Concentrations

Students must complete all MSU and KIN requirements for the Ph.D. degree, including area of concentration, breadth requirement, supporting area cognate, research cognate, research practicum, comprehensive exams, and dissertation. The exact program of study is specified in an individual program plan approved by the student’s guidance committee. 

The majority of KIN doctoral students prepare for careers in higher education; therefore, it is important that they acquire sufficient expertise and experience in research, teaching, and service to prepare for successful careers in the academy. Departmental expectations related to that goal are described in Expectations of Ph.D. Students, and related learning experiences are described in Professional Development Opportunities. These expectations are individualized for students during advising and guidance committee meetings.

Consult the Description of Courses catalog for a full listing of courses. 

Athletic Training

The primary purpose of the doctoral degree concentration in athletic training is to develop scholars who are competent in teaching, conducting research, and serving in leadership roles in athletic training, physical education, sport, fitness, and educational organizations.

KIN 820 – Advanced Clinical Evaluation (3 credits)
KIN 822 – Rehabilitation Techniques for Muscle Dysfunctions (3 credits)
KIN 825 – Injury Control for Sports and Recreation (3 credits)
KIN 870 – Physical Activity and Well Being (3 credits)
KIN 920 – Issues in Athletic Training (1-9 credits)
KIN 990 – Independent Study in Kinesiology (1-6 credits)

Students in the athletic training concentration often complete external cognates in areas of study such as epidemiology, human nutrition, counseling and educational psychology, and educational administration. Sample courses are listed below.

EPI 810 – Introduction to Descriptive and Analytical Epidemiology (3 credits)
EPI 812 – Causal Inference in Epidemiology (3 credits)
EPI 814 – Nutritional Epidemiology (3 credits)
EPI 815 – Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease (3 credits)
EPI 826 – Research Methods in Epidemiology (3 credits)
LCS 829 – Design and Conduct of EPI Studies and Clinical Trials (3 credits)
HNF 311 – Principles of Human Nutrition (4 credits)
HNF 457 Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition (3 credits)
HNF 460 – Advanced Human Nutrition (5 credits)
HNF 463 – Nutrition and Human Development (3 credits)
HNF 474 – Drug-Nutrient Interactions (2 credits)
HNF 891 – Topics Courses in Human Nutrition (1-3 credits)
HNF 935 – Nutrition: Lipid and Carbohydrate Metabolism (3 credits)
HNF 936 – Protein Nutrition and Metabolism (3 credits)
HNF 937 – Mineral Nutrition and Metabolism (3 credits)
HNF 938 – Nutrition: Metabolism and Function of Vitamins (3 credits)
PHM 350 – Introduction to Human Pharmacology (3 credits)
PHM 810 – Synaptic Transmission (3 credits)
PHM 813 – Cardiac Pharmacology (3 credits)
PHM 819 – Principles of Drug-Tissue Interactions (3 credits)
PHM 820 – Drug Actions, Effects and Uses (5 credits)
PHM 980 – Problems in Pharmacology/Biometry (3 credits)
CEP 860 – Stress Management (3 credits)
CEP 861 – Counseling, Theory, Philosophy, and Ethics (3 credits)
CEP 862 – Counseling: Introduction to Individual and Group Processes (3 credits)
CEP 863 – Counseling and Consulting Models and Strategies (3 credits)
CEP 934 – Multivariate Data Analysis (4 credits)
CEP 935 – Advanced Topics in Multivariate Data Analysis (4 credits)
CEP 961 – Perspectives on Diversity in Counseling Psychology (4 credits)

Exercise Physiology

The doctoral concentration in exercise physiology is designed to prepare students for careers in teaching, research, and/or clinical settings.

Students who pursue the concentration in exercise physiology have opportunities to participate in research exploring the relationship between exercise and the various physiological systems, and the interaction of exercise with such factors as diet and disease across the lifespan.

In addition to specific coursework in physiology of exercise, all students will study research design and practice through additional required coursework and research practicum experience.  Students are expected to present dissertation results at national/international conferences and to publish their work in leading peer-reviewed journals.  

Core courses in exercise physiology

KIN 810 – Metabolic Responses to Exercise (3 credits)
KIN 811 – Methods of Physiological Evaluation and Exercise Prescription (2 credits)
KIN 812 – Cardiorespiratory Responses to Exercise (3 credits)
KIN 813 – Neuromuscular Responses to Exercise (3 credits)
KIN 814 – Endocrine Responses to Exercise (3 credits)
KIN 910 – Current Issues in Exercise Physiology (3-9 credits)

Other courses often included in the program plan

PSL 431-432 – Human Physiology I and II (3 credits)
CEM 351-352- Organic Chemistry I and II (3 credits)
BCH 401 – Basic Biochemistry (4 credits) or 
BCH 461-462 – Biochemistry I and II (6 credits)
BCH 802 – Metabolic Regulation & Molecular Endocrinology (4 credits) or BCH 831 – Physiological Biochemistry (4 credits)
KIN 870 – Physical Activity and Well Being (3 credits)
KIN 990 – Independent Study in Kinesiology (1-6 credits) 

Students in the exercise physiology concentration often complete external cognates in areas of study such as physiology, epidemiology, human nutrition, pharmacology, public health, and zoology. 

Cognitive and Motor Neuroscience

The doctoral degree concentration in Cognitive and Motor Neuroscience is designed to prepare students who are competent theoretical or applied researchers, university teachers, and leaders in outreach to educational units, government agencies, and professional associations.  Motor development is viewed as a life-long process, with change occurring throughout the lifespan.  

The faculty seek to develop scholars who examine these life-cycle changes in motor behavior, not only to systematically describe their nature and extent, but also to study the processes and subsystems underlying change and to explain and predict such changes.

KIN 860 – Growth and Motor Behavior (3 credits)
KIN 861 – Growth, Maturation, and Physical Activity (3 credits)
KIN 840 – Psychosocial Aspects of Physical Activity (3 credits)
KIN 960 – Current Issues in Motor Behavior (3-9 credits)
KIN 990 – Independent Study in Kinesiology (1-6 credits)
FCE 822 – Assessment of the Young Child (3 credits)
FCE 824 – Middle Childhood Development and Interventions: Family School Community Setting (3 credits)
FCE 860 – Youth Policy and Positive Youth Development (3 credits)
FCE 861 – Community Youth Development (3 credits) 

Students in the growth and motor development concentration often complete external cognates in areas of study such as family and child ecology, psychology, K-12 administration, and teacher education. 

Psychosocial Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity

The primary purpose of the doctoral concentration in psychosocial aspects of sport and physical activity is to develop scholars who are competent in teaching, conducting research, and serving in leadership roles in physical education, sport, fitness, and educational organizations. Students at the doctoral level typically specialize in sport psychology or sport sociology. 

  • Sport psychology examines the influence of psychological variables on motor performance and the influence of sport and physical activity participation on psychological phenomena.
  • Sport sociology examines social structures on sport and physical activity, as well as the social significance of sport and physical activity from different theoretical perspectives. 

KIN 840 – Psychosocial Aspects of Physical Activity (3 credits)
KIN 841 – Stress Management Techniques in Athletics (3 credits)
KIN 845 – Sociocultural Practices in Sport (3 credits)
KIN 858 – Student Athlete Development (3 credits)
KIN 940 – Issues in Psychosocial Aspects of Physical Activity (1-9 credits)
KIN 990 – Independent Study in Kinesiology (1-6 credits) 

Students in this concentration often complete external cognates in areas of study such as psychology, counseling, women’s studies, sociology, communications, and measurement and quantitative methods.