Last Updated on November 12, 2024

Master’s in Sports Psychology Graduate Programs – Everything you need to know

This guide is for students and professionals searching for a graduate program to earn a sport psychology master’s degree. Our team has done the research to help you understand why mental health expertise is important for every team and athlete, and spoken with experts about where the field is heading. We’ve compared the best programs and laid out key information to help you find the sport psychology degree that’s right for you.

In this guide…

The Emergent Field of Sport Psychology

The Growing Need for Mental Health Professionals in Sport

Sports Degrees Online’s 2024-25 Sport Psychology Master’s Program Rankings

Master’s in Sports Psychology Programs Treat the Whole Individual

What to Expect from a Master’s in Sports Psychology Program

How to Choose the Right Sports Psychology Master’s Program

Specializations in Sport Psychology Graduate Programs

How Much Does a Master’s in Sports Psychology Cost?

Sport Psychology Frequently Asked Questions

This page also touches on factors that prospective students should consider while searching for a sport psychology master’s program and provides details about some of the best sport psychology programs currently being offered

The Emergent Field of Sport Psychology

In an era where science and technology seem to be a bigger part of life than ever, Sport Psychology remains perhaps the most significant aspect of sport and athletics. For all the ways that technology, science, and analytics changed the game, human beings are still the ones competing. The proliferation of data has given teams and individuals the opportunity to analyze the game in ways that were never before possible, yet the mental side of the game remains as important as ever. This guide will explore the importance of treating the whole person when working with the athletes of today, and why pursuing a master’s degree in the field is a wise choice for individuals who aspire to find a career working with teams and athletes.

As defined by the American Psychology Association,

“Sport Psychology addresses the interactions between psychology and sport performance, including the psychological aspects of optimal athletic performance, the psychological care and well-being of athletes, coaches, and sport organizations, and the connection between physical and psychological functioning.”

American Psychology Association

Sport psychology can be used at the micro level–working with individual athletes and their coaches, or with individuals who are hoping to find a new exercise regimen to get in better shape. It can also be used at the macro level, working with teams from youth leagues, through scholastic sports, and all the way to the professional level to help cohesion and camaraderie as athletes work toward their goals.

It is frequently utilized at the organizational level, where athletic directors or executives will determine a broader philosophy which then applies to everyone within the system. It can be applied in a wide variety of contexts, from youth teams to local fitness center to professional sports franchises.

The Growing Need for Mental Health Professionals in Sport

The global pandemic several years ago pushed mental health issues in professional sports to the surface, where for the first time, we saw a number of NBA players discussing mental health issues reach an all time high, Naomi Osaka bravely declare that “It’s OK to not be OK” as she withdrew from the French Open, and Simone Biles remind the world that athletes are human, too as she stepped away from competition at the 2020 summer olympics games.

In the years since, the world has moved on but mental health issues have persisted. This stunning NIH report published in 2023 reported that a whopping 74% of Norwegian athletes surveyed had an “at risk score” with regard to mental health. The NBA has made its “Mind Health Professionals” Guideline Document public to show the world how seriously it is taking the issue, proof that mental health issues have become a significant issue for athletes at every level.

What can be done to address this rising tide of mental health issues facing both student athletes and professional athletes alike? Thankfully, Sport Psychology expertise – often in the form of Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) certification – has become an indispensable skill set that teams and organizations are now providing for their athletes all around the world.

To skip the 2024-25 Sport Psychology Master’s Program Rankings and continue reading the guide, click here.

Sports Degrees Online’s
Sports Psychology Master’s Program Rankings

Sports Degrees Online has done extensive research into all of the Sport Psychology Degree programs currently offered in the U.S. to make the process of choosing the right program a bit easier. Our matrix includes a variety of criteria including program flexibility, internship opportunities, AASP/CMHP preparation, and more. While choosing the best Sport Psychology Master’s Program is a personal decision, we hope that this list will help you on your journey.

Master’s in Sports Psychology Programs and Treat the Whole Individual

With the rise of mental health issues at every level – from high school and collegiate athletes all the way up to the professional ranks – the importance of having trained and certified sport psychology professionals on staff is growing by the day. Since the need is growing so quickly, it is widely advised that individuals who hope to work with teams and athletes strongly consider pursuing the certifications and degrees which will make them the most employable.

Professor Judy Van Raalte, who recently spoke with Sports Degrees Online, believes that the field of sport psychology is evolving. According to Professor Van Raalte, in the near future…

“a master’s or doctoral degree in counseling or clinical psychology plus a CMPC (Certified Mental Performance Consultant) is going to be the entry level point for the field as the field has shifted to a whole person approach.”

