A Sports Psychology Degree: Helping Athletes Excel

By Kelly Richardson
Career Colleges Columnist

The sports psychology industry is one of the most exciting career fields going today. Earn your psychology degree and you could be teaching your athletic clients how to harness the power of the mind for optimum performance. Read on to see what this program has to offer.

Professional athletes have a well-deserved reputation for being "head cases." Because their performance in big events determines their compensation, athletes want every advantage they can get. One such advantage is hiring a sports psychologist to train their minds and bodies to perform at their peak. If you're interested in how the mind affects the body, then you are a prime candidate for a sports psychology degree. As a sports psychology professional, you will be responsible for preparing your clientele to get the job done in competition.

The Power of the Mind

In the Zone. A sports psychology degree will prepare you to get your athlete "in the zone," with a positive mindset, for the next major competition.
The Agony of Defeat. As a sports psychology pro, you will also help your athlete deal with negative feelings resulting from a loss.
Mental Training. Your degree will teach you how to improve the connection between the quiet mind and the performing body.

Because professional sports are such a big business in this country, sports psychologists are enjoying an incredible rise in employment opportunities. Here's what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has to say about the benefits of earning a psychology degree.

The Sports Psychology Degree Up Close

Focused Training. Psychology hopefuls must have a few years of education before entering the workforce.
Explosive Opportunity. Employment of psychology grads is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations through the next decade.
Impressive Salary. A sports psychology degree can generally earn you between $32,000 and $92,000 per year.

If you love sports and you want to take your career in a new direction, then perhaps you would be the ideal candidate for a sports psychology degree.

About the Author
Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in a variety of respected educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.

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