College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Psychology
Department of Psychology

Sport, Exercise, & Performance Psychology

See also:  Mental Health Field, Clinical Psychology, and Health Psychology

Sport, exercise, and performance psychologists focus on the psychology of physical activity, sport, and human performance, with the goal of optimizing performance through research and applied practice.  Traditionally, sport psychology has emphasized athletic/physical performance, but the basic principles can be applied to human performance more broadly, including those engaged in the performing arts, corporate professionals, and military personnel.   Sport, exercise, and performance psychologists are interested in a wide range of topics relevant to human performance, including motivation, teamwork, managing barriers to effective performance (such as performance anxiety), and recovering from injury.  

Career options for sport, exercise, and performance psychologists would include research and practice.  Research positions can be found in colleges/universities and government, as well as nonprofit and sports organizations.  Those in practice may work directly with individual athletes and teams (either as staff members in the organization or as consultants in private practice), or they may work with sports organizations to help develop policies and programs.  

Career Pathways & Graduate School 
Becoming a sport/performance psychologist requires a graduate degree and licensure.  This can be obtained through earning a doctorate (a PhD or PsyD) in clinical or counseling psychology from an APA-accredited program with a specialization in sport psychology through a predoctoral or postdoctoral fellowship (or comparable work-training opportunity).  Another option is to earn a doctorate in sport psychology, though there are relatively few doctoral programs in sport psychology, and the training may be more specialized and less flexible than that in a clinical/counseling psychology program.  Additional certification is available through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) to become a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), which includes coursework and supervised experience.  A doctorate in kinesiology is a possibility for those solely interested in pursuing research, but it does not provide a path for obtaining licensure as a practicing psychologist.  There are also some master’s programs in sport psychology, some of which provide a path to licensure and others that do not provide training toward licensure, but instead focus on research and program development. 

Career Opportunities with a Bachelor’s Degree
If you are interested in the field of sport, exercise, and performance psychology, there are related career options that can be pursued with a bachelor’s degree, including:

These careers may require a bachelor’s degree in a health/fitness field or in education, experience in the field (e.g., sport or recreation), and relevant certification, but psychology coursework provides a vital foundation in human motivation, learning, attitudes, interpersonal skills, human development, and quantitative/research skills that serve these careers well.

Preparation:  Practical steps

Students who wish to become licensed sport/performance psychologists should prepare for clinical or counseling graduate programs (See I am interested in clinical psychology and I am interested in becoming a therapist).  In addition, APA Division 47 has a brochure on Graduate Training and Career Possibilities in Exercise and Sport Psychology, which is an excellent resource for different tracks to explore and the relevant training needed for each.

Students interested in exercise psychology and its broader connections to health and well-being may wish to explore the field of health psychology.  (See I am interested in health psychology)

As you prepare for your post-graduate career related to sport, exercise, and performance psychology, consider including coursework related to exercise science and kinesiology, getting research experience, and making connections with professionals in the field. 

Professional organizations

Relevant courses in Psychology
A broad background in courses related to clinical/counseling psychology, as well as those related to aspects of performance, including biological, cognitive, and social factors are relevant preparation. 

Cognate courses in Biology, Health (e.g., Global Health, Public Health), Management, or Statistics can be helpful, as well, with a particular focus on research methods, statistics, and kinesiology.  

Additional resources:

Anshel, M. H., Petrie, T. A., & Steinfeldt, J. A. (Eds.). (2019). APA handbook of sport and exercise psychology: Sport psychology. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000123-000

Anshel, M. H., Petruzzello, S. J., & Labbé, E. E. (Eds.). (2019). APA handbook of sport and exercise psychology: Exercise psychology. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000124-000

Barker, J. (2013).  Becoming a sport psychologist.  Taylor & Francis.

Gould, D. (2021).  Reflections from a career in sport psychology: An autobiography and guide to teaching, research and professional practice.  Outskirts Press. 

References:

Helms, J. L., & Rogers, D. T. (2023).  Majoring in psychology:  Achieving your educational and career goals, 3rd edition.  Wiley Blackwell. Kuther, T. L. & Morgan, R. D. (2025).  Careers in psychology: Opportunities in a changing world, 6th edition. Sage.

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