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School of Sport Sciences

Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, PhD

The PhD program in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology at WVU is recognized as one of the premier training programs in the world.

This provides students with a comprehensive curriculum delivered by highly qualified faculty. The program combines academic rigor, applied consulting opportunities, and extensive research experiences. Graduates are equipped to become highly competent, well-rounded professionals in sport, exercise, and performance psychology.

Students conduct their own line of research, work with faculty to produce publishable manuscripts, and complete three research benchmarks in addition to their dissertation. Supervised experiences in sport, exercise, and performance settings, including Division I, II, and III athletic programs, are available for students.

This PhD program includes a concurrent master鈥檚 degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. This allows students to sit for counseling licensure upon graduation. This combination of research and application in sport, exercise, and performance psychology, prepares students for careers as sport psychology consultants, researchers, and faculty members. A science track, which has a greater emphasis on research without the master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, is also available.

Many students work 20 hours a week during the semester as a graduate assistant, either teaching, providing service or conducting research. In return for these contributions, graduate assistants receive a tuition waiver and stipend.

This program is delivered in-person and requires full-time residency in Morgantown for the majority of the 3-4 year program.

Your Degree Plan The WVU Difference Learn by Doing Careers and Outcomes Meet Your Community Admission Requirements Take the Next Steps

Your Degree Plan

Intro

Aerial view of Martin and Woodburn Halls

The PhD program in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology combines academic rigor, extensive research experiences, and applied consulting opportunities to train highly competent, well-rounded sport, exercise, and performance psychology professionals.

The comprehensive curriculum represents the science-practice model widely used in sport, exercise, and performance psychology (SEPP).

Foundational Courses
Students complete 65-75 credit hours that cover foundational coursework, professional practice courses in teaching, and research. An individual plan of study is tailored to students鈥 needs and interests that meet requirements for the doctoral degree.

Dissertation
Throughout the program, students select a line of research that coincides with their area of interest. The SEPP doctoral degree program culminates with a dissertation, which is a data-driven research project. This requires an in-depth exploration of an important topic in SEPP. The dissertation will be completed as a single paper, submitted for peer review, and defended in a public setting. The dissertation committee must approve the dissertation to be fully accepted.

Earn a Dual Degree in Counseling
Once admitted into this program, students can opt to dual enroll in the master's degree program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Courses for these two programs are completed simultaneously. Upon completion students are eligible to sit for licensure as a licensed professional counselor in most states.

Register now for a webinar this fall

Learn more about the unique features of the program, core faculty and their research interests, and the application process in these 60-minute virtual sessions.

Tailor this major to your interests by taking one of these courses as you pursue your degree:

  • SEP 720:
    Psychological Sport Performance Enhancement

    An in-depth examination of commonly used interventions designed to maximize the performance of individual athletes and teams.

  • SEP 721:
    Counseling College Student Athletes

    An exploration of psycho-social aspects of college student-athletes' life experiences and common counseling concerns to include individual and systems intervention used to assist this at-risk group.

  • SEP 647:
    Supervision Sport Psychology

    Supervision of graduate-level applied sport psychology consultation.

Take advantage of special options related to this major:

  • Honors

    Expand your curiosity 鈥 and enhance your curriculum 鈥 through the WVU Honors College. Two programs are offered: and .

The WVU Difference

What sets this program apart from its competitors?

  • 100% of program graduates are employed in the area of their choice, including faculty positions, athletic department personnel, and consulting.
  • Students teach undergraduate classes in sport, exercise and performance psychology.
  • Students are expected to produce publishable manuscripts.
  • Graduates will be license-eligible and may pursue a counseling or consulting career with full-time applied work.
  • Students consult with NCAA Division I, II and III athletic programs, high school and youth sport teams, exercise/health settings and other performance domains.
  • Admitted students can dual enroll in the MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program and complete both simultaneously.
  • The WVU School of Sport Sciences was recently recognized as one of the best in the country by Newsweek.

Learn by Doing

Learning happens outside the classroom. Get involved.

Applied Experiences
Students will gain applied experience working with a range of performers, including student-athletes of Division I, II, and III athletic programs. As a result, students will accrue more than 400 hours of supervised service provision, allowing them to meet the requirements for AASP certification (CMPC). The dual enrollment in a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling allows individuals to sit for counseling licensure upon graduation.

