CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1
Graduate Study

CHAPTER 2
Admission and
Registration

CHAPTER 3
Degree
Requirements

CHAPTER 4
Fields
of Study

CHAPTER 5
Members of
Graduate Studies
Committees

APPENDIX
Course
Abbreviations

Kinesiology and Health Education

Degrees Offered
Master of Arts
Master of Education
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Education

Facilities for Graduate Work

Excellent teaching and research laboratories are available to graduate students in kinesiology and health education. Special classrooms and computer facilities are available, as well as teaching laboratories for human anatomy, biomechanics, exercise physiology, exercise and sport psychology, motor control and learning, physical development and aging, and athletic training. Research laboratories are available for both basic and applied research with whole-body and subcellular investigations. Also available for field research are various schools, institutions, and agencies in Austin and surrounding communities.

Areas of Study

Students major in health education or kinesiology. The program in health education emphasizes a biobehavioral, developmental, and research-based approach to health promotion across the life span. The program provides students with a solid background in the social and behavioral foundations of health. Students have the opportunity to design a course of study suited to their interests and the research interests of the faculty. The program prepares students for academic, research, and applied careers in health promotion.

Students in kinesiology specialize in exercise physiology, motor behavior, sport management, or interdisciplinary sports studies. Within exercise physiology, master's degree students concentrate their work in clinical exercise physiology, sport sciences and nutrition, exercise and sport psychology, human performance, or exercise biochemistry. Students in motor behavior combine work in biomechanics, motor control and learning, and physical development and aging or have the opportunity for in-depth concentration within one of these areas.

Students in either health education or kinesiology may also pursue a broader program, without specialization, that leads to the Master of Education degree.

Graduate Studies Committee

The following faculty members served on the Graduate Studies Committee in the spring semester 2002-2003.

Admission Requirements

A student who lacks the prerequisite coursework described in this section may be admitted to the Graduate School, but he or she must then complete coursework in the appropriate areas in addition to degree requirements.

Health Education

Health education. To be admitted to the Master of Education program without specialization, the applicant must have completed an undergraduate major or at least twelve semester hours of upper-division coursework in physical education, kinesiology, or health education.

Health promotion. An applicant to the Master of Arts or Master of Education degree program with specialization in health promotion must have completed an undergraduate major in health education or a related discipline; the applicant must have completed at least three semester hours of coursework in each of the following areas: theory and methods of health education and/or health promotion, biological sciences, behavioral sciences, and statistics.

Doctoral degree programs. An undergraduate major in health education or a related discipline is required; the student must hold a master's degree or the equivalent and must have completed at least three semester hours of coursework in each of the following areas: biological sciences, behavioral sciences, theory and methods of health education and/or health promotion, and statistics. The applicant must also be sponsored by a member of the Graduate Studies Committee. Applicants to the PhD program must demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research.

Kinesiology

Kinesiology. To be admitted to the Master of Education program without specialization, the applicant must have completed an undergraduate major or at least twelve semester hours of upper-division coursework in physical education, kinesiology, and/or health education.

Exercise physiology or motor behavior. An applicant to the master's or doctoral degree program with specialization in exercise physiology or motor behavior must have an undergraduate major in kinesiology or a related discipline; the student must have completed coursework in: human anatomy, exercise physiology, and biomechanics. Applicants to the motor behavior specialization must have completed coursework in motor control and learning; applicants to the exercise physiology specialization must have completed coursework in vertebrate physiology. Doctoral applicants must also be sponsored by a member of the Graduate Studies Committee and must demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research.

Sport management. For admission to the master's or doctoral degree program with specialization in sport management, an undergraduate major in kinesiology or a related discipline is required; the student must have completed coursework in management and marketing and in two of the following areas: sport ethics/philosophy, sport history, sport law, and sport sociology. Doctoral applicants must also be sponsored by a member of the Graduate Studies Committee and must demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts

Master of Arts with thesis. The kinesiology program consists of at least thirty semester hours of graduate study. The health education program consists of at least thirty-six semester hours of graduate study. Students concentrate coursework and research in an area of departmental specialization. Of the nine semester hours of upper-division coursework allowed in the program, no more than six hours may be included in either the major or the minor. The minor field consists of six semester hours taken outside the department. A statistics course, a research methods course, and the thesis course are required.

Master of Arts with report. This option is available only in kinesiology. The program consists of at least thirty-three semester hours of graduate study. Students concentrate coursework and research in an area of departmental specialization. Of the nine semester hours of upper-division coursework allowed in the program, no more than six hours may be included in either the major or the minor. The minor field consists of six semester hours taken outside the department. A statistics course, a course in research methods, and the report course are required.

