Seven U.S. universities currently run sports psychology doctoral programs with a real sport or performance concentration, but none of them carry an APA-accredited “sports psychology PhD,” because that specialty credential doesn’t exist. Programs split into two paths: licensure-track psychology doctorates and non-clinical kinesiology doctorates aimed at Certified Mental Performance Consultant status.
Search “PhD in sports psychology,” and you’ll find plenty of schools implying they offer exactly that. Here’s the catch: the American Psychological Association doesn’t accredit a doctoral specialty called sports psychology, so no program on this page, or anyone else’s, can claim that exact credential. What you’ll actually find below are seven real doctoral programs split between two very different paths, and figuring out which one matches your goals matters more than any program’s marketing copy.
There’s No Such Thing as an APA-Accredited PhD in “Sports Psychology”
The APA accredits doctoral programs in Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology (plus a handful of Combined programs). Sports psychology isn’t on that list. The APA treats it as an applied specialization that psychologists typically add on top of a general doctorate, through supervised experience or continuing education, not as its own accredited doctoral track. That’s why every program below carries a degree title in something else, Counseling Psychology, Kinesiology, or Sport and Exercise Psychology, with a sport or performance emphasis layered in.
In practice, that split falls into two paths. The licensure track is a doctorate in Counseling Psychology or Clinical Psychology with sport-focused coursework or practicum, leading toward becoming a licensed psychologist through your state board and the EPPP, with the legal right to use the title “psychologist” and treat clients clinically. The applied and research track is a doctorate in Kinesiology or Sport and Exercise Psychology, training you for academic, research, or consulting roles and toward Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) status through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, a certification, not a state license. Neither path is the “real” one. What you want depends on whether you’re aiming to diagnose and treat mental health conditions under a psychology license, or to work with athletes on mental skills and performance without a clinical scope.
Sports Psychology Doctoral Programs at a Glance
All seven programs below are institutionally accredited. Only the University of North Texas program carries American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation status, since it’s a general counseling psychology doctorate rather than a stand-alone sport psychology degree. Select a school name to jump to its program details.
| School | Degree | Focus | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State University | Ph.D. in Sport Psychology | Research and teaching, non-licensure | Tallahassee, FL |
| Oregon State University | Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Psychosocial concentration | Sport and exercise psychology research | Corvallis, OR |
| Purdue University | Ph.D. in Health and Kinesiology, Exercise Psychology track | Physical activity behavior and exercise psychology | West Lafayette, IN |
| Springfield College | Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology | Applied practice, CMPC-track | Springfield, MA |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Sport and Exercise Psychology concentration | Research and teaching, non-clinical | Greensboro, NC |
| University of North Texas | Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Sport Psychology elective cluster | Licensure track with sport-focused practicum | Denton, TX |
| West Virginia University | Ph.D. in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology | Applied consulting plus counseling licensure prep | Morgantown, WV |
Florida State University
Ph.D. in Sport Psychology
Housed in the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, FSU’s doctorate follows a scientist-practitioner model with a research emphasis. It’s a non-licensure track: graduates aren’t eligible to use the title “sport psychologist” on the strength of this degree alone, but the program is built to prepare them for CMPC certification and for academic, research, or consulting roles in higher education and professional sport. Applicants typically need a completed master’s thesis or a first-year research project if they don’t have one.
Florida State University is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The Sport Psychology doctorate itself isn’t APA-accredited, since APA accreditation doesn’t extend to sport psychology as a standalone doctoral specialty.
Oregon State University
Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Psychosocial Concentration
OSU’s doctoral program in Kinesiology (formerly branded as Exercise and Sport Science) offers two concentrations: Biophysical and Psychosocial. The Psychosocial track covers sport and exercise psychology alongside motor development and the sociology of sport, with students conducting research through OSU’s Sport and Exercise Psychology lab. It’s a dissertation-based, research- and teaching-focused doctorate rather than a clinical or licensure path.
Oregon State University is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The program is a Kinesiology doctorate, not a psychology doctorate, so it doesn’t carry APA accreditation.
Purdue University
Ph.D. in Health and Kinesiology, Exercise Psychology Track
Purdue’s Exercise Psychology program sits inside its broader Health and Kinesiology doctorate. It’s a mentor-based, theory-driven program studying why people start and stick with physical activity, drawing on health behavior theory, questionnaire and survey design, and the physiological and neural correlates of exercise. Doctoral study typically runs three to five years, with students working directly with an exercise psychology faculty mentor.
Purdue is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Like OSU’s program, this is a Kinesiology doctorate with a psychology-adjacent focus, not an APA-accredited psychology program.
