Brayford Pool
3 years
6 years
C850
The BSc (Hons) Psychology (Sport and Exercise Psychology) programme explores the foundations of psychology in relation to the application of sport and exercise.
The programme closely aligns with our Psychology (BSc) Hons degree, and you will have the opportunity to gain a wealth of theoretical knowledge relating to the science behind how we think, act, and interact with others.
You can also benefit from teaching by academics in the School of Sport and Exercise Science which aim to give you insight into understanding the fundamental role that psychology plays in maximising athletes' sport performance by enhancing physical activity levels and nurturing healthy behaviours.
The programme is taught by research-active academics with specialist expertise in areas such as cognitive neuropsychology, mental health, body image, sport and exercise psychology, and attentional processing. Across the School of Psychology, we also have expertise topics such as mental health, sleep, gambling, and body image which represent modules offered as electives in the third year and enable further specialisation to complement the core programme modules.
Accredited by the British Psychological Society
Subject area ranked 3rd overall in the UK*
Conduct research alongside our research-active staff
A range of optional modules
Specialist facilities including sleep, EEG, and psychophysiology labs
International study and work experience options
*Complete University Guide 2025 (out of 56 ranking institutions).
This course is aimed to reflect current research-informed teaching and innovation to evaluate how psychological knowledge is understood and applied in real-world settings, particularly the fields of sport and exercise.
The first year is designed to provide you with a broad and extensive understanding of the key concepts of psychology and research. The second year builds on these concepts in greater detail to enable you to understand how they can be applied in context. The third year provides the opportunity to tailor your degree towards your interests.
Depending on the level and topic of content, teaching can be delivered in large lectures, small seminars, workshops, computer-based laboratory sessions, and tutorials. Most modules involve two hours a week of timetabled teaching, with independent study expected outside of these hours.
With access to the University's range of modern psychological research laboratories, you can develop the skills to design and conduct an independent research project based on your own interests.
In addition to our work experience opportunities, many modules include employer presentations and activities. Students can also meet employers at our annual Psychology Works careers fair.
Academic staff hold regular drop-in sessions to support you throughout your course and provide course materials on an online virtual learning environment to support face to face teaching.
This module aims to introduce students to a wide range of topics outlining the structure and functions of the brain and nervous system, and the relationship between these brain structures and the behaviours, both covert and overt, resulting from them. The module serves as the foundation for the second year core module in cognition, and a number of elective modules expand on ideas introduced here.
This module provides an introduction to three major areas of psychological theory and research, Developmental, Social and Individual psychology. The topics are covered in Semesters A and B respectively and grouped thematically. Content across all topics is embedded in the context of major, relevant general, developmental, social and individual differences theories.
The module will introduce students to science-backed tools and habits that they can use to improve their own skills, social awareness and wellbeing, and to enhance their own lives as psychological literate citizens. Students will typically develop skills in scientific and psychological literacy, critical thinking, self-reflection, written and oral communication and teamwork.
The module extends the investigations of cognition that began in the first year. Areas critical to our understanding of cognition are considered in more depth, with consideration of both classic and current research into cognitive processes from both a cognitive and cognitive neuroscience approach.
This module aims to examine the concepts, theories, research methods and influencing factors in child development relevant to the period from birth to pre-adolescence.
The module aims to provide an introduction into psychological assessments using psychometrics, including questionnaires and scales. Based on the established theoretical and research context, this module will consider a range of assessment tools used in psychology to assess an individual’s behaviour or behavioural disposition, and provide an introduction into psychometric test development. The modules also aims to provide students with the opportunity to administer, score, and interpret psychological tests.
This module seeks to explore some of the central issues of social psychology, including how people deal with social information, such as the causes of behaviour and social categories, and how groups function and interact.
This optional, year-long module enables students to spend a year studying abroad at one of the University’s approved partner institutions. Eligible students must have completed their second year of study to a satisfactory standard and successfully completed the application process for the year abroad. During the year spent abroad, students share classes with local students and study on a suite of locally-delivered taught modules which have been approved in advance by the University. Upon their return, as part of the assessment for this modules, students are required to critically reflect upon their experience of living and studying in a different cultural environment and the skills acquired.
This module aims to create a valuable opportunity for students to gain important insights and improve their skills and prospects relevant to employment or further study (i.e. within psychology or related subject areas) by undertaking relevant work experience.
This module aims to draw on aspects of cognitive and clinical neuropsychology to examine the consequences of brain dysfunction. A particular focus will be upon the interdependence of clinical and experimental neuropsychology, and it is within this context that the role of neuropsychology in research, diagnosis and patient management can be explored.
In this module you can explore addictive behaviours, substance abuse, and dependence in society and consider their prevalence and treatment strategies. Whether looking at individual disorders or commonalities across all disorders, you can understand the risk factors for addiction, examine the limitations of biological explanations for addiction, and evaluate the development of the field of psychological study of addictions.