Master of Education

This degree program consists of at least thirty-six semester hours of graduate study. Students concentrate coursework in an area of departmental specialization or pursue a broader program in either kinesiology or health education. Of the nine semester hours of upper-division coursework allowed in the program, no more than six hours may be included in either the major or the minor. All specializations require at least twenty-one semester hours of approved coursework within the department and six hours outside the department. To complete any of the specializations, satisfactory performance in an approved culminating experience is required.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy is a research degree designed to prepare students as scholars in a designated area of specialization.

The Doctor of Philosophy with a major in health education provides a specialization in health promotion or behavioral health. Each student designs a program appropriate to his or her research interests. The program with a specialization in health promotion must include at least eighteen semester hours of core coursework in health education and a twenty-four-hour area concentration. The area concentration must consist of twelve hours of organized coursework taken within and twelve hours taken outside the department. In addition, the student must complete nine hours of graduate coursework in statistics and research methods. The program with a specialization in behavioral health must include at least twenty-one semester hours of core coursework in health education and a twenty-one-hour area concentration. The area concentration must consist of nine hours of organized coursework taken within and twelve hours taken outside the department. In addition, the student must complete twelve hours of graduate coursework in statistics and research methods. Students in both specializations must complete research experience that includes at least six hours of independent study and eighteen hours in the dissertation courses.

The Doctor of Philosophy with a major in kinesiology involves specialization in exercise physiology, motor behavior, sport management, or interdisciplinary sport studies. Exercise physiology involves in-depth study in human performance or exercise biochemistry. Motor behavior students concentrate in biomechanics, motor control and learning, or physical development and aging. Sport management involves training students to undertake research in the management and marketing of sport organizations and enterprises. Interdisciplinary sport studies involves coursework in at least one academic department on campus other than the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education; the curriculum includes sport history, exercise history, sport and gender, and other sociocultural aspects of sport.

Each student completes coursework in preparation for a comprehensive examination in one of these specializations. The program also includes a departmental elective taken outside the area of specialization; six semester hours of graduate coursework in statistics, biometry, or an appropriate area of mathematics; nine hours of supporting work outside the department; research experience that includes at least six hours of independent study; and eighteen hours in the dissertation courses.

During the student's first year in the program, the student and the adviser form a committee including two other faculty members chosen on the basis of the student's research interests. This advisory committee supervises the student's program of study, which also must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. Prior to admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree, the student must successfully complete the comprehensive examination covering the area of specialization. The student must present the dissertation proposal to the Graduate Studies Committee. The dissertation must represent an independent scholarly investigation of a problem pertinent to the field of kinesiology or health education. It deals with basic questions in the area of specialization and must constitute a scholarly contribution to the body of knowledge in the profession.

More detailed program descriptions and requirements for each of the specializations are available from the graduate adviser.

Doctor of Education

The Doctor of Education is a professional degree program that emphasizes preparation for the highest levels of educational practice.

The Doctor of Education with a major in health education is designed to prepare students for leadership roles in educational institutions, community health care settings, business and industry, government agencies, and voluntary health agencies. Minimum requirements are eighteen semester hours of core courses in health education; nine hours of applied research; a twenty-four-hour concentration of organized coursework that includes twelve hours in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education and twelve hours (the minor) in one of the following: administration, curriculum and program design, health communications, program evaluation, public affairs, and human development; and eighteen hours in the dissertation courses. The program normally includes a three- to nine-hour internship in an operational setting that is distinct from previous or concurrent work experience.

During the student's first year in the program, the student and the adviser form a committee that includes two other faculty members chosen on the basis of the student's research interests. This advisory committee supervises the student's program of study, which must also be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. Prior to admission to candidacy for the degree, the student must successfully complete the comprehensive examination covering the area of specialization. The student must present the dissertation proposal to the Graduate Studies Committee. The dissertation must represent an independent scholarly investigation of a problem pertinent to the field of health education. It must be an original contribution to scholarship based on an investigation of problems associated with professional practice.

More detailed program descriptions and requirements for each of the specializations are available from the graduate adviser.

The University also has approval to offer the Doctor of Education degree with a major in kinesiology. For information about the status of this program, contact the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education.

For More Information

Campus address: L. Theo Bellmont Hall (BEL) 222, phone (512) 471-1273, fax (512) 471-8914; campus mail code: D3700

Mailing address: The University of Texas at Austin, Graduate Program, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, 1 University Station D3700, Austin TX 78712-0360

E-mail: khegradinfo@teachnet.edb.utexas.edu

URL: http://www.utexas.edu/education/kinesiology/gradprograms.html

Health Education Courses: HED
Kinesiology Courses: KIN

Graduate Catalog
Contents
Chapter 1 - Graduate Study
Chapter 2 - Admission and Registration
Chapter 3 - Degree Requirements
Chapter 4 - Fields of Study
Chapter 5 - Members of Graduate Studies Committees
Appendix - Course Abbreviations

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Office of the Registrar
University of Texas at Austin

12 August 2003. Office of the Registrar

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