
  • occupational or business
  • executive performance
  • emergency services
  • 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 the UK Sports Institute (publicly funded)
  • lifestyle management in the UK 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 roles
  • teaching/lecturing (higher and tertiary education)
  • outdoor and adventure training

You may choose to extend your studies with a doctoral degree (after completing 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 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

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.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

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

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 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 185 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
  • Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 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:

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).

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

Find out more about our language requirements:

Tuition fees

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScPerformance Psychology1 YearFull-timeTuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money
    • taking out a loan
    • family support
  • personal savings
  • income from work
  • employer sponsorship
  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

GREAT scholarship: Mexico

One GREAT scholarship will be available to applicants from Mexico who apply for 2024 entry. This award is for £10,000 towards postgraduate taught (Masters) degree tuition. Further details on eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the GREAT scholarship website.

India Merit Scholarship

The University is offering a new international scholarship for the most academically gifted Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Masters students applying from India. These awards cover £5,000 towards tuition fees for PGT Masters students studying on campus during the 2024/25 academic year. The scholarships will be tenable for the first year of study only and will be automatically deducted from your student tuition fee balance. 

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.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • Moray House School of Education and Sport
  • Old Moray House
  • Holyrood Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 8AQ

Due to high demand, this programme operates a gathered field approach to admissions, with two application deadlines as noted below.

Each application round has a decision deadline, also listed below, but note that we may make offers to the strongest candidates on an ongoing basis, in advance of the published decision deadline.

We strongly recommend that you apply as early as possible, especially if you intend to apply for funding. Applications may close earlier than published deadlines if there is exceptionally high demand. If you are considering applying for our pre-sessional English Language programme, please make sure you apply in Round 1.

Please note that for an application to be reviewed, it must be a complete application by the deadline with all supporting documentation uploaded, including references and transcripts. English language documentation can be submitted later but if you have already met the English language entry requirements for your programme at the time of application, your application may be considered more competitive in selection than applications where an English language test still needs to be taken.

Selection deadlines

Round Application Deadline Places awarded
1 13 January 2025 17 April 2025
2 29 May 2025 30 June 2025

Deadlines for UK/Scotland fee status

After Round 2, if there are still places available, applications will remain open only to applicants who are eligible for the UK/Scotland fee rate, including the EU/EEA Pre-settled Scotland fee status. Applications will remain open no later than 30 June 2025 and may close earlier than this if the programme becomes full, so we strongly recommend you apply as soon as possible.

If you apply with another fee status after 29 May 2025, your application will be rejected.

(Revised 18 October 2024 to add application deadlines and selection process information)

You must submit one reference with your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • Moray House School of Education and Sport
  • Old Moray House
  • Holyrood Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 8AQ