How to decide if an online Master’s is for you
I share my experiences of pursuing an online/distance learning Master’s — the benefits, drawbacks and how you can decide whether it is the best fit for you.
While contemplating on what kind of a master’s program to pursue a few years back, I remember the nerves and the intense thoughts passing through my mind.
As you are thinking of applying for or have already applied for a distance learning Master’s in sport and exercise psychology (SEP), or in any other field, it must be an exciting time to get started on this journey of learning and development. I hope the words that follow express my experience of pursuing a master’s from Staffordshire University and help guide your decision while offering you another perspective.
In this article, I share solely my experiences and observations from the year I went deeper into a field that I have only become more passionate about. As you ponder over your future and vision, I cannot help but underscore the importance of doing your own research well in advance to find out the path that is best for you! Needless to say, but I shall say it, the views presented are mine alone. If you have wondered whether distance learning is for you, stick till the end and get to your conclusion.
What do I cover in this deep dive?
- What prompted me to pursue this program
- What I liked about the program
- What aspects could have been different
- Key skills you should develop to successfully complete your program and apply the knowledge learnt
- How you can decide if distance learning education suits you
Before I dive into the deeper end of the pool, let me contextualise my then background. I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to work in sport psychology at Samiksha Sports in the preceding years, where I got to not only dip my feet in the water, but go well beyond that and look beneath the water to see the world it nurtures. With a thorough exposure to the ground realities of this field, I felt ready to begin this master’s.
What drove me towards this program:
I was driven to select this program because it afforded me the option of being at home, continuing work and studying towards the degree. The program has been designed in a flexible way that helped me learn the course material at my own pace. A major deciding factor was the comparatively less expensive tuition fee as compared to other on-campus programs. Most importantly, this program is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). To have a look at the important associations in case you are looking at getting licensed in the UK to work in the applied world, read my article here. As a former footballer with a natural interest in team sports, the group dynamics and leadership module caught my attention — I got introduced to this research and applied area with plenty of interesting and relevant paths to forge on to ultimately guide athletes and teams.
The program would support me to sharpen my critical thinking skills and introduce me to the contemporary and classic research works in areas like performing under pressure, psychology of physical activity and the practice of sport and exercise psychology.
What I appreciated about the program:
The first thing I noticed at the start of my first semester was how open minded, encouraging and insightful all the faculty members were across multiple scenarios. Whether it was getting acquainted with becoming a distance learning student and understanding its related paraphernalia, perusing through the course material or needing academic support. The tutors were always responsive and eager to help. The diverse modes of learning such as recorded presentations, podcasts, journal readings and YouTube videos, all of which are downloadable, prompted me to go beyond the traditional style of learning from textbooks only. Podcasts by researchers and practitioners to learn about exercise and enjoyment and the different philosophies of practice in sport and exercise psychology?! I wouldn’t have thought about this before!
The university also offers good and easily accessible resources for academic writing, language support, preparing for assignments and other areas. You can also book appointments with advisors to discuss an issue you may be facing.
As for the academic elements, the learning outcomes and overall expectations from me were always communicated clearly through the program and various module handbooks. While the assignments were understandably challenging, they were equally enriching as I gained different perspectives and picked up valuable skills like critical thinking and analysis. The feedback I received mentioned my positives from the assignment and also stressed upon what I could have done more or differently — essentially, the feedback would leave me feeling motivated and eager to do better going forward while it would make me slightly nervous at times as well.
What could have been better:
Keeping in mind the program was online, and specifically designed to cater to individuals who have work and family commitments, peer learning and interactions were minimised to the discussion forums through text messaging. There were times when I felt that video interactions with fellow students would have added much needed value through learning about their perceptions of the field and their experiences.
Although there were a few webinars hosted to address assignment related queries of students, they could have been conducted more frequently to build a deeper rapport with peers and tutors. The hectic journey through the hairpin bends of modules and assignments surely felt lonely and uncertain. While traversing the unknowns, I sought refuge in my belief that I am meant to feel uncertain as I wouldn’t be doing this Master’s if I knew everything before itself. New knowledge and insights were beyond my comfort zone and while that was overwhelming, it assured me that I was on the right path.
A year after graduating, I read diverse work in cultural sport psychology that incorporates the important place and role of culture in working with athletes, teams and organizations. I then realised that the approach taught in the master’s did not emphasize on how research and the psychological interventions need to be specific to the cultures and broader identities that the athletes belong to from particular geographical regions.
