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Sport and exercise psychologists work with athletes, teams and coaches to improve their motivation and performance.
You could work: evenings / weekends; attending events or appointments
There will be
3.8% more Sport and exercise psychologist jobs in 2027.
In your local area
As a sport and exercise psychologist, you'll:
You could work at a sports arena, at a fitness centre, at a health centre, in a prison or on a sports field.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this job through:
You'll need to complete:
You may be able to study for an approved postgraduate conversion course, if you're a graduate in a subject other than psychology, or your psychology degree is not accredited by the BPS.
Competition for postgraduate training is strong. You'll need an upper second class or first class degree, and evidence of excellent research skills to apply. You'll also need relevant work experience.
You'll usually need:
You'll need to:
You can join The British Psychological Society for professional development opportunities.
You'll find more details about working in sports and exercise psychology from The British Psychological Society and The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES).
You could work as a full-time sport psychologist or you could combine consultancy work with teaching and research.
As an exercise psychologist, you could work for a local health authority, or on a GP exercise referral scheme. You could also assess exercise programmes in workplaces, prisons or psychiatric settings.
With experience and further study you could become a senior psychologist or head of a psychology department. You could also move into lecturing.
You'll find more details about working in psychology from The British Psychological Society.