Sport and Exercise Psychology, Ph.D.

Program Description

Integral to the philosophy of Springfield College is the integration of the spirit, mind, and body, the whole person, for leadership in service to humanity. Sport and exercise psychology is a sub-discipline of the sport and exercise sciences and as such provides the student an opportunity to examine the integrated mind/body responses in an exercise and sport context.

Doctoral students in the sport and exercise psychology program gain an understanding of the psychological, physiological, sociocultural and research bases of sport, as is necessary in working with athletes in a performance enhancement context. Upon successful completion of the program, students may seek certification through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).

Graduates of the sport and exercise psychology PhD program will be prepared to teach sport and exercise psychology and related courses at all educational levels. Graduates will be prepared to contribute to the current knowledge base of the field by continuing research in sport and exercise psychology, and will be qualified to work as a sport psychology consultant at all levels for athletes, athletic departments, coaches, exercise and fitness programs, and national governing bodies.

Program Highlights

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Required Credits: 75

School: School of Physical Education, Performance and Sport Leadership

Department: Exercise Science

Modality: On-Ground

Additional Information: Available on the Springfield College external website (www.springfield.edu)

Program Standards

The minimum residency requirement for the Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology is one academic year in full-time graduate study at Springfield College. Residence for the master’s degree at Springfield College or elsewhere does not meet this requirement. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 (B) in all coursework. A grade of a C+ or lower on any 12 hours of graduate work will disqualify a student from the Ph.D. program.

I. Degree Requirements (75 credits)

A. Required Courses (66 credits)

AEXS 610 - Advanced Exercise Physiology Credits: 3
AEXS 676 - Exercise Psychology Credits: 3
AEXS 678 - Sport Psychology Credits: 3
AEXS 679 - Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology Credits: 3
AEXS 685 - Measurement in Sport and Exercise Psychology Credits: 3
AEXS 689 - Internship in Sport Psychology Credits: 1-3
(taken for a total of 3 credits to meet program requirements)
AEXS 716 - Scholarly Writing Credits: 2
AEXS 782 - Advanced Seminar in Sport and Exercise Psychology Credits: 2-3
*Must be taken for 6 credits to meet program requirements.
COUN 622 - Counseling Theories Credits: 3
MOST 624 - Motor Learning and Control Credits: 3
PHED 710 - Doctoral Seminar Credits: 2
PHED 715 - Instructional Effectiveness in Higher Education Credits: 3
PHED 718 - Seminar in Higher Education Credits: 2
RSCH 615 - Qualitative Research Methodology Credits: 3
RSCH 620 - Educational and Psychological Statistics I Credits: 3
RSCH 712 - Dissertation Proposal Design Credits: 2
RSCH 720 - Educational Psychology Statistics II Credits: 3
RSCH 735 - Doctoral Dissertation Credits: 1-14
(taken for a total of 14 credits to meet program requirements)
RSCH 740 - Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling Credits: 2

B. Selectives (9 credits)

Select an additional 9 credits of graduate level courses within the following prefixes: AEXS, COUN, HLTH, MOST, PHED, and/or PSYC