School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation

Departmental E-mail: hper [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.hper.indiana.edu

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin. Requirements may or may not be reflected identically in departmental URLs.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Doctor of Philosophy in environmental health, epidemiology, health behavior, leisure behavior, and human performance. There are five emphases under human performance: Adapted Physical Education, Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, Motor Learning/Control, and Sport Management. In addition, the School of Health, Physi­cal Education, and Recreation offers the following graduate degrees: Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Applied Health Science, in Kine­siology, and in Recreation; and dual degrees, (1) Master of Public Health and Master of Arts in Russian and East European Studies and (2) Master of Public Health and Master of Arts in African Studies. For dual degrees, students must be admitted by both units. For full information on degrees, see this Bulletin and the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Bulletin.

Program Information

The Ph.D. is a research degree especially designed to prepare graduates for careers in fields devoted to the study of environmental health, epidemiology, health behavior, human performance and leisure behavior. Specific emphases currently available in human performance include adapted physical education, biomechanics, exercise physiology, motor learning/control, and sport management. Other areas of study are also available for graduate degrees offered through the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.

Special School Requirements

(See also general Graduate School requirements.)

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Ph.D. in environmental health, epidemiology, health behavior, human perfor­mance, or leisure behavior must possess at least the equivalent of an undergraduate minor in the field of study to be pursued. Appropriate academic background in the physical, biologi­cal, and social and behavioral sciences is required. Prescribed deficiency work ordinarily cannot be counted among credit hours required for the degree. Other admission criteria are grade point averages earned in all undergraduate and gradu­ate work, scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test, and letters of recommendation from professors or others who are able to evaluate the applicant’s potential for success in advanced graduate study. Admission applications can be completed online at www.gradapp.indiana.edu/.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 90 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, of which at least 30 credit hours must be in the major area of emphasis. The remaining credit hours are to be distrib­uted among the minor(s), supportive electives that include a substantial amount of work in statistics and research methodol­ogy, and dissertation (20-30 credit hours). Fifteen (15) credit hours excluding courses taken to complete the research and languages requirement are required outside of the student’s major department.

Elective or minor course work must clearly support the devel­opment of research competency in the major field. Frequent involvement in research projects (with or without academic credit) is essential to the program. Deficiencies in course work must be removed during the first year of study.

All Ph.D. students must present T590 and T591, or their equiva­lents, as prerequisites to the major work.

Grades

All doctoral students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 (B). Grades of C- (1.7) and below will be calculated in the student’s grade point average, but courses in which such grades are earned cannot be counted toward degree require­ments.

Minor(s)

At least one minor in a supporting area outside the major department is required, which must be in a discipline related to, but distinct from, the major field(s) of study. The number of required credit hours is determined by the unit in which the minor is taken (usually 12-15).

Foreign Language/Research-Skill Requirement

A minimum grade of B (3.0) required in each course used to meet this requirement.

One of four options:

1. reading proficiency in two languages;
2. proficiency in depth in one language;
3. reading proficiency in one language plus an approved research skill;
4. other approved combination of research skills (9 credit hour minimum).

The option pursued must clearly enhance the student’s ability to pursue research in the specific field of study and must have the approval of the student’s advisory committee and the as­sociate dean of academic program administration.
Research skills may be selected from, but are not limited to, areas such as computer science, mathematics, electronics, engineering, chemistry, and statistics.

Qualifying Examination

Written and oral; may not be taken until the student is within one course of completing all prescribed course work and the foreign language/research-skill requirement has been complet­ed. Examination periods are regularly scheduled for September, February, and June. Applications must be filed at least 30 days in advance.

Research Proposal

The proposal meeting will be open to faculty and students in the university community. During the first portion the student will formally present her/his dissertation proposal in an open forum. Committee members and visitors will have the opportu­nity to ask questions. Visitors will leave after the formal presen­tation. The remaining time will be determined by the student’s research committee.

Final Examination

Oral defense of the dissertation.

Ph.D. Minor

Doctoral students in other departments can complete a minor in a specific emphasis by satisfactorily completing 15 credit hours of graduate-level course work which has been approved by the minor field representative on the doctoral advisory com­mittee. A qualifying examination is required.

Ph.D. track in Human Performance with an emphasis in adapted physical education

 For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 30 credits of courses which the student must complete in the human performance major.  For students with an emphasis in adapted physical education, this prescribed course work is focused on the modification of physical education to meet the needs of individuals with gross motor developmental delays. The prescribed research skill courses, along with those courses prescribed in the major, minor, and elective portions of each student’s course prescription are selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research yielding advancements in the field of adapted physical education.

 Ph.D. track in Human Performance with an emphasis in biomechanics

 For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 30 credits of courses which the student must complete in the human performance major.  For students with an emphasis in  biomechanics, the major course work involves an application of the laws of mechanics to human structure and function in an effort to maximize athletic performance.  The prescribed research skill courses, along with those courses prescribed in the major, minor, and elective portions of each student’s course prescription are selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research yielding advancements in the field of biomechanics.

 Ph.D. track in Human Performance with an emphasis in exercise physiology

 For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 30 credits of courses which the student must complete in the human performance major.  For students with an emphasis in exercise physiology, the major course work serves to build the student’s understanding of how the various cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems respond to challenges posed by exercise and physical training, with the primary goal of achievement of optimal performance. The prescribed research skill courses, along with those courses prescribed in the major, minor, and elective portions of each student’s course prescription are selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research yielding advancements in the field of exercise physiology.

 Ph.D. track in Human Performance with an emphasis in motor learning/control

 For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 30 credits of courses which the student must complete in the human performance major.  For students with an emphasis in motor learning/control, this course work focuses on the neuromuscular aspects related to the execution of human movement and learning. A variety of neuroscience courses related to the control of human movement are prescribed. The prescribed research skill courses, along with courses in the major, minor, and elective portions of each student’s course prescription are selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research yielding advancements in the field of motor learning and motor control. General research topics include strength acquisition, goal-directed movement control, and the effects of human aging on movement execution with emphasis given to postural control and balance.

 Ph.D. track in Human Performance with an emphasis in sport management

For each doctoral student in this academic program, a faculty advisory committee individually prescribes a minimum of 30 credits of courses which the student must complete in the human performance major.  For students with an emphasis in sport management, the prescribed course work provides the student with a thorough foundation in sport, with a focus on a student’s primary interest, such as business, or communication, or history. The prescribed research skill courses, along with courses in the major, minor, and elective portions of each student’s course prescription are selected to prepare the student to design and conduct research yielding advancements in the field of sport management.