Performing Under Pressure (Micro-credential)

About This Course

Performing Under Pressure is a flexible, part-time, Level 7 postgraduate  short course you can study online. It is open to learners resident in the UK and internationally.

Mastering the art of delivering optimal performances in pivotal moments is the true mark of a champion, be it in business, the performing arts, music, sports, the armed forces, or healthcare.

You will explore how psychological pressure can affect human performance and the psychological strategies you can use to optimise performance under pressure. You will study four prominent pressure and performance theories, brought to life through real-life examples and case studies of athletes experiencing pressure and performance issues. You will learn how to identify pressure and performance problems and prescribe tailored psychological interventions to manage the adverse effects of pressure and help individuals consistently perform to their potential.

Take your learning further

The credits you earn through this micro-credential may be recognised towards Performance Psychology MSc, subject to the programme’s admission requirements.

For more information, contact the Programme or Course Lead. You can also find guidance in ��ý’s Regulations for Taught Programmes.

Other micro-credentials in this series:

Who is this micro-credential for?

This Performing Under Pressure module is for you if you work in a discipline such as business, music, sport, the armed forces or healthcare, and if you work in demanding or high-pressure environments, or with people who do.

It is designed for you if you are interested in understanding how and why performance breaks down under pressure, and how tailored psychological interventions can help you manage pressure, overcome performance difficulties and consistently perform to your potential.

Our learners have included people from across the UK, and more widely from across the globe. This short course is part of our Performance Psychology MSc, and our alumni include:

Professional sport coaches and instructors: Rugby, Cricket, Gaelic Football, and Endurance Running Coaches
UK Coaching Team Members
Elite Athletes: Professionals in football, Gaelic football, cricket and rugby players, Golfers,
Performance Directors for Professional Rugby Union Teams
Opera Performers
Professional Musicians
Business Leaders
Senior management from organisations such as MasterCard and Facebook
RAF Helicopter Rear Crew
Air traffic controllers
Police Officers
General Practitioners and Anaesthetists
NHS Managers

This micro-credential is open to learners resident in the UK and internationally.

Why study this micro-credential?

In this micro-credential, you will explore how to deliver optimal performances when it matters most — a key ability for champions in business, performing arts and sport. As a practitioner, you need the tools to get the best out of your performers in high-pressure scenarios. This module will help you understand how and why pressure can impact human performance through the latest sport psychology theories and research. You will also learn how to intervene to prevent faltering under pressure and encourage personal best performances. Your learning will be linked to real elite-performer case studies of athletes experiencing pressure and performance issues that the course leaders have been involved with. You will learn how to diagnose pressure and performance problems, and how to prescribe psychological interventions to alleviate any adverse effects of pressure.

How will you study?

This 10-credit micro-credential runs from October, with teaching over 12 weeks. Your final assessment is due four weeks after the final lecture week, and you should plan to continue studying until then.

Teaching takes place online through Blackboard Ultra, MS Teams, and Panopto.

You’ll learn through 20 hours of lectures – 18 pre-recorded sessions with "in-lecture" tasks and 2 live online sessions. The live sessions will give you the opportunity to ask questions and receive instant feedback. You will have access to all lecture materials at the start of the course, allowing you to progress at a pace that suits your personal circumstances. Your learning will also include reading time, preparing for assessments and taking assessments.

You will join the existing teaching schedule and attend the same sessions as learners on the Performance Psychology MSc programme.

You should plan for approximately 100 hours of study across the course. This includes:

20 hours of scheduled teaching, comprising pre-recorded online lectures and optional live sessions;
80 hours of guided independent study, including reading, preparation and assessment work.

What technology will you need?

You will need access to:

A laptop or desktop computer in good working order.
A reliable internet connection suitable for accessing learning materials, joining live online sessions, and uploading assessment work.
A microphone, speakers or headphones, and a webcam.

You should be comfortable using email, accessing online learning materials, creating and uploading documents, and joining online sessions.

You will use Blackboard Ultra, Panopto, and MS Teams to access course materials, submit assessments, and join teaching sessions.

