Page 23 - AASP Summer 2014 Newsletter

can be leveled at many undergraduate certiication and the coursework required intended career goals or preparedness for

degrees (i.e., Psychology, History, English), for certiication status if an undergraduate graduate degrees. Therefore, our program

it was essential for us to develop a student continued on with his/her offers two minors for students to choose

curriculum that would teach the types education. Lastly, our program also had from. One includes a minor in psychology

of skills and develop the types of people to be integrated into the department’s (120 credits), and the other one includes

we wanted. Therefore, we developed a required courses and our University’s a minor in management (business-based

clear vision (see below) for our program distribution classes.
classes; 120 credits).

as well as speciic objectives and student

learning outcomes. In order to do this, we
Ultimately, we developed ive new courses Our Graduates

started at the end and worked backwards. to complement the already existing Sport
The vision of the BS in SEPP at Barry
We asked ourselves “what skills and
Psychology and Psychology of Coaching University is to focus on humanistic and
knowledge do we want our graduates to
classes: (a) Exercise Psychology, (b)
have”? The answer to this question was psychological education to prepare
Psychology of Injury, (c) Applied SEPP, (d)
partially guided by thinking about what students to be effective decision makers,
Research in SEPP, and (e) a Senior Project
skills and knowledge we would like to see leaders, and lifelong learners. We will
class. We believe these classes give our
prepare students to examine and apply the
in our incoming Master’s students. As students a strong foundational knowledge
knowledge and skills learned in the program
our Master’s program in SEPP has three
of our ield, while simultaneously enabling
tracks [Thesis (research) option, Applied, to sport, exercise, and performance
us to target the skill sets we wish to
and Dual (both research & applied)], we settings and problems faced throughout
develop in the students. Along with this
wanted our undergraduate students to society. Ultimately, we aspire for students
foundational knowledge, we also wanted
have some exposure to both research and to be empowered through education to
to give students the opportunity to obtain
improve their own performance and lives
applied work. We also considered AASP
a minor that would aid them with their
as well as those with whom they work.

As we hope this article will inform and
While the argument of employability can be
perhaps even inspire others to develop

similar programs, here are some valuable

lessons we have learned along the way:
leveled at many undergraduate degrees (i.e.,

• Establish if your university/college
Psychology, History, English), it was essential
needs a new program and what

is the local, regional, and national for us to develop a curriculum that would

demand

• Be prepared to answer questions teach the types of skills and develop the

and educate critics who don’t

understand our ield.
types of people we wanted.

AASP Newsletter // Summer 2014 // “If You Build It, They Will Come” – The Development of an Undergraduate Program

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