What is Sports Science?
Sports science is the application of scientific theory to sport or the study of sport using various methods of scientific inquiry with the goal of enhancing sport performance.
At Pitt, our sports science students use the latest technology and scientific research to help Division I athletes maximize their performance, taking them to the top of their game and to national championships. For example, students may regularly assess athlete performance using force plate and GPS technology to monitor their strength characteristics and workload during training, practices and games/matches. This information helps our students draw conclusions about each athlete’s preparedness for training and competition and is then communicated to the performance team so that collective decisions can be made.
At Pitt, our students work in a real-world sports science setting, which provides them with the necessary experience to excel in the field.
What is a Sport Scientist?
The job duties of a sport scientist vary based on the demands of each position; however, duties may include assessment of athlete performance, data analysis and visualization, reporting information to key stakeholders such as team coaches and performance trainers, and providing practical recommendations based on the testing data.
Additionally, some sport scientists may be tasked with performing various research projects to determine the effectiveness of different athlete training interventions, the validity and reliability of performance tests and technology and benchmark performance metrics.
Who is a Sports Science Career For?
Successful sport scientists can come from a wide range of backgrounds. Because sports science is an umbrella term, individuals with backgrounds in strength and conditioning, data analytics, sports medicine, sports psychology, physiology and engineering can all be successful in this profession. At Pitt, we look for candidates with previous experience within sport. In the application for the program, we look for the individual’s desire to enhance sport performance through the scientific process in their personal statement. We also look for individuals who are driven, personable, tenacious, creative, adaptable and tactful. Each sports science scenario is unique and requires a versatile individual who can communicate the necessary information to key stakeholders effectively to guide the decision making process.
Are you ready to get started in a sports science career? Follow these six steps to make it happen!
Step 1: Earn a bachelor’s degree
Our Master of Science in Sports Science requires applicants to have a bachelor’s degree. Strong candidates will also have experience in a sports science-related area. There is no prescribed undergraduate major for this degree; students come from backgrounds in kinesiology and exercise science to engineering and psychology. All admissions and application requirements, including prerequisites, can be found on the Pitt Sports Science Admissions page.
Step 2: Gain experience in the field!
While our program does not require experiential hours, gaining experience in sport coaching, strength and conditioning and athlete performance assessment before entering the program is beneficial for demonstrating your understanding of and interest in the field. High school settings can offer great opportunities to work with sport coaches or athletic trainers in a strength and conditioning or sport science capacity.
Step 3: Apply to Pitt’s Sports Science program through GradCAS!
All applicants interested in applying to Pitt’s program must apply through GradCAS. You will need to upload your personal statement and internship placement preferences, two letters of recommendation, a resume or CV and your transcripts from all colleges and/or universities attended. For more detailed information on our requirements, including international student requirements, please visit our Admissions page.
Step 4: Earn your Sports Science MS degree!
For the entire length of the three-term (one year) program, all students will complete an internship with a sports team or organization, including opportunities with Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University athletics and the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory (NMRL). This experience will strengthen students’ knowledge of data analytics and research methodology by working directly with elite athletes and state-of-the-science research facilities to optimize human performance and minimize injuries. Read more about the available internships and placement process on our Applied Skills page. This list is not exhaustive! If you are interested in an internship not listed here, we invite you to contact the program director.
Step 5: Earn your CPSS (optional)
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS) is an advanced certification that identifies individuals who have demonstrated their ability to interpret performance testing data and provide practical recommendations to guide evidence-based decision making. For example, this growing certification has now been adopted by Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League as the industry standard for certification.
While the CPSS certification is not necessarily required to work as a sport scientist (with some exceptions), students in the Pitt program will be prepared to sit for the exam following the completion of the degree and the experience gained during the program. Please see the NSCA website for the full list of requirements.
Step 6: Get out into the field!
Congratulations—you are now a sport scientist!
As a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, you will work in professional and collegiate settings, as strength and conditioning coaches in professional, collegiate, tactical, high school and private settings, and potentially pursue doctoral degrees in sport science. Your unique skillset involving various pieces of technology, data visualization and interpretation and the ability to communicate information to key stakeholders will separate you from your peers graduating from different institutions.
The network you have created during your time at Pitt can help you find one of many jobs available in the growing sports science field. Recent Pitt graduates have gone on to work with various sports teams including U.S. Ski and Snowboard, FC Cincinnati, Toronto Raptors, University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris University, Carnegie Mellon University, Catapult and Tread Athletics.