Professor Judy Van Raalte, Springfield College

Gone are the days when the duty of care of teams and organizations ended as soon as athletes stepped off the field or court. Whereas sport psychology once dealt more strictly with the performance of teams and athletes, it has become widely accepted that athletes must be treated as whole people in order to effectively diagnose and treat issues that they are dealing with. For this reason, sport psychology professionals who are trained to treat each athlete as a whole person will continue to become more sought after in the years to come.

By approaching athletes as whole people, coaches and sport psychologists today are setting young people up for success not only in sport, but also in life. Sport Psychologist and Indiana University Professor Jesse Steinfeldt put this approach in perspective in a recent interview with Sports Degrees Online,

“I have been successful [as a coach] – my teams have won state championships and league titles and all that jazz – but my biggest successes are best measured in the smiles I help kids put on their faces and in the transferrable skills that former players of mine are able to use as they strive to become the best versions of themselves on and off the courts.”

Professor Jesse Steinfeldt, Indiana University

What to Expect from a Master’s in Sports Psychology Program

Sport Psychology is a diverse field because it relates to the challenges and goals of each individual and team. Since the nature of athletic competition and the challenges of the participants varies across all sports, so too must the skill sets of the sport and exercise psychologist who work with them.

Some sport psychologists focus on individual athletes in sports like tennis, golf, weightlifting, figure skating, and running. Others specialize in working with coaches and managers where the success of a team cohesion and cooperation. Sport psychologists can find themselves working at every level too – some spend their time designing programs for youth and motivating individuals to commit to a healthy lifestyle while others work with athletes and teams at the very top level of the sport.

Because sport psychology is so diverse, master’s in sport psychology programs often offer unique specialization areas which allow students to concentrate a specific area of interest. Prior to pursuing a masters degree in sport psychology, it is strongly advised to determine which area of this field you’d like to specialize in before choosing a program since different programs naturally have their own strengths. Be sure to ask your academic and professional advisors early in the process to consider a variety of perspectives before making your decision. 

Graduate and PhD students are strongly advised to do extensive research about what strengths each prospective program – and each professor within that program – before making a final decision. This is because a students concentration areas and research are often influenced by their professors and mentors within their program of study.

How to Choose the Right Sport Psychology Program for You

As the sports industry has grown, so too has the need for a host of other careers in the sports, including sport psychology. In turn, this demand has led to a great many universities now offering master’s degrees in sport psychology. While it is obviously wonderful to have so many programs to choose from, it also makes the process of due diligence in considering all quality options incredibly challenging and time consuming. 

You are likely to discover that there are far more options than you would have expected at every price point, and determining the strengths and features of competing programs can sometimes be an arduous task. For this reason, we advise taking the time to complete a spreadsheet so you can consider the metrics that are most important to you side-by-side between similar programs. 

Investing time and energy on the front end of the diligence process will save money, time, and remorse later as it ensures you won’t have any regrets about programs or options that you didn’t learn about until it was too late. We recommend trimming your list down to a top six-to-eight schools which will naturally include a couple of preferred or “reach” universities along with some safety schools to fall back on in case you don’t manage to get admitted to your top picks.

Another key piece of due diligence in choosing a program should involve speaking directly with current students to hear their impressions and feedback. For students who aspire to be Sport Psychology practitioners, there are two key questions that prospective students should ask of current students if possible. The University of Denver’s Mark Aoyagi explains the importance of supervision on a master’s in sport psychology program,

“Make sure and do your due diligence as to what supervision looks like in that program. That will tell you something about the field placement, and it will tell you something about the engagement of the faculty with the students. If the faculty is farming out supervision to adjuncts or outside people, just understand that those are people who are not as tied to the program. It’s going to be a different experience than if you were with people who you were with day to day providing that experience.

Professor Mark Aoyagi, University of Denver

Since putting theory into practice is literally where the rubber meets the road in sport psychology, receiving timely feedback from true professionals is an invaluable opportunity to hone your skills.

Another key aspect is hearing from students what their experience has been with regard to specific parts of the program. Regardless of whether a program is delivered remote or on campus, it is incredibly valuable to hear from current students what their experience has been. Again, Dr. Aoyagi shares the value of speaking with current students,

“The faculty has a different perspective on what happens in the program than what the students do. The faculty may think that they do something very well, and it is not that they are trying to mislead, but a student may say that they disagree and think that the school does not do that thing very well. It is the student experience that matters. I always say connect with students in the program and ask them “what is supervision like?” or “what are the alumni doing?” Are they doing something similar to what you want to be doing after you graduate?”