Springfield College
Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology
Springfield’s doctorate blends psychological, sociological, physiological, and motor-behavioral coursework with a strong bent toward preparing graduates for academic careers. The program includes a dedicated “Preparing Future Faculty” course sequence covering the pedagogical and scholarly-writing skills new faculty need, alongside CMPC-track applied training through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. It’s a non-clinical program, so it doesn’t prepare graduates to provide mental health counseling or therapy.
Springfield College is institutionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). This Sport and Exercise Psychology doctorate is separate from Springfield’s APA-accredited PsyD in Counseling Psychology and doesn’t itself carry APA accreditation.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Sport and Exercise Psychology Concentration
UNCG’s program is explicit about its scope: there are no clinical or applied sport psychology training opportunities built into this concentration. It’s designed to produce academic researchers and faculty who study the cognitive, emotional, psychophysiological, and social factors shaping sport and exercise behavior, with each doctoral student working closely with a single faculty mentor whose research interests align with their own.
UNCG is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The program is not APA-accredited, consistent with its research-only, non-clinical design.
University of North Texas
Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, Sport Psychology Elective Cluster
UNT is the one licensure-track program on this list. Its Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology is APA-accredited, and students can add a specialized elective cluster in sport and performance psychology, training through the UNT Center for Sport Psychology and Athlete Mental Health. Graduates complete a predoctoral clinical internship and can pursue licensure as a psychologist in any state, plus CMPC certification through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Applicants who enter with only an undergraduate degree should plan on at least six years. Those entering with an accredited master’s degree can often finish in four to five.
UNT is institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and the Counseling Psychology doctorate itself holds APA Commission on Accreditation status, the only program on this page that does.
West Virginia University
Ph.D. in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology
WVU’s doctorate combines academic research training with applied consulting experience across Division I, II, and III athletic programs. Once admitted, students can opt into a dual master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling alongside the PhD. That combination positions graduates for CMPC certification and, for those who add the counseling master’s, eligibility for mental health counselor licensure, though not for psychologist licensure, which requires a doctorate specifically in Clinical, Counseling, or School Psychology.
West Virginia University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology doctorate is not itself APA-accredited.
Whichever path fits your goals, confirm current admission requirements and accreditation status directly with the program before applying. Concentration names, funding structures, and faculty mentors on these pages shift more often than the schools’ marketing pages get updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an APA-accredited PhD in sports psychology?
No. The American Psychological Association accredits doctoral programs in Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology, not sports psychology specifically. Psychologists who work in sport settings typically hold one of those accredited doctorates and add sport psychology training on top, through supervised experience, continuing education, or a program like UNT’s sport-focused elective cluster.
What’s the difference between a licensed psychologist and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant?
A licensed psychologist has a doctoral degree in Clinical, Counseling, or School Psychology, has passed the EPPP, and is licensed by a state board to diagnose and treat mental health conditions. A Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) holds a certification from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology that qualifies them to work on mental skills and performance with athletes and other high performers, but it isn’t a license and doesn’t permit clinical treatment or use of the title “psychologist.”
Do I need a doctorate to work with athletes in sports psychology?
Not necessarily. Many working mental performance consultants hold only a master’s degree and CMPC certification, and there are several online sports psychology degree programs built around exactly that path. A doctorate becomes necessary if you want to become a licensed psychologist, or if you’re aiming for a faculty or research position at the university level, which is the path most of the programs above are actually built for. For a fuller picture of where a sports psychology background can lead, see our guide to career opportunities in sports psychology.
How long does a sports psychology doctoral program take?
Most of the programs above run three to six years beyond a bachelor’s or master’s degree, depending on the school, your entry point, and whether you enter with a completed thesis. UNT’s licensure-track program runs on the longer end because it includes a full predoctoral clinical internship. The non-clinical Kinesiology and Sport and Exercise Psychology doctorates tend to run three to five years.
How much do sports psychologists earn?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t track “sports psychologist” as its own occupation. The closest match, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, earned a median annual wage of $100,580 as of May 2025, with the BLS projecting 11.4% employment growth for the occupation between 2022 and 2032. Actual pay for sport-focused psychologists and mental performance consultants varies widely by setting, whether you work in a university athletic department, with a professional team, or in private consulting, and by whether you hold a psychology license or a CMPC credential alone.
Select your state below to find accredited psychology programs, application links, and licensing requirements for your jurisdiction.
2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary data and Projections Central 2022-2032 job growth forecasts for Psychologists (including Clinical & Counseling, Industrial-Organizational, and School Psychologists), reflect state and national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed June 2026.