PhD Sport and Exercise Psychology

University of Essex

Within our multidisciplinary School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, we offer research supervision in all areas of staff expertise in sports and exercise sciences and related areas.

As a research student at Essex, you’ll work at the heart of our internationally acknowledged and well-connected research community. Our School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences offers an environment with an excellent reputation for research and teaching.

We offer supervision in all areas of staff expertise in sports and exercise psychology.

Our facilities include a wide range of ergometers and treadmills, stand alone and portable gas analysers, force plates, isokinetic dynamometers, a Vicon motion capture system, electronic timing gates, full blood gas analysers, (including pulse and co-oximeters), and a variety of EMG systems. It is also possible to study non-invasive measurements of brain function within our school and via collaborations with the cognitive neuroscience laboratory in our Department of Psychology. Methods include EEG, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

We also offer an MSc by Dissertation (MSD) and an MPhil in this subject. Both full- and part-time study can be supported.

Assessment

The aim of undertaking your PhD is to train as an independent researcher who can critically assess other research work and have a comprehensive knowledge of at least one area.

Our PhD programme is usually three to four years duration, and all our students are initially registered as Mphil/PhD students, then transferred to the PhD in the first half of their second year of study if they have made satisfactory progress. In your second and third years, you work towards your PhD.

Your future

Our graduates go on to a range of careers both in research and development, and in sales. Other careers include work in industry or teaching in schools and colleges.