Full Description

The Bachelor of Science degree in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology provide students, athletes and those preparing for careers as coaches and sport practitioners with the knowledge of psychological theory and skills to enhance human behavior in the sport and exercise settings and performing arts. The major differs from existing sport-related bachelor's degree programs due to its focus on psychological processes related to sport performance, as opposed to existing programs that focus on pedagogical, physiological or the business aspects of sport performance.

The Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology major explores social-psychological concepts such as motivation, self-confidence, anxiety or burnout, and how these concepts interact with the sport environment to influence athletes (e.g., losing focus under pressure or having self-doubts during a game) and performance. The program prepares students with essential knowledge of psychological aspects of sport performance and ethical practice to work in wide-ranging sport-related fields or further their education in their chosen careers via graduate programs and mental performance certification by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.

Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.

Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Explain the role of the individual and the environments in sport and exercise behavior.
2. Demonstrate understanding of the foundation of motivation in sport sciences, learning and personal life.
3. Define and illustrate the concepts, tools and application of mental skills and performance enhancement.
4. Design and evaluate an applied research study from inception to conclusions.
5. Define the standards for competence, domestic and global diversity and ethical principles (i.e., AASP and APA) and their role in sport psychology professional practice.

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery
  • Fully online
  • Mostly online
• Location
  • Kent Campus

The B.S. degree in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

Full Description

The Ph.D. degree in Public Health bridges public safety and health career pathways to address a nationwide shortage of public health workers.

The Public Health major comprises the following concentrations:

• The Epidemiology concentration prepares students to examine the distribution and determinants of diseases in populations. Graduates are able to apply quantitative and qualitative methods to examine critical and/or emerging health issues, gain advanced ability to conduct large studies and analyze data sets in order to project health trends in populations of interest. Students in this concentration benefit from active faculty research agendas in biopreparedness, public health surveillance systems, chronic disease, cancer and infectious disease epidemiology.
• The Health Policy and Management concentration prepares students to design and implement studies and use advanced research methods to examine critical and emerging health issues. The heart of the concentration is a focus on interdisciplinary skills to meet the rapidly changing health needs of communities. Students benefit from active faculty research agendas in health systems research, occupational health and safety, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, access to health care, health literacy, substance abuse prevention and community-based programming.
• The Prevention Science concentration is an interdisciplinary program aimed at promoting healthy behaviors in populations across the life course. Graduates are prepared to design and evaluate public health interventions and have expertise in a variety of theoretical and substantive perspectives for conducting research within systems of the family, health and education, workplace and community. Active faculty research provide students the opportunity to work on community-based prevention research.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

Applications to the Health Policy and Management concentration are not being accepted at this time.

• Master's degree in a related discipline from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 3.000 graduate GPA on a 4.000-point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• GRE score or other standardized graduate admission exam with a quantitative component¹
• Résumé
• Goal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• Interview with faculty
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions to waive) by earning one of the following:²
  • Minimum 94 TOEFL iBT score
  • Minimum 7.0 IELTS score
  • Minimum 65 PTE score
  • Minimum 120 DET score

Students who do not meet prerequisites for the Ph.D. degree may be required to complete additional coursework.

¹

GRE scores may be waived as determined by graduate coordinator.

²

International applicants who do not meet the above test scores will not be considered for admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Priority deadline: December 1

All application materials (including applicable fee, transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.) submitted by this deadline will receive the strongest consideration for admission.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Explain public health history, philosophy and values.
2. Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Public Health Services.
3. Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health.
4. List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the United States or other community relevant to the school or program.
5. Discuss the science of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc.
6. Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge.
7. Explain effects of environmental factors on a population’s health.
8. Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health.
9. Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health.
10. Explain the social, political and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities.
11. Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease.
12. Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health and ecosystem health (e.g., One Health).

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Applications to the Health Policy and Management concentration are not being accepted at this time.

The Ph.D. degree in Public Health is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).