Sport and Performance Psychology, M.S.

College of Applied Human Sciences

The online Master’s Degree in Sport and Performance Psychology is a comprehensive and flexible 30-credit graduate program designed to prepare you to enhance the mental performance, well-being, and human potential across sport, performing arts, military, business, and other high-performance environments. Developed for working professionals and emerging practitioners alike, the program bridges theory, research, and applied practice to cultivate the knowledge, skills, and ethical grounding essential for excellence in performance psychology.

• CMPC^®-Aligned, Flexible Pathways*: Designed to meet all core coursework for the CMPC credential, with an optional microcredential offering CMPC mentored applied hours and an alternative online graduate certificate, to support both credential-seeking students and those pursuing a standalone 30-credit degree.
• Fully Integrated, Industry-Relevant Curriculum: Purpose-built to bridge theory and practice across sport and performance settings, with a focus on applied learning, ethical decision-making, and evidence-informed practice to prepare students for diverse professional roles in sport, health, and human performance. 
• Reputation-Driven, Practitioner-Engaged Instruction: Designed to leverage WVU’s nationally and internationally recognized expertise in sport, exercise, and performance psychology, with instruction delivered by academic experts and seasoned practitioners, and strengthened through connections to a Power 4 athletic conference and a global alumni network of professional and academic leaders. 
• Professionally Designed, Digitally Enhanced Learning Experience: Developed in collaboration with WVU's professional instructional design team that includes interactive and multi-media rich online courses that provide a dynamic and engaging learning environment.

Through this dynamic online format, you will gain not only theoretical understanding, but also the applied competencies necessary to help athletes, performers, and professionals achieve sustainable performance and personal growth. Courses are taught by experienced faculty and certified practitioners who integrate research with real-world consulting experience. 

In this program, you will engage in a thoughtfully sequenced curriculum that includes:

• Theoretical Foundations for Practice: Explore the psychological theories that underpin optimal performance.
• Ethical and Legal Issues: Navigate professional codes, decision-making models, and the applied dilemmas of ethical practice.
• Basic Performance Enhancement: Introduce core mental skills, the stress–performance relationship, performance assessment, and basic group dynamics for performance enhancement.
• Advanced Performance Enhancement: Apply integrated interventions like mindfulness and psychological flexibility to complex, real-world settings.
• Building Helping Relationships: Develop the empathy, active listening, and interpersonal skills needed for trust-based client consultation.
• Human Development and Individual Differences: Understand how developmental, personality, and cultural factors influence learning and motivation across the lifespan.
• Psychopathology and Performance Populations: Examine mental health concerns and navigate ethical boundaries related to scope and collaborative care.
• Research and Evidence-Based Practice: Develop skills to critically evaluate scientific research and apply data-driven findings to applied work
• Motor Behavior and Skill Acquisition: Discover the cognitive and behavioral processes behind movement control and performance consistency.
• Multicultural Competence in Practice: Build the awareness, humility, and advocacy skills to work effectively and ethically with diverse populations and systems.

• Review the requirements for the program and learn what materials are needed to apply.
• Create an account, start your application and follow the instructions.
• Pay the application fee.
• Submit your application.

The online Sport and Performance Psychology, M.S. and related graduate certificate and microcredential aim to prepare you for a wide range of professional roles that center on optimizing human performance, well-being, and personal development in sport, business, healthcare, and other high-performance settings. 

This program will dive into how to help performers mitigate stress, leverage their psychological strengths, and enhance overall well-being in service of helping them perform to the best of their ability. To help you develop these skills, the program features experiential learning opportunities that are integrated throughout the program. You will engaging in communities of practice embedded within three core courses to foster peer collaboration, applied reflection, and professional identity development. In the Applied Practice in Sport and Performance Psychology microcredential, students will work directly with athletes and performers under guided mentorship.