Professor Mark Aoyagi, University of Denver

Specializations in Sport Psychology Graduate Programs

There are three main fields or specializations that students typically pursue upon completing a master’s of sport psychology program.

1. Sport Psychology Consulting and Mental Performance Consulting.
   • While legally speaking most people in this field cannot refer to themselves as sport psychologists, this can be a very interesting path for a lot of students.  Generally, students will attain a master’s degree in sport psychology (usually from a kinesiology program). The degree is usually categorized as a Master of Education, or a Master of Science, but can also be a Master of Arts.
   • People working in this field are taking a hard look at different factors that can enhance performance in sport, but do not consider mental health aspects.
   • One possible route for students to consider is gaining a certification through the Association For Applied Sport Psychology.
2. Mental Health in Sport
   • To break into this field, students typically pursue a master’s degree in social work, clinical psychology, or counseling psychology. These degrees could be categorized as either a Master of Social Work or a Master of Arts depending on the degree structure and university. To be competitive and prepared to work in this field, specifically in sport, students should have studied sport and sport psychology as part of their program.
   • Professionals in this field are concerned with addressing the mental health of athletes as opposed to their sport performance. Because of this, they are licensed professionals, certified to deliver mental health care.
3. Sport Psychologist
   • A sport psychologist meets the qualifications of the above fields, thus being able to address mental health in sport as well as performance in sport.
   • A sport psychologist is a licensed professional providing professional guidance and care and is equipped to help increase performance, and address mental health concerns.
     

A master’s in sport psychology degree offers the opportunity to specialize in areas such as attention and concentration, motivation, sport performance enhancement, sport sociology, and psychology of rehabilitation and recovery. It will also familiarize graduates with potential applications of the degree through networking relationships with professionals who are already in the workforce. 

Why Should I Study a Master’s in Sport Psychology?

A master’s degree in sport psychology prepares graduates to specialize in working with teams and athletes across the wide world of sports and fitness. Whereas most undergraduate psychology degrees would likely not include any sport-specific courses, a sport psychology master’s degree is comprised exclusively of psychology applications relevant for sports, teams and athletes.

There is already a great deal of research out there which proves how important mentors and other social agents can be for young people. Professor Alan Chu, of the University of North Carolina Greensboro, explains,

““From many years of research, we know that motivation influences burnout, dropout, and even mental health issues in athletes we discussed earlier. Because organized sports involve intense training and wins and losses – which youths and young adults are not always ready to handle – it is particularly important for social agents (e.g., coaches, teachers, parents) to build a positive environment for athletes’ intrinsic motivation and coping skills. This intrinsic motivation can go a long way to keep athletes in sports now and in the future when things are hard. Also, it is not surprising that teams and athletes that are intrinsically motivated tend to be healthier, perform better, and win more.”

Professor Alan Chu, University of North Carolina Greensboro

For graduates who are passionate about psychology, sports, and health and wellness, a master’s degree in sport psychology not only equips you with the tools you need to help young people “be happier and perform better” – it might be the key to the career path of your dreams. Sport Psychology offers the opportunity to affect real change and make a difference in the lives of young people. Again, Professor Jesse Steinfeldt explains,

“I think that we can use sport to effectuate meaningful change in athletes’ lives on the micro and the macro levels – from individual life lessons that produce transferrable skills outside of sport to social justice advocacy efforts wherein athletes can use their platform to influence policy and other aspects of society where injustice arises. Sport is such a beautifully fertile field to examine social dynamics…and to effectuate meaningful change in peoples’ lives.”

Dr. Jesse Steinfeldt, University of Indiana

A PhD or PsyD is required for licensed, practicing sport psychologists at the very top of the discipline, but there are a great deal more positions for which a master’s degree is all but required. A masters in sport psychology prepares graduates for a wide variety of positions in the wide world of sport, and this degree might be the perfect opportunity to build highly valuable skills in a growing field. 

This is an inherently interdisciplinary field, and depending on which area you would like to focus in, expertise in complementary areas related to sports and wellness will be required if not incredibly useful. For this reason, a master’s degree in sport psychology could be an attractive addition for individuals with a foundation in psychology who are already educated in fields like exercise science, kinesiology, athletic administration, or sport management. 

