University of Hertfordshire - BSc (Hons) Sports Studies with Psychology

University of Hertfordshire

BSc (Hons) Sports Studies with Psychology

If you love sport and you’re also interested in psychology, this is the course for you. You’ll get a grounding in sports business management, sports development and psychology throughout the degree programme.  

You might be thinking about a career in sports development or maybe forensic and clinical psychology. Perhaps you see yourself working in a more managerial role, or possibly working in education and teaching. Because you’ll study various aspects of sport and psychology, this course will set you on the path to a wide range of career opportunities. 

With optional modules, you can tailor your degree to what interests you most. For example, you can choose modules in exciting areas such as nonverbal behaviour, cyberpsychology and forensic psychology. Plus, you’ll be able to attend a vibrant research seminar series, hosted by us, welcoming leading academics from across the UK and around the world. This course is full of opportunities, including the option to visit Utrecht University in the Netherlands for an exchange*. 

In your first year, you’ll learn about the sports industry, cognitive psychology, physical activity and sports development settings. You’ll also explore national and international sports business management and social psychology. To help you settle into university life, you’ll take a module focused on developing the academic skills which you need to be a successful student.        

Your second year builds on what you learnt in first year. You’ll study global perspectives of sports development, process and practice in high performance sport, and leadership and management of sports events. The module on research methods helps you understand the principles and methods that underpin social science of research. You’ll be able to use this to critique and understand research done in the areas of sports development, psychology and sports business management. It’ll also come in handy for your final year project in your final year. There are also a few optional modules for you to choose from.  Learn about exciting topics such as nonverbal behaviour and cyberpsychology.  

Work placement/study abroad option: Between your second and final year, you’ll have the option to study abroad or do a work placement for up to a year. Not only will this give you an amazing experience to talk about but will also give your CV a boost. If you’d rather go straight to your final year, that’s fine too. You’ll decide in your second year with us, so there is still plenty of time to think about this.  

In your final year you’ll be able to develop your research skills through the research dissertation module. You’ll get a personal supervisor to support you with the research. This means you’ll design and undertake you own project on a topic relevant to your area of interest. You’ll also be able to study other modules in the final year, such as enterprise and entrepreneurship, behaviour change for physical activity and insight and also evaluation of sports development. In addition, you’ll also be able to choose optional modules such as educational psychology, forensic psychology and health psychology.

Entry Requirements

UCAS pointsA LevelBTEC
104 - 112BCC - BBCMMM - DMM

GCSE: Grade 4/C in English Language and Maths.

All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0.

Career Prospects

There are a variety of career opportunities within sports related employment routes and careers where transferable skills related to psychology are valued.

Course Details

Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5 and 6.  These correspond to your first, second and third/final year of study.  Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each.  

At level 4, you’ll study 60 credits from the Sports Studies suite of modules and 60 credits from Psychology. At level 5 and 6, you’ll study 90 credits from the Sports Studies, and 30 credits from Psychology.     

Modules are assessed in a variety of ways via coursework, debates, presentations, viva and practical. The type of coursework is varied, depending on the module and includes reports, reflections, practical write-ups, portfolios, posters and seminar presentations.  

Year 1

Understanding the sports industry
Sport business management: national and international perspectives
Skills for psychologists
Foundations in social psychology
Foundations in developmental psychology
Foundations in cognitive psychology
Physical activity and sport policy in practice

Year 2

Process and practice in high performance sport
Leadership and management of sports events
Research methods for sports studies
Individual differences
Global perspectives of sports development
Facilities and funding for active communities

Optional modules
Nonverbal behaviour
Cyberpsychology
Culture and psychology
Personal construct psychology

Year 3

Insight and evaluation of sports development
Enterprise and entrepreneurship in sports business management
Creating business strategies for sport
Sports studies research dissertation
Behaviour change for physical activity and sport

Optional modules
Health psychology
Counselling
Clinical psychology
Sports psychology
Forensic psychology
Occupational psychology
Educational psychology
Sandwich placement - sport
Study abroad – sport

*The information’s are correct at the time of publishing, however it may change if university makes any changes after we have published the information. While we try our best to provide correct information, It is advisable to call us or visit university website for up to date information.

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