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performance and sport psychology

Types of Degrees performance and sport psychology Majors Are Earning

Those studying performance and sport psychology can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	9
Bachelor’s Degree	14
Master’s Degree	194
Doctor’s Degree	53

What performance and sport psychology Majors Need to Know

Studies in performance and sport psychology develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that performance and sport psychology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing performance and sport psychology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Psychology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a performance and sport psychology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to performance and sport psychology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, performance and sport psychology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by performance and sport psychology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Statistical software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Psychology Software Tools MRI Simulator	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for performance and sport psychology graduates include:

• Professor
• Psychology Lecturer
• University Faculty Member
• Educational Psychology Teacher
• Adjunct Psychology Faculty Member
• Child Development Instructor
• Abnormal Psychology Teacher
• Applied Psychology Teacher
• Educational Psychology Professor
• College Professor
• Industrial Psychology Professor
• Child Psychology Teacher
• Psychology Assistant Professor
• Mental Measurements Teacher
• Child Development Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to performance and sport psychology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Post-doctoral training	39.7%
Doctoral degree	27.4%
Bachelor’s degree	13.2%
Master’s degree	11.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.4%
Less than a high school diploma	1.0%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in performance and sport psychology?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 57.8% women and 42.2% men among performance and sport psychology graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	156	57.8%
Men	114	42.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of performance and sport psychology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	153	56.7%
Asian	4	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino	36	13.3%
Black or African American	40	14.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	7	2.6%
Race Unknown	11	4.1%
International Students	17	6.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do performance and sport psychology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of performance and sport psychology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,756
4 years	$59,892
5 years	$67,036

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $67,036 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online performance and sport psychology Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for performance and sport psychology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	2	2
Master’s	4	1
Doctoral (Research)	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in performance and sport psychology Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, performance and sport psychology graduates earn a median of $59,892 four years after completion — roughly 58% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology	42.28
Applied Behavior Analysis	42.2814
Applied Psychology	42.2813
Clinical Child Psychology	42.2807
Clinical Psychology	42.2801
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology, Other	42.2899
Community Psychology	42.2802
Counseling Psychology	42.2803
Educational Psychology	42.2806
Environmental Psychology	42.2808
Family Psychology	42.2811
Forensic Psychology	42.2812

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.