Handbook - Department of Kinesiology

Programs

We currently offer three online graduate programs: a 10-credit Graduate Certificate (Sport Coaching), a 13-credit Graduate Certificate (Sport Leadership and Administration), and a 30-credit Master of Science.

Graduate Certificates

The Graduate Certificates in Sport Coaching and Sport Leadership and Administration provide opportunities for students to develop expertise in learning and using scientific knowledge and best practices related to coaching and developing athletes and leading sports programs at the intercollegiate, interscholastic, and community sports levels. They facilitate interdisciplinary knowledge in various issues related to coaching across the lifespan.

Master of Science

The Master of Science degree in Sport Coaching, Leadership, and Administration provides opportunities for students to develop expertise in learning and using scientific knowledge and best practices related to coaching and developing athletes and leading sports programs at the intercollegiate, interscholastic, community sports, and university levels. It facilitates interdisciplinary knowledge in various issues related to coaching across the lifespan. Practical experiences are available at high schools, within the university athletic department, and in other sports-related organizations and agencies.

Funding opportunities

The Professional Development Fellowship provides support to master’s students in the Sport Coaching, Leadership, and Administration master’s program. This fellowship can be used to offset costs associated with professional development activities such as travel, conference registration fees, and other related expenses. The primary goal of the fellowship is to reinvest in students as they advance in their careers, while also providing them the opportunity to represent the online master’s program to their professional peers and colleagues. Learn more about the Professional Development Fellowship.

Other funding opportunities

For details on other funding opportunities, students can contact:

Andrea Childress, Academic Specialist and Basic Instruction Program (BIP) Coordinator: childr46@msu.edu
Todd Edwards, Executive Director of Student Athlete Support Services (SASS): edwards@sass.msu.edu
Graduate Assistantship Inquiries: GraduateAssistants@hr.msu.edu
Teaching Assistant (TA) Contacts: Please refer to the appropriate department or college.

Additional resources and helpful links:

Matriculation & Progress to Degree

Acceptance and Enrollment

Once you receive a letter from the Graduate Program Coordinator indicating that you have been accepted to the program, you will have one year from your official start-date in which to begin your official enrollment in this program. Applications are processed for summer semester starts, so you will be able to delay your enrollment no later than the summer semester following acceptance into the program.

Communication

The default method of communication for the online programs is university email. You will be issued a university email address when you enroll in the program, and you should use that email address for correspondence regarding university business. Phone calls to business phones are also appropriate, and phone numbers can be found on the MSU people finder website. You can also control how much information is divulged about you at the MSU people finder website. Course instructors will explain the most proper means to communicate for each course in the course syllabus.

Advisement

Upon admission to a graduate program in Sport Coaching, Leadership, and Administration (either MS or Graduate Certificate), a student will be assigned a faculty advisor. This decision is based upon student interests as described in the academic statement of your application materials, as well as faculty expertise and availability. Usually, the temporary advisor becomes the permanent advisor; however, students may change to a different person if both the temporary and proposed new advisors are notified and agree to the change. This contact should be initiated through email and should include the Graduate Program Coordinator (scla@educ.msu.edu).

Attendance

In accordance with federal regulations, instructors are required to report students who stop attending or who have never attended class without formally withdrawing from the course. Note that for online courses, attendance can be construed as participation in course activities (e.g., discussion forums, meeting with instructor, completion of initial assignments).

Final Certificate for Graduation

Each student must apply for graduation with the MSU Registrar’s Office. This can be done through the online graduation application, or in person at Room 150 Administration Building. The application should be made during the first week of the semester one wishes to graduate. This will produce a Final Certification form that is to be completed and signed by the academic advisor and submitted to the Kinesiology Graduate Secretary.

The course finishes with KIN 896, offered in any semester. Commencement information will be sent to each degree candidate midway through their final semester. Commencements are held Fall and Spring semesters.

Course Offerings

Courses for the MS degree

The MS program plan has two concentrations, the Coaching concentration and the Sport Administration concentration. The concentrations differ in the required number of courses in each of the cognate areas. Student must complete 30 credits distributed as follows:

Coaching Concentration

Required courses (6 credits):

KIN 852 – Ethics in Sport Coaching and Leadership (1 credit)
KIN 872 – Coaching Science: Applied Research (3 credits)
KIN 896 – Integrative Capstone in Sport Coaching and Leadership (2 credits)

Selectives (15 credits):

Physical Cognate: TWO of the following courses:

KIN 829 – Safety and Injury Control (3 credits)
KIN 856 – Physical Bases of Coaching Athletes (3 credits)
KIN 865 – Stages of Athlete Development (3 credits)
KIN 868 – Skill Development in Athletes (3 credits)

Psychosocial Cognate: TWO of the following courses:

KIN 846 – Sociocultural Issues for Sport Practitioners (3 credits)
KIN 849 – Theory and Practice of Modern Sport Leadership (3 credits)
KIN 855 – Psychosocial Bases of Coaching Athletes (3 credits)
KIN 857 – Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Sport (3 credits)

