What is sport and performance psychology?
Sport and performance psychology encompasses the positive and applied sport psychology needed to enhance performance and maximize human potential. The field involves understanding the process of success, creating and leading highly effective teams, utilizing positive motivation and communication techniques, and setting and achieving high goals.
Specialize at UWS
UWS offers optional concentrations within both the MS and EdD programs that allow students to specialize in their professional areas of interest to prepare them for a range of jobs in sport psychology.
MS Positive Coaching Concentration
This concentration focuses on strategic leadership and coaching used to enhance both physical and mental performance. It reaches beyond coaching on the sidelines and includes how to perform optimally as the coach and leader. Topics covered in this concentration will build on sports performance-based knowledge and focus on the importance of positive coaching, leadership and communication to help your team, business or organization reach its full potential.
MS Applied Practice Concentration
The applied practice concentration allows students to get a head start on the mentorship hours required for certification as a mental performance consultant (CMPC®), a critical certification needed for certain sport psychology jobs.
EdD Positive Leadership and Administration Concentration
The positive leadership and administration concentration is intended to help leaders and their teams or organizations succeed through an increased understanding of human motivations and behaviors, and how to apply that understanding to achieve extraordinary results. This is a great concentration for those interested in sport psychology jobs that involve managing and inspiring others in more than just sport settings.
EdD Sport and Performance Psychology Consulting Concentration
The Sport and Performance Psychology Consulting Concentration is designed for students pursuing careers in sport psychology. The cornerstone of the concentration is the development of professional competence in implementing ethical and evidence-based interventions with performance populations. Students identify a population of interest, secure intervention opportunities, and are mentored in their experience by UWS faculty members with extensive applied experience in various performance domains. All SPP faculty mentors are listed on the Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) Registry of Approved Mentors and abide by both program and CMPC Mentor Guidelines and Best Practice Recommendations. In this way, hours gained in the concentration are eligible to meet the requirements for CMPC certification.
EdD SPP with Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization
This option is uniquely designed for students who are simultaneously seeking counseling licensure and advanced sport and performance psychology training to open the door to a wide array of sport psychology jobs.
Applied Sport Psychology Graduate Certificate
This program addresses each of the eight AASP coursework competency areas to prepare students to become experts in the field, enhancing their qualifications for various sport psychology careers.
Transfer Credit Evaluation
A student may request up to 16 transfer credits of coursework completed at another accredited university. The program director reviews transfer credit requests for applicability to the UWS program.
Qualified Exams
Coursework options offered within the program are consistent with the knowledge and skills assessed by the:
- Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) toward the Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC®)
Pathway to Certification
The program’s comprehensive curriculum was designed to help students complete the requirements to become Certified Mental Performance Consultants (CMPC®). This structure allows our students to select coursework that meets their individual needs for the jobs in sport psychology they wish to pursue. Only the clinical mental health counseling specialization allows students to pursue clinical licensure.
*Note on certification and licensure
It is the responsibility of the individual student to understand and comply with all national certification standards and/or state licensure requirements. UWS makes no representations or guarantees that completion of UWS coursework or programs will permit an individual to obtain national certification or state licensure.
Careers
Sport and performance psychology professionals typically serve as leaders in sport, coaching, exercise and wellness disciplines. Graduates of the SPP program can seek careers including:
- Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC®)
- Positive leadership administrator
- Coach
- Professor
- Licensed professional counselor (pending completion of the CMHC specialization and licensure)
- Athletic director
- Sport program administrator
Learn more about gross annual income, work settings, credentials, field specialties, professional outlook and demographics in the 2020 Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Compensation Report for Mental Performance Work.
Outlook for Careers in Sport Psychology
With an increasing awareness of the importance of mental health effects on performance, the demand for sport psychologists is continuing to climb. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that many Olympic, professional, and collegiate sports teams are employing sport psychologists to help their teams perform at optimal levels.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the overall demand for psychologists, including sport psychologists, is expected to increase by 6% from 2022 to 2032.
