Sports Psychologist

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Background –

Sports Psychologists focus on the mental health aspects of sports and how attitudes, beliefs and mental barriers change athlete performance. The goal of this psychological approach is to reduce limitations and improve performance through identifying the individual client’s goals. Specific daily activities may include working directly with athletes, coaches or entire organizations.

What can I expect to make in this career? $75, 230* annual median salary

What classes may help me in my career in sports psychology? Discuss with your advisor which courses among those on this list, along with other courses not listed here, would best serve your career goals.

  1. PSY 300 – Research Methods in Psychology
  2. PSY 302 – Psychology of Adjustment
  3. PSY 310 – Behavior Modification
  4. PSY 367 – Health Psychology
  5. PSY 368 – Physical Disabilities
  6. PSY 400 – Advanced Research in Psychology
  7. Therapeutic Recreation – Separate GVSU program but PSY students can enroll in these electives. These are content heavy on techniques, skills and tools that are recreational therapist would use
    1. REC 313 – Physical Disabilities
    2. REC 315 – Recreation and Mental Health
    3. REC 316 – Older Adult
    4. REC 317 – Pediatrics 

What are the additional education requirements to become a sports psychologist? Generally, an advanced degree (Master’s and/or Ph. D) is required to become a sports psychologist. Some universities have undergraduate or Master’s programs in sports or applied psychology.

For More Information – Association for Applied Sports Psychology: https://www.appliedsportpsych.org/students-center/

For More Information – APA Division: https://www.apadivisions.org/division-47/index.aspx

For More Information – Sports Psychology Degree Additional Info: https://www.sportsdegrees.org/programs/sport-psychology

Employer Possibilities –Sports Psychologists may be hired for high school, college or university athletic programs to work with individual athletes or teams. They may also be hired at hospitals, gyms or physical therapy programs. Research in sports psychology requires a Ph. D and usually be done at the university level.


*bls.gov (2016) for “psychologists, other”



Page last modified October 31, 2022