As a ��ý student, you can download a range of software through Digital Services as needed.

Meet your tutor

Dr Stuart Beattie

Stuart is a Reader in Performance Psychology, director of the MSc in Performance Psychology (distance Learning), HCPC Registered Sport Psychologist, and a member of the Institute for the Psychology of Elite Performance (IPEP).

His research interests include Mental Toughness, Resilience, and Performance Psychology in General.

Stuart brings practical experience from work with British Gymnastics, the RAF, England and Wales Cricket, and Manchester City Football Club, and has been involved with resilience projects for Outlook Expeditions and the Youth Justice Service.

Current PhD supervision projects include examining Resilience, Mental Toughness, and Triadic Relationship projects with Manchester City Football Club, as well as supervising PhD candidates within the NHS.

As part of the MSc Performance Psychology (distance learning), Stuart also provides supervisory support to students across the domains of Opera, RAF, Business, and Sport Coaching.

View Dr Stuart Beattie’s profile

Course Content

What will you study on this course?

This short course will help you understand how psychological pressure can impact human performance, and what psychological strategies can be employed to optimise performance under stress.

You will learn about the most up-to-date theories and applied interventions in stress and performance literature. The main areas of stress and performance you will cover include:

Attentional Control: why you can be distracted by threat.
Ironic Effects: why you can do the exact things you tell yourself not to do.
Reinvestment: why you can sometimes “overthink” your movements under pressure.
Challenge and Threat perceptions: what your psychophysiological responses to stress mean and how you can optimally control them.

The second part of the short course covers intervention planning, design, and reflection, exploring real-life examples and case studies of individuals experiencing pressure and performance issues.

You will learn how to diagnose pressure and performance problems, and how to prescribe psychological interventions to alleviate any adverse effects of pressure.

You will be taught by an accredited sport and exercise psychologist and an expert in psychophysiology who work with elite-level athletes, coaches, business and the armed forces.

Learning Units

The pre-recorded and live lectures cover the following:

Lecture 1-6: Reinvestment Theory and Reinvestment Interventions
Lecture 7-12: Challenge & Threat Appraisal Theory and Interventions
Lecture 13-17: Attentional Control Theory
Lecture 18-19: Theory of Ironic Effects
Lecture 20: Stress and Performance Interventions

Two live Q&A support sessions will be held halfway through the module and again at the end of week 11/12.

What will you learn?

By the end of this short course, you will be able to:

Describe the key theories used to explain the relationship between stress and motor performance.
Critically analyse stress and performance research.
Apply contemporary stress and performance theory and research to explain performance slumps that present in real-life performer case studies.
Construct theoretically driven interventions to help alleviate adverse effects of stress on performance.

How will you be assessed?

The module is assessed through two presentations focused on:

Diagnosing
Offering an intervention to solve a pressure and performance problem

The assignments reflect scenarios you may encounter as a practitioner in the workplace, where you may regularly be asked to deliver presentations to peers, employers, coaches and/or players to diagnose performance issues or to suggest how performance might be improved. Both assessments will be delivered via narrated PowerPoint presentations (10 and 8 minutes respectively) that will occur towards the end of the course. Presentation 1 accounts for 60% of your module mark, and Presentation 2 accounts for the remaining 40%.

Your award and further study options

On successful completion of this micro-credential, including the required assessment, you will receive a standalone micro-credential award from ��ý worth 10 credits at Level 7. It recognises your achievement in this course but is not, by itself, a full higher education qualification, such as a degree, diploma or postgraduate certificate.

An academic transcript will be available once your results are confirmed. It will detail the micro-credential completed, the credits awarded and the level of study.

Take your learning further

The credits you earn through this micro-credential may be recognised towards Performance Psychology MSc, subject to the programme’s admission requirements.

For more information, contact the Programme or Course Lead. You can also find guidance in ��ý’s Regulations for Taught Programmes.

Other micro-credentials in this series:

Course Cost

The total fee for this micro-credential starting in 2027-28 is still to be confirmed for UK residents and international students.

Please see our Postgraduate Fees and Finances page for further information about tuition fees and payment methods and plans.

