Studying Sports Psychology

Sports psychology attracts students from sport science, psychology and coaching. The qualification you need depends on what you want to be called and what you want to do. Two broad routes exist: becoming a regulated psychologist who specialises in sport, or becoming a consultant with a professional certification. They are not interchangeable.

The regulated route: sport and exercise psychologist

In the UK, "sport and exercise psychologist" is a legally protected title. The HCPC lists it as a specialist title under practitioner psychologists and states that anyone using a protected title must be on its register. The HCPC also notes that these titles are not ones a registrant can register under on their own, and that psychologists are advised to use their specialist titles.

The British Psychological Society (BPS) describes the training sequence on its job profile page:

1. A society-accredited degree or conversion course giving the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership.
2. A society-accredited master's in Sport and Exercise Psychology.
3. A doctoral-level qualification: either the BPS Qualification in Sport and Exercise Psychology (Stage 2) or an accredited doctorate.

The Stage 2 qualification is a supervised-practice route. The BPS page says entry needs the accredited master's and access to a suitable placement, paid or voluntary, with a flexible minimum of two years, assessed through a written portfolio and a viva. Completion makes a candidate eligible to apply for chartered membership, for full membership of the BPS Division of Sport and Exercise Psychology, and for HCPC registration. Eligibility is not registration: the application is separate, and the HCPC sets its own standards, including its standards of proficiency for the profession.

The HCPC standards of proficiency, in effect since 1 September 2023, include profession-specific knowledge such as psychological skills, exercise and physical activity, and social processes in sport. They are standards a registrant must meet, not a syllabus a course can promise to satisfy.

The certification route: mental performance consultant

In North America the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) runs the Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) credential. Its page states the requirements as:

• a master's or doctoral degree in sport science, psychology or a clearly related field;
• graduate-level credit in several named knowledge areas, including professional ethics, sport psychology and research methods;
• 400 hours of mentored experience, with mentors approved by the certification council;
• a passing score on the certification exam.

Note that AASP's own wording distinguishes this from licensing. The page does not describe the CMPC as a licence, says the designation does not make a person a "sport psychologist", and says the requirements for providing psychological services are set by state, provincial or territorial licensing boards. AASP updates its mentorship-hour structure periodically, so check its current handbook before planning around the numbers.

Practical differences

What to check before enrolling

• Accreditation of the specific programme. The BPS route names a society-accredited master's, not any sport psychology master's.
• Where you intend to work. A route that suits one country's regulator may not satisfy another's. Confirm with the regulator or licensing board there.
• Placement and supervision. Both routes depend on supervised or mentored practice, which a course may not provide on its own.
• Language in marketing. A course cannot guarantee registration, certification or employment. Treat such claims as a reason to ask for the regulator's own statement.

See Sports Medicine Education Pathways for how other regulated roles are structured, and Doctoral Research in Sport if the doctoral stage interests you.