About This Program
The B.S. in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology equips athletes, coaches and sport professionals with the mental strategies to enhance focus, motivation and resilience. Unlike traditional sport programs, this major focuses on the psychological aspects of peak performance. You will learn how confidence, anxiety and mindset impact success in sports, exercise and the performing arts. Graduates are prepared for careers in sport psychology, coaching and performance training or can pursue certification and advanced study in the field. Read more...
Contact Information
- Marta Guivernau, Ph.D. | mguivern@kent.edu | 330-672-7121
- Speak with an Advisor
- Chat with an Admissions Counselor
Program Delivery
- Delivery
- Online
- Mostly Online
- Location
- Kent Campus
Examples of Possible Careers
- Sports performance psychologists
- Strength and performance conditioning coaches
- Sports performance coaches
- Mental health counselors/athletics embedded
- Sports nutritionists
- Sports medicine fellows
- Performance enhancement specialists (PESs)
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.
Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.
Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab
Program Requirements
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
| IHS 46052 | STRESS: RECOGNITION AND MANAGEMENT | 2 |
| PEHS 25033 | LIFESPAN MOTOR DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| PEHS 45015 | PSYCHOLOGY OF COACHING | 3 |
| PH 30002 | INTRODUCTORY BIOSTATISTICS | 3 |
| or PSYC 21621 | QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I | |
| SEPP 20026 | PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SPORT AND EXERCISE | 3 |
| SEPP 30019 | PSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVES FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN YOUTH SPORT | 3 |
| SEPP 32250 | PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SPORT INJURY | 3 |
| SEPP 40020 | HIGH PERFORMANCE ATHLETES IN SPORT | 3 |
| SEPP 40221 | EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| or PSYC 41584 | THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EXERCISE | |
| SEPP 45007 | PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATION OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| SEPP 45092 | PRACTICUM IN SPORT PERFORMANCE (ELR) | 3 |
| SEPP 45300 | MOTIVATION IN SPORT, PERFORMANCE AND MOVEMENT SETTINGS | 3 |
| SEPP 48225 | SPORT PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS | 3 |
| SPAD 25000 | SPORT IN SOCIETY | 3 |
| SPAD 43018 | ETHICS IN SPORT | 3 |
| SPAD 45020 | ORGANIZATION, ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP IN SPORT | 3 |
| SPAD 45024 | SPORT IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | 3 |
| SPAD 45050 | SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT | 3 |
| Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) | 3 |
| PH 10004 | FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
| PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) | 3 |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
| Physical Activity, Wellness and Sport (PWS) Electives | 2 | |
| American Civic Literacy Requirement 1 | 3 | |
| Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) 1 | 6-9 | |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) (other than PSYC) 1 | 0-3 | |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 | |
| Kent Core Additional | 3 | |
| General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) | 25 | |
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | |
- 1
If students complete the American Civic Literacy requirement by taking HIST 12061, the course will apply to the Kent Core Humanities category. If they complete it with POL 10101, the course will apply to the Kent Core Social Sciences category.
Graduation Requirements
| Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
|---|---|
| 2.000 | 2.000 |
Students considering admission into a sport psychology graduate program should attain a higher GPA, as admission to those programs are competitive.
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
| Semester One | Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) | 3 | |
| PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (KSS) | 3 | |
| UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | ||
| Semester Two | |||
| PH 10004 | FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 | |
| SEPP 20026 | PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SPORT AND EXERCISE | 3 | |
| Physical Activity, Wellness and Sport (PWS) Elective | 1 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 1 | ||
| Credit Hours | 14 | ||
| Semester Three | |||
| PH 30002 or PSYC 21621 | INTRODUCTORY BIOSTATISTICS or QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY I | 3 | |
| Physical Activity, Wellness and Sport (PWS) Elective | 1 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| General Electives | 5 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Four | |||
| PEHS 25033 | LIFESPAN MOTOR DEVELOPMENT | 3 | |
| SEPP 30019 | PSYCHOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVES FOR GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN YOUTH SPORT | 3 | |
| SPAD 25000 | SPORT IN SOCIETY | 3 | |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Five | |||
| PEHS 45015 | PSYCHOLOGY OF COACHING | 3 | |
| SEPP 32250 | PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SPORT INJURY | 3 | |
| SPAD 43018 | ETHICS IN SPORT | 3 | |
| American Civic Literacy Requirement | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Six | |||
| IHS 46052 | STRESS: RECOGNITION AND MANAGEMENT | 2 | |
| SEPP 40020 | HIGH PERFORMANCE ATHLETES IN SPORT | 3 | |
| SEPP 40221 or PSYC 41584 | EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY or THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EXERCISE | 3 | |
| SEPP 45007 | PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATION OF SPORT PSYCHOLOGY | 3 | |
| General Elective | 4 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Seven | |||
| SPAD 45020 | ORGANIZATION, ADMINISTRATION AND LEADERSHIP IN SPORT | 3 | |
| SPAD 45050 | SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT | 3 | |
| ! | SEPP 45092 | PRACTICUM IN SPORT PERFORMANCE (ELR) | 3 |
| SEPP 45300 | MOTIVATION IN SPORT, PERFORMANCE AND MOVEMENT SETTINGS | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Semester Eight | |||
| ! | SEPP 48225 | SPORT PERFORMANCE PSYCHOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS | 3 |
| SPAD 45024 | SPORT IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE | 3 | |
| General Electives | 9 | ||
| Credit Hours | 15 | ||
| Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 | ||
University Requirements
All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Flashes 101 (UC 10001) | 1 credit hour |
Course is not required for students with 30+ transfer credits (excluding College Credit Plus) or age 21+ at time of admission. | |
| Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) | varies |
Students must successfully complete one course or approved experience. | |
| Kent Core (see table below) | 36-37 credit hours |
| Writing-Intensive Course (WIC) | 1 course |
Students must earn a minimum C grade in the course. | |
| Upper-Division Requirement | 39 credit hours |
Students must successfully complete 39 upper-division (numbered 30000 to 49999) credit hours to graduate. | |
| Total Credit Hour Requirement | 120 credit hours |
Kent Core Requirements
| Requirement | Credits/Courses |
|---|---|
| Kent Core Composition (KCMP) | 6 |
| Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) | 3 |
| Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) (min one course each) | 9 |
| Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) (must be from two disciplines) | 6 |
| Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 |
| Kent Core Additional (KADL) | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 36-37 |
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Explain the role of the individual and the environments in sport and exercise behavior.
- Demonstrate understanding of the foundation of motivation in sport sciences, learning and personal life.
- Define and illustrate the concepts, tools and application of mental skills and performance enhancement.
- Design and evaluate an applied research study from inception to conclusions.
- Define the standards for competence, domestic and global diversity and ethical principles (i.e., AASP and APA) and its role in sport psychology professional practice.
Full Description
The Bachelor of Science degree in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology provide students, athletes and those preparing for careers as coaches and sport practitioners with the knowledge of psychological theory and skills to enhance human behavior in the sport and exercise settings and the performing arts. The major differs from existing sport-related bachelor's degree programs due to its focus on psychological processes related to sport performance, as opposed to existing programs that focus on pedagogical, physiological or the business aspects of sport performance.
The Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology major explores social-psychological concepts such as motivation, self-confidence, anxiety or burnout, and how these concepts interact with the sport environment to influence athletes (e.g., losing focus under pressure or having self-doubts during a game) and performance. The program prepares students with essential knowledge of psychological aspects of sport performance and ethical practice to work in wide-ranging sport-related fields or to further their education in their chosen careers via graduate programs and mental performance certification by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.