Sport and Performance Psychology (MA)

What is A Sport and Performance Psychology (MA) Degree?

Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processing–the mind.  It’s a field that people really enjoy studying because what’s not to like about basically learning about you?!  The field has a very broad application, even though many people think it’s mainly about counseling people and helping them with their problems.  Psychology is a science—a young one compared to physics and chemistry—because it uses established research methods in its quest to understand why people behave and think the way they do. The field of Sport and Performance Psychology studies the psychological factors that influence human performance. In the program you’ll learn how to assess the individual client and to design the special customized interventions to enhance his or her performance and personal growth.  The strategies may also improve the person’s life overall.

Completing the MA degree is a good way for coaches, trainers, and teachers to improve their abilities to work with teams and individuals, and they may consider going further to earn a doctoral level degree to be licensed as a sports psychologist. Coursework for the MA degree will include courses in research, statistics, human growth and development, clinical interviewing, and other topics, along with the sports/performance core topics like theories of performance excellence, sports and performance enhancement interventions, and group intervention. In addition to numerous electives in the field of performance enhancement, it’s likely students will need to complete several practicums and develop a major project as part of the program.

The videos below discuss “typical” programs, so they should help regardless of which school you are considering.