This module specialises in presenting the psychological scientific foundations of 'intervention science' in an organisational context. It covers the process of developing interventions to investigate and address key organisational problems.
This module provides a critical evaluation of the way the Organisational Psychology literature approaches common workplace issues.
This module aims to examine the developmental disability of Autism (and Autistic Spectrum Disorders). It aims to cover a range of approaches to understanding Autism, from diagnosis and etiology.
This module is designed to develop understanding of body image and eating disorders. This module will typically cover their aetiology, diagnosis, assessment, and treatment in diverse populations including children, men, BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic)/POC (People of Colour) and LGBTQIA+. The module typically aims to give students an appreciation of the complicated and multi-determined field of body image and eating disorders; as well as the limitations of methodology both for clinical assessment and research paradigms. This module typically further aims to examine attitudes to eating, body shapes and sizes, their driving factors, and challenge the students to analyse and synthesise via exercises in seminars.
This module is designed to introduce you to counselling theories and aims to help to develop introductory communication and counselling skills. A Person-Centred approach to counselling skills will be used and an important aspect of this module will be providing you with the opportunity of development of learning through self-reflection.
This module aims to emphasise the importance of a developmental framework for understanding how children come to exhibit adaptive and maladaptive behaviour. The module will seek to address the changing nature of problems, influences and risk factors over the course of development.
The module aims to introduce some of the key areas in Forensic Psychology that occur during the pre-conviction stage of a criminal investigation. Specifically, the module will focus on the police investigation and courtroom stage of the criminal process. It will explore a variety of established theoretical work and research within these domains and consider how this knowledge can be used to inform several key areas of the criminal investigation. The module will highlight the applied importance of Psychology to significant issues in the real-world.
This module is designed to give students the opportunity to develop a critical awareness and understanding of psychological issues typically related to the assessment, perception, communication, management and governing of risk as it affects professional practices in such areas as public health, politics, the environment, science and technology, corporate communication, and clinical/forensic psychology.
This module examines the potential benefits of sleep, focusing in particular on two areas. The role of sleep in memory and cognition will be explored in depth, followed by a wider examination of other benefits of sleep for well-being, which may include effects on mood, physical health and aspects of behaviour. Students will be introduced to the way in which sleep can benefit cognition and well-being and the experimental paradigms used to demonstrate this. The aims of the module are to consider in depth the potential role of sleep in both cognition and well-being, and develop the skills and knowledge that will enable the critique of the different approaches taken in this field leading to the ability to interpret and integrate current research findings and design original further research studies.
This module is designed to introduce the background, theories and techniques of Social cognitive neuroscience. SCN seeks to understand socioemotional phenomena in terms of interactions between the social (socioemotional cues, contexts, experiences, and behaviors), cognitive (information processing mechanisms), and neural (brain bases) levels of analysis.
Work experience is invaluable for undergraduate Psychology students as it has the potential to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world applications. This module will provide you with the opportunity to enhance your practical, graduate level employability skills and insights that are not typically developed in traditional classroom settings.
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
We want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision on where and what you want to study. In addition to the information provided on this course page, our What You Need to Know page offers explanations on key topics including programme validation/revalidation, additional costs, and contact hours.
You can choose to take a year out between year two and your final year of study. You'll be able to select one of the following options:
International Study
This option provides an opportunity to explore study in a new overseas culture and environment at one of the University's approved partner institutions. Choosing this option leads to (International Study) being added to your award title upon successful completion of the course. You can find out more on our Global Opportunities webpage.
A Study Abroad Tuition Fee is payable to the University of Lincoln during this year for students joining in 2025/26 and beyond. No extra tuition fee is payable to the host university, but students are expected to cover their own travel, accommodation, and living costs. Travel grants and an overseas rate maintenance loan may be available for eligible students from Student Finance. The University’s Global Opportunities Team can provide further support and guidance.
Work Experience
This option offers the opportunity to enhance your personal and professional development by gaining experience in a real workplace setting, which could help develop the skills relevant to future employment or further study. Selecting this option leads to (Work Experience) being added to your award title upon successful completion of the course.
A Placement Year Fee is payable to the University of Lincoln during this year for students joining in 2025/26 and beyond. Students are expected to cover their own travel, accommodation, and living costs.
My undergraduate psychology degree gave me a solid base in psychological theories and research, whilst allowing me the chance to develop my interests in specific areas, such as sport and mental health.
Emily Walters
BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science Student
The aims of the module assessments are to measure the development and attainment of course outcomes, including the developing key skills such as critical analysis and evaluation.
Examples of common assessment methods include essays, in-class tests, research reports, research diaries, research or clinical proposals, practical case studies, and dissertations. Furthermore, practical exams, such as poster and oral presentations, performances or observations; and written exams (including essay-based exams), such as formal examinations or in-class tests, may also be used.
The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered membership (GBC) the first step towards becoming a chartered psychologist. The BPS is the main professional body representing psychology and psychologists in the UK.