An advanced degree in sport psychology equips graduates with bona fide credentials that can be applied to the broad–and growing–sports industry, while also teaching a valuable skill set that is applicable across the business world and beyond. For those who are passionate about sports, this degree could make the difference in qualifying yourself for the career you have always dreamed of.

At the end of the day, the goal of Sport Psychology professionals is to help the teams and athletes they work with to live their best lives both in sport and in life. Professor Mark Aoyagi, Co-Director of Sport and Performance Psychology at the University of Denver, recently explained his own approach this way to Sports Degrees Online,

“My goal… is to work through the medium of sport and performance domains to influence the people in those domains and learn how the journey toward being a more complete, whole, and satisfied person can also be compatible with a highly successful, high-achieving, tip-of-the-sward performer… [That’s a summary of how I use Sport Psychology now – thinking about] how to optimize people, systems, and ultimately society to get the most out of themselves both individually and collectively, and to use high-pressure and high-stakes environments as a testing ground and a proving ground for how to do that.”

Dr Mark Aoyagi, University of Denver

Applying for a Sport Psychology Graduate School Program

To get started, it is wise to gather key pieces of information about each program, including GRE and GPA requirements, application deadlines and semester start dates, and the length of each program so that you don’t lose track of these items.  You will always need to provide proof of your transcripts and letters of recommendation, so there is no reason to delay collecting this information so you have it ready to go when you need it. 

Concerning your recommendation letters, do what you can to build these relationships early–and always ask for them well in advance–to make sure that your recommendations are solid and sparkling. They can sometimes make the difference between being accepted and not, so invest the time and energy to make sure you will win in this area. 

Advantages to Studying your Master’s in Sport Psychology Degree on Campus

Many of the advantages for studying your master’s degree on campus relate to the networking and in-person connections that many universities provide through their sports programs, internships, and mentorship with nearby professional and minor league teams. While there are other ways to find these opportunities, the ease of which many programs plug in to them at some universities is certainly a selling point. The chance to collaborate in-person with other like-minded individuals who share your passion for the sports industry is also an incentive for studying on campus.

Should You Consider an Online Sport Psychology Degree?

Despite the above advantages to studying on campus, there is no question that earning your Master’s in Sport Psychology degree through an online program also has a great deal of upside. 

For many working professionals with busy lives, it is simply impossible to dedicate a full year to living on campus –possibly far from home and responsibilities – to getting a master’s degree. However, since online degrees offer both synchronous and asynchronous studying, many students are able to carve out time around their busy schedules to complete their coursework.

Whereas just a few years ago online degree programs were viewed as inferior alternatives to on-campus programs, that stigma is now a thing of the past. The global pandemic has ushered in a new age where online programs are now accepted as equal to classroom learning. Universities offering both online and on-campus degree programs now grant the same degrees whether students attended in person or online and there is no difference in the final diploma.

As the entire world has adapted to living online, networking, internship and career placement services and events have now gone virtual as well, so online programs can now offer the same networking opportunities as on-campus programs.

Master in Sport Psychology FAQs

Sport Psychology Master’s Program Ranking Methodology

Below is Sports Degrees Online’s matrix used for ranking our Best Overall Sport Psychology programs:

AASP Cert Prep Available = 2pt.
Faculty With AASP Certification = 1 pt
Offers some sort of hybrid or distance Learning = 1pt
Solid variety of internship opportunities = 1 pt
Percent of students receiving financial aid : < 20% = 1pt, 20-60% = 2pts, >60% = 3pts
Overall Value & Affordability = up to 3 points
Staff to student ratio 16 or under = 1pt, >16 0pts
Depth and relevance of coursework related to sport psychology = up to 3pts

Notable Sport Psychology Master’s Programs

International Programs

St. Mary’s University

Location: Twickenham, England
Program: Applied Sport Psychology, MSc, PGDip, PGCert
Credits: 180 (All modules have a credit value of 20, except for the research project which has a credit value of 60)
Tuition: Home: £9,750 | International: £14,550
Details: The St Mary’s University Master’s in Applied Sport Psychology has a discipline-focussed curriculum, developing knowledge and applied skills that are critical to practitioners. This includes topics like well-being, stress and emotions, resilience, motivation, cultural and relational sport psychology, counseling skills, applied motor skills, and professional practice in sport psychology. The programme is taught on the London campus in England and takes 12 months full time or 24 months part-time. St Mary’s places students in the heart of all it does and is rated top five in the country for student experience and top ten for teaching quality in the Good University Guide.