Train Your Mind For Victory
The Master of Science in Sport and Performance Psychology provides students with an education based on current best practices stemming from empirical research and applied work. Psychosocial determinants of performance and mental skills training are emphasized throughout the program providing students with strong experiential and research-based learning activities in an inclusive and equitable environment.Program Highlights
100% Asynchronous Online Delivery: Our distance instructional methods are designed to maintain a personal, one-to-one mentoring and supervisory relationship with degree candidates while making it possible to create active and engaged learning communities. No campus visits or on-campus residencies are required. Much of the coursework is completed via virtual classrooms utilizing the latest technology in online instruction.
- Program Instructional Facilities: Asynchronous delivery utilizes the Brightspace learning management system and the Mediasite media delivery platform.
- Flexible Start Dates & a Diverse Student Population: You can begin coursework in the fall, spring, or summer semester. Because the coursework can be completed 100% online, our students hail from across the country and abroad.
- Full-Time and Part-Time: Students can attend full-time or part-time. Typically, full-time graduate students take nine credits in the fall and spring, and up to twelve credits over the summer. Students who attend part-time can take three or six credits per semester and this can vary by semester based on their individual needs.
- Semester Off: Many of the students in our program work full-time and occasionally need to take a semester off. Coaches in our program, for example, may not want to take classes when their sports are in season (and then double up the following semester). Students are allowed to step out for a semester and return to classes afterward. When they are ready to begin classes again, students should submit a readmission application through the Office of Graduate Admissions.
- Transfer Credits: Students can transfer up to six credits into the graduate program. To have courses evaluated, please contact the Program Coordinator. Please include the course name and description - in some cases, a syllabus may be required to accurately evaluate student learning outcomes.
- Non-Degree: Students who would like to take class(es) without applying to or enrolling in the graduate program are able to take up to three classes/nine credits through "walk-in" registration. Sport and Performance Psychology professionals, for example, who require a course for certification through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology often choose this option.
Courses and Curriculum
Coursework (21 credits)
- SPPP500 Research Methods in Sport and Performance Psychology
- SPPP503 Mental Health in Sport and Performance Settings
- SPPP510 Foundations of Sport and Performance Psychology
- SPPP512 Sport Psychology for Performance Enhancement
- SPPP513 Psychology of Athletic Injury and Recovery
- SPPP516 Professional Ethics in Sport and Performance Psychology
- SPPP530 Capstone in Sport and Performance Psychology
Electives (9 credits)
- SPPP504: Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior
- SPPP511: Sport and Performance Psychology Across the Lifespan
- SPPP514: Stress Management for the Physically Active
- SPPP515: Seminar in Sport and Performance Psychology
(content varies - may fit a knowledge area) - SPPP517: Cultural and Ethnic Diversity for Sport Psychology Consulting
- SPPP518: Counseling Skills for Sport and Performance Psychology
- SPPP519: Gender and Sport
- SPPP531: Mentored Experience in Sport/Perf Psychology
| AASP Certification Course Requirements * = must be graduate level |
Courses offered at Commonwealth University |
|---|---|
| K1. Professional Ethics and Standards | SPPP516: Professional Ethics in Applied Sport Psychology |
| K2. Sport Psychology |
SPPP510: Foundations of Sport and Performance Psychology SPPP512: Sport Psychology for Performance Enhancement SPPP513: Psychological Aspects of Injury and Recovery SPPP514: Stress Management for the Physically Active |
| K3. Sport Science | SPPP519: Gender and Sports |
| K4. Psychopathology | SPPP503: Mental Health in Sport and Performance Settings |
| K5. Helping Relationships* | SPPP518: Counseling Skills for Sport Psychology |
| K6. Research Methods and Statistics* | SPPP500: Research Methods in Sport Science |
| K7. Psychological Foundations of Behavior |
SPPP515: Seminar in Sport Science (if the topic is appropriate – individual course outline must be reviewed by AASP) SPPP504: Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior |
| K8. Diversity and Culture* | SPPP517: Cultural & Ethnic Diversity for Sport Psych Consulting |
| Mentored Experience in Sport and Exercise Psychology | SPPP531: Mentored Experience in Sport and Performance Psychology |
- Evidence informed best practice-based on research and applied work
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Flexibility for the traditional and non-traditional learner
- Emphasis on enhancing the quality of life of clients, coaches, parents, and others
- Emphasis on real-world learning experiences
To complete the admissions process, students must submit:
- Online application
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field (such as Psychology, Health and Physical Education, Athletic Training, Health Science, Sports Administration, etc)
- Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Three letters of recommendation
- Statement of professional goals
*Students wishing to apply to this program who do not have a 3.0+ GPA, can apply for conditional admission if their undergraduate GPA falls between 2.75-2.99. Students accepted as conditional admit must earn and maintain a minimum of 3.0 or higher throughout the program. Failure to earn a B or better could result in probation or removal from the program.
Application materials may be sent electronically to gradadmissions@commonwealthu.edu or mailed directly to the following address:
Commonwealth University- Bloomsburg
Office of Graduate Admissions
400 East Second Street
Bloomsburg, PA, 17815
*Commonwealth University graduates do not need to request transcripts; the Office of Admissions will do this on your behalf.
Students also have the option of registering for up to three courses as a non-degree seeking student and have those courses automatically transfer to degree seeking status upon official enrollment in the program. If you would like to register for courses as a non-degree student please complete the Non Degree application.
Note: Non-degree seeking students are not eligible for state or federal financial aid.
Benefits of Sport and Performance Psychology
As a sport and performance psychologist, you have the opportunity to work with athletes and coaches to provide techniques to reach goals and enhance the player's execution. Examples of how sport and performance psychologists are beneficial to athletes include effective stress management, improved focus, reduced risk of burnout, increased confidence, and an overall improvement in mental health.Connect with Sport and Performance Psychology
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Professor/Assistant |
Assistant Professor/ |
Assistant Professor, |
Professor, Sport Studies: |
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