I need some insight on what my options for a career path are, and which of my 2 options i want to major in. I originally wanted to be a physical therapist and major in Kinesiology, but after looking at the Doctoral program requirements, Im second guessing myself. The chemistry, physics, and biology involved I know I would fail miserably. I am a college athlete, and am fascinated with fitness and encouraging people to become more physical and active in their daily lives, and eating healthy food. I am very active myself, love eating healthy, and being a leader.
My second option I am contemplating is Psychology. I have always been interested in how people think, and why people change ad how life events can affect a person. As well as how people think and act. I DO NOT want to be a counselor. I know for a fact I want to o something sports/fitness related. Do psychology and sports mix? What about Majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sport and Exercise Science (Kinesiology)?
I would love to hear from people who have any sort of advice or insight…tie flies by so fast when you grow up! I’d love to zero-in and figure out what I want my career to be.
PT school doesn’t care about what students major in as long as you do well in it. Kinesiology is a popular major in PT school, so psychology would (kinda) stand out. I’m not saying what you should major in because that’s your choice, but just because someone majors in psychology does not automatically make them psychologists. Many people use psych for many other grad school programs, besides counseling ones, including PT. I think psychology would provide a lot of transferable skills to PT school because you will need to know how to bond with your patient and understand their struggles.
Yes, psychology + kinesiology could be a good combination. Also, consider that quite a few kinesiology programs offer a track in sports psychology. The best opportunities in sports psychology would require graduate training, however. There would be two pathways for graduate training:
a master’s or doctorate in sports psychology offered through a kinesiology department. At the graduate level, some sports psychology programs are offered in combination with a counseling degree since kinesiology departments often are located in a university’s college of education. With that combination, you might find some opportunities at the master’s level. (The counseling component would provide some training in that area, but does not necessarily mean that you would be a counselor in the traditional sense.)
a sports psychology focus offered in a psychology department. An undergraduate sports psychology major offered through a kinesiology department probably won't be adequate preparation for a graduate program in a psychology department, so stick with a regular psychology major if you plan to want to enter a psychology department for graduate training leading to licensure. You would need a doctorate. Relatively few graduate psychology programs offer a program specifically in sports psychology, but to some extent you can focus your studies in other specialties (e.g., health psychology, behavior analysis) on applications to sports and fitness.
To gather more information, do a search for sports psychology programs. Also, do a search for professional associations in sports psychology.