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During this programme, you will:  

• Understand how to apply mental health strategies to boost sports performance. You will focus on mental skills training, assessment methods and team dynamics. 

• Develop counselling and communication techniques, helping you build effective relationships with clients in sport and exercise settings. 
  
• Explore ethical considerations in practice, understanding how to navigate real-world challenges as a responsible practitioner. 
  
• Develop a grounding in research and application to pursue roles that don’t explicitly require a qualification in psychology (e.g. sports coaching, sports management etc.). 

Key information:  

• Complete full-time in one year 

• Delivered on-campus 

• Modules taught during Autumn and Spring semesters 

• Complete a research project tailored to your practice and career goals in the summer semester 

• Graduate with a Level 9 Master’s qualification in Mental Skills and Mental Health in Sports and Exercise.  

 You will learn through a blend of: 

• Lectures, workshops, and experiential learning 

• Reflective practice and supervised research 

• Regular feedback from faculty and peers through group work and assessments 

Year 1 

Autumn Semester  

• will teach you how to match specific research questions with advanced research designs, such as experimental, non-experimental, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches, equipping you with the skills needed for your Major Research Project. 

• will help you understand how to apply psychological concepts and strategies to enhance sports performance, focusing on mental skills training, assessment methods, and understanding group dynamics in sports settings. 

• will support you to understand advanced research designs and how they can be developed for psychological research.  

• will introduce you to strength and conditioning principles to improve athletic performance and prevent injuries, while also providing certification in Safeguarding Welfare in Sport and Exercise Sciences through a core workshop. 

Spring Semester  

• provides the backdrop to the development of your research question, the ethical approval process, the analyses and the dissemination of the findings. 

• takes you beyond understanding what is done in performance psychology to understanding how performance psychology service is delivered. 

• provides you with a sound understanding of the brain and behaviour in physical activity and exercise settings. 

• will explore professional issues and ethics in applied psychology, focusing on ethical decision-making, evidence-based practice, and practical skills like counselling and reflection, helping you develop your own professional approach. 

Summer Semester 

• SS6163) supports you to design and carry out a research project which makes a substantial contribution the knowledge base in the field. 

• will help lay the foundation for your ethical and reflective practice and offer a range of practical activities to enhance your practitioner skills, including a core workshop on Reflective Practice for Sport and Exercise Scientists that will provide a BASES certification.  

Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.  

For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s . 

• Applicants should hold a bachelor’s degree ( Level 8) with at least a second-class honours, grade 2 (2:2) in a relevant discipline.  

• Preference will be given to graduates of sports science, psychology, sports coaching or sport management. 

Other Entry Considerations: 

We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet the standard entry requirements, as long as you can show that you have the knowledge, skills, and experience needed for the programme. 

At UL, we value all kinds of learning and support different ways to qualify through our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy. 

International students:  

• For details on country-specific qualifications visit postgraduate entry requirements for international students. 

 Checklist of Documents: 

• *Academic transcripts and certificates, translated if needed.
  • UL graduates only need to provide their student ID.
• Copy of your birth certificate or passport
• Copy of your CV
• Copy of any membership of psychological societies and CPD workshop attendance
• Supporting statement 

English Language: 

• English Language Competency certificate
• For details on accepted language qualifications visit English Language Requirements 

Guidelines on Completing your Application  

• To make sure we can review your application quickly, please:
  • Upload all documents. Your application can’t be reviewed until we have all the documents on the checklist.
  • Title the documents you are uploading. For example, "Personal Statement", "Undergraduate Transcript", "Postgraduate Transcript", "English Language Certificate" etc.
• *If you are waiting to graduate, submit your application with the documents you have to date, you don’t need to have finished final exams before applying. 

EU - €7,200

Non-EU €14,600

Annual fees are billed by semester. Once registered, students may be eligible to apply for a monthly payment plan.  

Further information on fees and payment of fees is available from theStudent Fees Office website. All fee related queries should be directed to the Student Fees Office (Phone: +353 61 213 007 or email student.fees.office@ul.ie).  

 
Funding 

Find further information on funding and scholarships.

The MSc Mental Skills and Mental Health in Sports and Exercise can lead graduates to the following sectors and careers:    

• Performance directors
• Professional sport coaches
• Sport management
• Consulting in sport sciences, sport psychology
• Mental Health services to teams and athletes 

Tim Marron – Tim Marron Sports Psychology, MSc Sports & Exercise Performance Psychology 

“I always ensure that my work has a strong foundation in professional ethics and I often revert to what I learned in my MSc when dealing with ethical dilemmas.” 

Still Curious?  

The team regularly host and take part in webinars to support future students. If you would like to learn more or ask questions at an online information session, click below.     

Online Information Sessions