All of the research articles introduced to me were predominantly based on athletes and sporting structures located in Europe and North America — colonial lands where being a white person is considered ‘normal’. There could have been discussions on power, privilege and race (including whiteness) to understand how they impact not only athletes and coaches in myriad ways, but also non-white sport psychologists who do not fit the conventional identities. As professionals, we have the responsibility of not only guiding athletes to improve their sport performances but to also support to realise their different identities, feel empowered as people and be mentally healthy. These aims become almost impossible to achieve when we barely consider the role of power dynamics in the relationships that we and athletes have with different professionals, and the privileges we hold as a matter of our intersecting identities.
For instance, being a white heterosexual man from a middle-class background affords one with privileges such as feeling secure and safe in society, not experiencing discrimination nor oppression on the basis of their race. So understanding sport psychology from a non-Western and non-White awareness could have added great value overall.
Key skills required:
In this journey, I encountered moments that taught me some vital skills and insights which can help you too.
- As the program is intense with an expectation that you absorb new knowledge consistently, being self-motivated and disciplined to make sense of the content and effectively prepare for assignments is necessary.
- Staring into your laptop for hours at a stretch looking for journal articles and thinking about what to write is stressful and challenging. Becoming aware of building a study-life balance at the onset of you program will help you manage stress as you disconnect and just be by yourself or do anything else before you resume work.
- Being genuinely committed and passionate about sport and exercise psychology will keep you in the game even when the going gets tough. Because as you work your way through the modules, it does get more difficult.
- Coherent and concise communication skills, verbally and through your writing, will bring you peace of mind as you strategise on how to give your presentation or make your arguments in an essay to successfully demonstrate your understanding to the tutors. As I sharpened my communication, I realised I was expressing myself in a much simpler and straightforward manner. The need to be concise works wonders on our mind as it arranges all the information lying within into a neat stack of slides.
Reflect on your goals and envision what you want your future to look like. Do you want to be a practitioner, a researcher and educator or a blend of everything? What do you want out of this Master’s degree? Clarity on these matters will facilitate more frequent interactions with your supervisor and other tutors by firstly expressing your goals and needs to them.
- If there is one skill that is absolutely essential as a student and professional, it is critical thinking. Understanding the strengths and areas for improvement of various articles, analysing and comparing findings from different research projects and communicating the conclusions and recommendations to the academic circles as well as the broader communities is an evolving process.
Unfortunately most of the time, especially in the Indian education system, students are only expected to vomit content they have memorised from textbooks — ‘explain the main characteristics of the self-determination theory (SDT)’, ‘what are the models of attention?’, ‘what is operant conditioning?’ and so on. The teaching style completely disregards students and does not ask them their own understanding of the concepts — what are the advantages, the drawbacks and students’ own views about a topic.
Is a distance learning master’s suited for you?
Ask yourself these questions to decide whether pursuing a virtual degree is worth your while:
- How much do I need and desire the flexibility to be at home, continue my work and/or study online?
- How would I feel about doing my coursework mainly by myself and not going to a university campus and experiencing the life and events over there?
- What are my financial goals and needs, and how can I invest in myself in the best way possible?
- What exactly do I want to do with my degree?
- In what ways can a particular program develop my knowledge and skills and train me in a holistic sense to ethically and effectively work with a sensitive population such as athletes of all ages hailing from diverse social and cultural backgrounds?
The journey continues
After wrapping up your master’s journey, it’s good to remind ourselves that this degree gives us a mere basic introduction to the main concepts in the field. It is an initial step towards becoming a sport psychology practitioner and/or a researcher. The content covered is barely enough to immediately start working, and requires students to pursue further training and qualifications (important links for the same are covered in the article linked above) to become an ethical and competent sport psychology professional.
Being mindful of the program’s remit, the module on practice in SEP only touches upon the applied aspects — it’s like taking a peak from the corner of a window. The additional training after graduation gives us the ability and the confidence to fully open the window to comprehend the nuances and get a broader picture of what is happening in the lives and careers of the people we work with and our role in their growth and healing.
Disclaimer:
This article does not constitute professional career support or counseling. I aim to share my experiences and ideas with the hope of addressing some questions you may have, and offer my perspective for you to consider.
In case you’re looking for personalised support to further your university application(s), to gain clarity about your goals, or to better navigate through a university program you are already pursuing, please get in touch by submitting the form.
Here’s my Sport & Exercise Psychology Education Guide if you are interested in going down that path!
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