Become a Psychologist

Through the UNT Department of Psychology’s APA-accredited Counseling Psychology program, graduate students are able to pursue a Ph.D. in counseling psychology with a specialized elective cluster in sport and exercise psychology. Through this doctoral program and specialization, graduates obtain a broad professional education as a mental health practitioner while also receiving specific training in working with athletes, coaches, and sport teams. Upon completion of their clinical internship, graduates will be able to pursue licensure as a psychologist in any state in the U.S. and seek Certification as a sport consultant through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. This training model, a sport psychology emphasis embedded in an APA-accredited counseling psychology program, is unique and one of the many reasons that students from all over the U.S. and abroad want to pursue their graduate sport psychology education and training at UNT.

Ph.D. Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Sport Psychology
A specialization in sport psychology is offered through an elective cluster within the Ph.D. program in Counseling Psychology. The Counseling Psychology program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association, and this combined program trains students to be independent, licensed psychologists who also have the knowledge, skills, and experience to work with athletes, coaches, teams, and sport organizations. In addition, through the sport psychology elective cluster, students may elect to take additional coursework to meet the certification or specialization criteria of professional sport psychology organizations, such as the Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
A. Philosophy and Objectives - The counseling psychology program and sport psychology elective cluster provides training to graduate students within the broad context of the scientist-practitioner model. This training is accomplished through prescribed coursework in general psychology, counseling psychology, and sport psychology and the exercise sciences. In addition, students gain applied experience through separate individual, group, and sport psychology practica that are done throughout their 4-6 years in the program.