Research
The program boasts seven faculty members trained in sport, exercise and performance psychology. These faculty members have different training backgrounds and research specialties (see faculty profiles) allowing them to supervise students with various research interests. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate with those faculty members and are expected to produce publishable manuscripts. In their research, students are encouraged to identify topics that align with their own interests and will help them reach their professional goals.

Connect with other students who share your academic interests as a member of:

View all of the you can join.

Network with professionals in your field as a student member of:

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

  • Basic Instruction Program (BIP)

Graduate Service Assistantships

  • WVU Student Recreation Center
  • WVU Athletics

Graduate Service/Teaching Assistantships

  • University Advising Center
Outside of the Evansdale Crossing building.

What you learn outside of the classroom is just as important as what you learn during class. We鈥檒l help you follow your curiosity.

Careers and Outcomes

How does this degree prepare students for a career?

How we prepare you

Graduates leave the program with advanced skills in teaching, research, and practice. WVU boasts one of the largest SEPP alumni networks in the nation. Former students work in diverse settings around the world. Alumni take a genuine interest in current students and their future success.

Common careers:

  • Research based faculty positions in sport sciences
  • Teaching based faculty positions in sport sciences
  • Private practice consulting
  • Military consulting
  • Public Health

Meet Your Community

The Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology family will inspire and support you.

  • Portrait of Damien Clement

    Damien Clement

    Professional highlights:

    • Fellow, Association for Applied Sport Psychology, 2020-Present
    • WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching, 2015
    • Dorothy V. Harris Award, Association for Applied Sport Psychology, 2014
    • Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, 2013
    • Acting Dean, WVU Honors College, August 2019鈥揓une 2020

  • Ashley Coker-Cranney

    Professional highlights:

    • Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Association for Applied Sport Psychology
    • Licensed Professional Counselor, West Virginia Board of Examiners for Counseling
  • A smiling man with glasses with fitness equipment in the background. He is wearing a light-colored shirt and dark tie.

    Peter Giacobbi Jr.

    Professional highlights:

    • Research focus on chronic disease risk reduction using digital and other delivery technologies
    • Expert in the use of guided imagery in sport and exercise settings, overall well-being, and managing health behavior
    • Current Google Scholar H-index of 33, Scopus H-index of 23
  • Smiling woman standing in Stewart Hall. She has long dark hair and wears a black suit jacket.

    Dana Voelker

    Professional highlights:

    • Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Association for Applied Sport Psychology
    • Steelcase Education Active Learning Center Grant, 2019
    • WVU Foundation Award for Outstanding Teachers, 2018
    • Association for Applied Sport Psychology Dorothy V. Harris Memorial Award, 2018
  • Photo of smiling man wearing glasses, a light shirt and patterned tie.

    Sam Zizzi

    Professional highlights:

    • Twice recognized as Most Outstanding Teacher at WVU CPASS, and has mentored over 30 PhD students through degree completion
    • Serves as the Dr. Pat Fehl Endowed Professor to focus efforts on the health and wellness of WV citizens
    • Published one of the first books on self-awareness in sport, Being Mindful in Sport and Exercise Psychology (2017), with friend and colleague Mark Andersen
    • Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP)

  • The SEP faculty helped me develop holistically as a scholar and person, with high expectations and a strong desire to achieve.

    Lindsey Bloom
     EdD, Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2005
    鈥淭he SEP faculty helped me develop holistically as a scholar and person, with high expectations and a strong desire to achieve. Dr. Jack Watson provided mentorship with autonomy and independence, and support through challenges. While at WVU, I was offered a strong classroom education, mentored practicum, research training and teaching experience.鈥

  • My success is a direct result of the training and guidance I received while a student in the SEP program.

    Professional portrait of John Lubker.
    John Lubker
     EdD, Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2006
    鈥淲VU provided me with the opportunity to develop both as a professional and as an academic. My success is a direct result of the training and guidance I received while a student in the SEP program.鈥
  • Portrait of Amanda V.
    Amanda V.
     PhD, Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2006
    鈥淭he education and training I was fortunate to receive in my doctoral sport and exercise psychology program was exceptional. Moreover, the mentorship provided to me by the faculty then, and even now, remains unmatched.鈥

    • Admission Requirements

    To be eligible for admission into a graduate program at WVU an applicant must submit official, bachelor's degree transcripts from a regionally accredited institution and hold a GPA of at least 2.75. WVU operates decentralized admissions. Decentralized admissions allows each graduate program to set its own application requirements in addition to the University requirements.

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