Administration Cognate: ONE of the following courses:

KIN 851 – The Sport Enterprise (3 credits)
KIN 853 – Athletic Administration and Governance (3 credits)
KIN 854 – Legal and Administrative Issues for Administrators and Coaches (3 credits)

Electives (6 credits):

Choose ONE additional course from either the PHYSICAL or PSYCHOSOCIAL cognate
Choose ONE elective course (consult with your advisor first)

Practicum or Internship (3 credits):

KIN 880 – Sport Coaching and Leadership Practicum (Strongly recommended)
KIN 893 – Sport Administration Internship (Appropriate in some cases)

Sport Administration Concentration

Required courses (18 credits):

KIN 849 – Theory and Practice of Modern Sport Leadership (3 credits)
KIN 852 – Ethics in Sport Coaching and Leadership (1 credit)
KIN 872 – Coaching Science: Applied Research (3 credits)
KIN 896 – Integrative Capstone in Sport Coaching and Leadership (2 credits)
ALL courses from the Administration cognate (9 credits)
- KIN 851 – The Sport Enterprise (3 credits)
- KIN 853 – Athletic Administration and Governance (3 credits)
- KIN 854 – Legal and Administrative Issues for Administrators and Coaches (3 credits)

Selectives (6 credits):

Physical Cognate: ONE of the following courses:

KIN 829 – Safety and Injury Control (3 credits)
KIN 856 – Physical Bases of Coaching Athletes (3 credits)
KIN 865 – Stages of Athlete Development (3 credits)
KIN 868 – Skill Development in Athletes (3 credits)

Psychosocial Cognate: ONE of the following courses:

KIN 846 – Sociocultural Issues for Sport Practitioners (3 credits)
KIN 849 – Theory and Practice of Modern Sport Leadership (3 credits)
KIN 855 – Psychosocial Bases of Coaching Athletes (3 credits)
KIN 857 – Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Sport (3 credits)

Electives (3 credits):

Choose ONE elective course (consult with your advisor first)

Internship or Practicum (3 credits):

KIN 893 – Sport Administration Internship (Strongly recommended)
KIN 880 – Sport Coaching and Leadership Practicum (Appropriate in some cases)

Courses for the Graduate Certificates

Sport Coaching Certificate (10 credits)

Required course (1 credit):

KIN 852 – Ethics in Sport Coaching, Leadership, and Administration (Spring or Summer)

Selectives (9 credits) – Choose from the following courses:

Physical Cognate (1-2 courses)

KIN 829 – Safety and Injury Control (Summer)
KIN 856 – Physical Bases of Coaching (Summer)
KIN 865 – Stages of Athlete Development (Spring)
KIN 868 – Skill Development in Athletes (Spring)

Psychosocial Cognate (1-2 courses)

KIN 846 – Sociocultural Issues for Sport Practitioners (Summer)
KIN 849 – Theory and Practice of Modern Sport Leadership (Spring)
KIN 855 – Psychosocial Bases of Coaching (Fall)
KIN 857 – Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Sport (Fall)

Sport Leadership and Administration Certificate (13 credits)

Required courses (13 credits):

KIN 849 – Theory and Practice of Modern Sport Leadership (Spring)
KIN 851 – The Sport Enterprise (Summer)
KIN 852 (1 credit) – Ethics in Sport Coaching, Leadership, and Administration (Spring or Summer)
KIN 853 – Athletic Administration and Governance (Fall)
KIN 854 – Legal and Administrative Issues for Administrators and Coaches (Spring)

Note: Students who have been admitted to the graduate certificate program are eligible to enroll in additional courses open to students in the MS program, but these courses cannot be substituted for a required course.

Course descriptions

Up-to-date course descriptions can be found online via the Office of the Registrar.

Courses with special requirements

KIN 872 – Coaching Science & Applied Research

This course is designed to introduce the student to the field of sport coaching and leadership, the process of scientific inquiry, and to help develop projects that will need to be pursued as part of degree completion. The student will have an option of taking the course fully online (typically section 73x) or as a hybrid course (typically section 74x). The hybrid and online sections will be co-instructed in the same online course management system, but the hybrid section will require an additional 6 days of on-campus learning. This on-campus portion will typically be held in mid-June, and the official dates will be announced before the application deadline for the next summer cohort.

Policies

Grades

Students in this program and at Michigan State University are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.0. A student with a cumulative grade-point average below 3.0 may be subject to academic review and in some cases academic probation or dismissal from the graduate program.

Grades in this program are the prerogative of the instructor and the grading system which they employ and describe in the course syllabus. All issues of grading should first be a conversation between student and instructor.

MSU uses a 4.0 grading system. Grade specifications are set by the instructor of each course and are clearly outlined in the appropriate course syllabus. Questions about requirements for grades in individual courses should be directed to the attention of the course instructor at the outset of the course. Once grades have been submitted to the Registrar’s Office, they may only be changed by the course instructor through a written application, and all applications must be approved by the Dean’s office (please note that many applications are rejected).

