Psychology and Coaching

Psychology and coaching is a combination that connects the scientific understanding of human motivation, cognition, and behaviour with the practical art of supporting people to change, grow, and reach their goals. Psychology provides the theoretical and empirical foundations: how people learn, what drives and sustains motivation, how emotions and beliefs influence performance, and what the research says about effective behaviour change. Coaching is the applied discipline that puts those insights to work in structured, goal-oriented conversations, helping individuals unlock potential and make meaningful progress in personal or professional life.

At Roehampton University, this three-year, full-time degree develops your psychological knowledge alongside your coaching skills and practice. You will study core areas of psychology including cognitive, social, and developmental psychology, research methods, and psychological theory, while also engaging with the specific frameworks, models, and ethical principles that underpin professional coaching. You will learn how to facilitate self-reflection, how to identify and build on strengths, how to help people navigate obstacles, and how to structure conversations that produce lasting change rather than surface compliance.

The programme includes a sandwich placement year and work placement opportunities, giving you the chance to develop coaching and psychological skills in real professional settings alongside your academic study.

Graduates from psychology and coaching programmes find roles in human resources, organisational development, leadership development, executive coaching, education, and sports performance. The combination of a psychology degree with coaching skills is increasingly valued in organisations that recognise the importance of developing people. Many graduates go on to postgraduate training in coaching psychology, counselling, occupational psychology, or related applied fields, and the degree provides the Graduate Basis for Chartership with the British Psychological Society, opening routes into the full range of professionally accredited postgraduate psychology programmes.