Entry Requirements

We welcome applications from graduates and experienced professionals.

You should normally have one of the following:

an undergraduate honours degree at 2.2 or above, or an equivalent qualification; or
at least three years’ relevant work experience, alternative professional qualifications, or a combination of both.
Relevant experience may include work as an athlete, coach, professional musician, business or finance executive, or another professional role within a high-performance environment.

If you’re applying through professional experience, we’ll consider your application individually, taking account of your experience and any recent study or professional development that demonstrates readiness for Level 7 study.

The course is delivered in English. Applicants who do not speak English or Welsh as their first language must provide evidence of English-language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0, with no individual component below 5.5.

Application

Before you apply

Please prepare the following information in a Word document:

current employment details;
relevant professional experience and employment history; and
details of your highest qualification.

You will also need:

a copy of an official academic transcript for your qualification. If this document is not in English, you will need to include an official, certified English translation;
the name of any employer or organisation funding your study, where applicable.

How to apply

Please read and follow this application guide. It includes important information to help you complete your application for this course.

To apply for this course, create an account in the ��ý Applicant Portal. You will need access to the email address you use so that you can confirm your account.

After creating an account, you will see an application homepage containing the following sections:

Personal Details;
Programme;
Additional Information;
Contact Details;
Education History;
Employment History;
Language; and
Finance.

Complete each section and save as you go. A tick will appear when a section is complete. You can return to your application at any time using a link that will be emailed to you.

Once you have completed all sections, submit your application.

Available Programmes:
Select ��ྱ��ٲ��Գ��-��𲹰��Ծ��Բ�”, then type in “N�ҳҰ�/�ʱ��”
The full course title should show "NGGT NG Perf Under Pressure" – select this course.
Click “Save and Continue”
Select the start date: October (2027/28 Academic year)
Click “Save and Continue”
Supporting Documents:
You do not need to write a personal statement to apply for this course. Instead, in the “Personal Statement” field, please upload the Word document you prepared, which details your current employment, professional experience and employment history, and your highest qualification.
Click “Save and Continue”

Please provide details of your highest qualification and upload the supporting documents.

Please scroll to the bottom of the page and click “I have no employment history”, as you have already provided this information in the Word document.

If you are paying the course fee yourself

Select ��ٱ��-�ڳܲԻ徱�Բ�” and complete the relevant finance questions.

If a sponsor (for example, your employer, an NHS organisation or another funding body) is paying all or part of your course fee

Select ��ٱ�ǲԲ��ǰ��” and enter:

the sponsor’s full legal name
whether the sponsor is paying all or part of the fee, and
the exact amount they have agreed to pay, in GBP

Please upload written confirmation from the sponsor. This can be a letter, a completed form or a copy of an email and must include:

your full name
the title of the course or module
the sponsor’s full legal name and postal address
the exact amount the sponsor has agreed to pay
the email address to which the invoice should be sent
the name and email address of a contact who can answer any queries, and
a purchase order number, if required by the sponsor. This can be marked “To follow” if the sponsor only issues a purchase order after receiving an invoice.

If your sponsorship has not yet been confirmed

You do not need to wait for a funding decision before submitting your application. Please answer the finance questions based on your circumstances at the time of applying.

If your sponsorship is confirmed after you have applied, please complete your registration, including the identity check. Once you have registered, email the written confirmation and invoicing information listed above to studentcompliance@bangor.ac.uk. Include your ��ý student number and the title of the course or module.

If you have arranged for a third party to pay Fees on your behalf, you will remain responsible to pay us the Fees in the event that the third party fails to do so when those Fees become due. If a refund is payable under this Contract, we may be required to make any refund directly to the third party who paid the Fees on your behalf.

If the sponsor is paying only part of the course fee, you will be responsible for the remaining balance.

Does your sponsor need to set ��ý up as a supplier?

Some sponsors need to register ��ý as a supplier before they can issue a purchase order. If this applies, ask your sponsor’s finance or procurement team to contact remittance@bangor.ac.uk as early as possible. They can request official bank details or send any supplier forms that ��ý needs to complete.

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