Recent events involving top-level, world-class athletes, such as Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, withdrawing from competitions, have brought attention to the issue of mental health and performance in athletes, and Adams State University seems well equipped to take on that issue, as the school’s online Master of Science degree in Applied Sport Psychology program recently earned designation as one of Sports Degrees Online’s “Best 20 Sport Psychology Master’s Programs for 2022,” coming in at #18.
Sports Degree Online is a website with the intention of helping “the thousands of passionate athletes who didn’t make it to the top tier,” pursue careers in areas like injury recovery, strength and conditioning, or sports analytics, according to their “about us” page.
Adams State’s degree is an “intriguing option,” according to Dr. Matthew Jones, assistant professor at Southern Illinois Univ. Evansville, who reviewed the programs. The program benefits from its connections to the Adams State’s Kinesiology Department, which also offers coaching, exercise science, and sport administration master’s programs, according to Jones.
The applied sport psychology curriculum also offers an impressive number of Association for Applied Sport Psychology qualifying courses, making the process of becoming a Certified Mental Performance Consultant “very straightforward,” Jones wrote. Students also have the choice to take courses related to coaching or sports administration.
“This current ranking as a top program, paired with Adams State’s recent rankings as the No. 1 most affordable sport psychology program the last couple of years, demonstrates the quality and affordability of the program” according to Brian Zuleger Ph.D., CMPC, associate professor of sport psychology and graduate program coordinator for applied sport psychology in Adams State’s School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.
Sports Degrees Online based the ratings on factors such as program flexibility, internship opportunities, AASP preparation, and financial aid availability, according to Jones.