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New students can join groups within the school including those that support LGBTQIA+, disability, BAME, mature students, commuters, and carers.
Students can also join DigiPsych, our online magazine run for students by students in the School of Psychology. DigiPsych publishes content that may be of interest to psychology students including reviews of psychological and non-psychological articles, stories, and opinion pieces.
Moreover, we have a weekly programme of guest lecturers invited from all over the world. Previous speakers for our special Lincoln International Seminars include Elizabeth Loftus.
To give students insight into industry and current research, we host regular guest lectures and speakers form across the world to share their knowledge and research. We also encourage our students to network with our alumni who can offer mentoring to our current students.
Our School aims to produce critical thinkers and independent researchers who are able to tackle psychological problems and issues using a systematic, critical, and analytical approach.
As part of this process, first year students undertake training in areas important to psychological research, such as using statistics software. In the second year, students may be able to utilise these skills by working alongside an academic supervisor to conduct an original research project. This culminates with students being able to undertake a substantial research study of their own for the dissertation component of their degree.
In addition to the taught components of research, students are encouraged to participate in the research culture of the School more broadly, with the opportunity to be involved as volunteers in research activities, such as our Summer Scientist programme, and to compete for paid studentships offered by the University of Lincoln and the British Psychological Society to conduct further research over the summer, typically in between the second and third year of the course.
We also have a number of active research groups within the school. These are conducting exciting research into areas such as developmental, cognitive, social, forensic, and psychological health within the school, and you can read more on our Research webpage. The School of Psychology also shares close working links with the School of Sport and Exercise Science, and contributes to various sport and psychology research.
The University has invested £19 million in the Sarah Swift Building, a dedicated facility for the School of Psychology. Our range of specialist research laboratories allow you to gain practical experience. You will also have access to IT suites and technical staff who can offer support in the design and execution of experiments and assistance with specialist software.
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The EEG lab allows our researchers to identify activation patterns in the cerebrum, in response to stimuli, to find out when and which parts of the brain respond to these.
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Research in this lab investigates how visual cognition is shaped and influenced by our environment, experience and knowledge. Current research is examining how visual cues are processed in the brain.
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Research here categorises conceptual development including speech perception, language acquisition - particularly word learning and grammar.
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The Molecular laboratory houses a contained wet lab for chemical and biological analyses on site and stores samples from participants before, during, and after processing and analysis.
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This dedicated facility conducts full polysomnography, actigraphy, home sleep monitoring, and computerised behavioural testing in the areas of neuroscience, sleep, and wellbeing.
This programme provides Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS). As a graduate, you can consider further professional training within various fields of psychology, such as clinical, health, sport and exercise, counselling, occupational, educational, forensic, neuropsychology, and academic research or teaching. Other graduates may wish to progress to study at postgraduate level. Specifically, sport and exercise psychologists help athletes improve their performance. In most sport psychology careers, you may work with athletes regarding motivation, stress management, effective teamwork, and other psychological factors affecting their athletic performance.
Since graduating I have worked in clinical psychology as an assistant psychologist, during which I utilised the research, analysis and report writing skills learned in my time at Lincoln.
Fraser Field
BSc (Hons) Psychology
104 to 120 UCAS Tariff points.
This must be achieved from a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications. For example:
A Level: BCC to BBB
BTEC Extended Diploma: Distinction Distinction Merit
T Level: Merit Overall
Access to Higher Education Diploma: 104 to 120 UCAS points to be achieved from 45 Level 3 credits.
International Baccalaureate: 28 points overall.
GCSE's: Minimum of three at grade 4 or above, which must include English and Maths . Equivalent Level 2 qualifications may be considered.
The University accepts a wide range of qualifications as the basis for entry and do accept a combination of qualifications which may include A Levels, BTECs, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).
We may also consider applicants with extensive and relevant work experience and will give special individual consideration to those who do not meet the standard entry qualifications.
Non UK Qualifications:
If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages
https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/ for information on equivalent qualifications.
EU and Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page
If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-sessional English and Academic Study Skills courses.
If you would like further information about entry requirements, or would like to discuss whether the qualifications you are currently studying are acceptable, please contact the Admissions team on 01522 886097, or email admissions@lincoln.ac.uk
Please note application assessment criteria may vary by country and we may close to applications from some domiciles. Please view the Your Country pages of our website before making an application.
Going to university is a life-changing step and it's important to understand the costs involved and the funding options available before you start. A full breakdown of the fees associated with this programme can be found on our course fees pages.
For eligible undergraduate students going to university for the first time, scholarships and bursaries are available to help cover costs. To help support students from outside of the UK, we are also delighted to offer a number of international scholarships which range from £1,000 up to the value of 50 per cent of tuition fees. For full details and information about eligibility, visit our scholarships and bursaries pages.
The best way to find out what it is really like to live and learn at Lincoln is to visit us in person. We offer a range of opportunities across the year to help you to get a real feel for what it might be like to study here.
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