Graduate School Standards

A 3.00 cumulative grade point average for all courses counting toward the master’s degree is the minimum University and program standard. If a student’s grade point average falls below this minimum in any given term, a letter of warning is issued by the Graduate School (Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities). The student will be expected to work with their academic advisor on strategies to insure appropriate progress towards degree and reconstituting minimum standards of academic progress. A student who fails to meet the standards set by the University, college, and department or school will not be permitted to continue to enroll in the degree program.

Incomplete or Deferred Grades

A student who, for compelling reasons, finds it necessary to postpone the submission of required coursework may petition their instructor for the grade of Incomplete (I) or Deferred (DF). A letter for this request must be completed by the instructor of the course and contain all information requested, including a description of the work the student will complete and the due date, which cannot be later than the date specified in the academic calendar. The form must be signed by the student and the instructor. The last day to request an incomplete and submit the form is indicated in the academic calendar. The grade of I or DF shall remain on the student’s transcript until a grade has been submitted by the instructor.

A grade of “I” or incomplete may be given after a student has satisfactorily completed 12 weeks of the course but is unable to complete the work within the allotted time period because of “illness or other compelling reason,” and the professor believes that the student can complete the work without repeating the course. The required work must be completed, and a grade must be reported to the Office of the Registrar, no later than the middle of the student’s next semester in attendance (summer session excluded) if that semester is within one calendar year following receipt of the I-Incomplete.

A grade of “DF” or Deferred may be given only to graduate students who are doing satisfactory work but cannot complete it because of reasons acceptable to the instructor. Deferred grades need to be resolved within one year, although the instructor may stipulate a shorter time frame. The required work must be completed and a grade reported within six months (190 calendar days from the last class day of the term of instruction), with the option of a single six-month extension (190 calendar days).

Annual review of student progress

Written evaluations shall be communicated to the graduate student at least once a year, and a copy of such evaluations shall be placed in the graduate student’s file. A student whose performance does not meet the standards of quality will not be permitted to continue to enroll in the degree program, and appropriate action will be taken by the Department of Kinesiology. The academic advisor and academic unit are jointly responsible for evaluating the student’s competency (as indicated by, e.g., grades in core and other courses, portfolio development, and development of professional skills) and rate of progress (as indicated by, e.g., the number of courses for which grades have been assigned or deferred).

End-of-semester audit of grades

Grade report forms for graduate students are delivered to the Kinesiology Graduate Secretary. Before those forms are forwarded to faculty advisors, the Graduate Studies Secretary will identify students who are not making adequate progress with respect to grades in courses, namely: (a) a cumulative grade point average of less than 3.0; (b) any grade of less than 3.0 in a required course; or (c) DF grades in two or more courses (exclusive of KIN 880, KIN 890, or KIN 896) for the semester. The Kinesiology Graduate Studies Coordinator will then send email notices to those students and their advisors, reminding them of the guidelines for adequate academic progress.

Annual audit of academic progress

Each year in January, the KIN Graduate Studies Coordinator and KIN Graduate Secretary conduct an audit of the academic progress of all KIN graduate students. A spreadsheet containing academic progress data (columns) for every KIN graduate student (rows) will be prepared, and cells will be highlighted in cases where data indicate that the student is not making adequate academic progress. The annotated spreadsheet will be disseminated to all faculty members who advise graduate students for discussion at a subsequent faculty meeting. The faculty as a group will decide whether the highlighted concerns warrant academic probation or dismissal from the degree program

Faculty decisions related to academic progress

Faculty may elect to make any of the following three decisions.

No action – if there is a reasonable explanation for the inadequate academic progress.
Academic probation – if the faculty are convinced that the problem can be remedied within one calendar year. In this case, the graduate studies coordinator will send a registered letter to the student and advisor notifying them of the faculty decision and requesting that the student develop a remediation plan with specific objectives, activities and timeline. The student and advisor must submit the remediation plan to the graduate studies coordinator. The graduate studies coordinator will monitor implementation of the remediation plan for one semester.
Dismissal from the degree program – If the faculty are convinced that a student will be unable to achieve adequate academic progress despite intervention and/or additional time to complete the degree (an approved Request for Extension of Time to Complete Degree Requirements), the faculty may choose to dismiss the student from the degree program by a 75% vote of the faculty members in attendance at the meeting (per the KIN Bylaws, a quorum for a KIN faculty meeting is a majority of voting faculty members).

Appeal of a decision to dismiss from the degree program

A graduate student who has been dismissed from a KIN graduate degree program by a vote of the KIN faculty may appeal such a decision by contacting the Associate Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Education and following the procedures established by that office.

Transfer credit policies

Students may apply to transfer a maximum of 9 credits into this program. Credit transfer applications are evaluated by faculty on a case-by-case basis, where faculty are looking for adequate overlap in both academic content and academic rigor. Students must indicate what courses they are requesting to replace through the transfer credit application. Only graduate level courses will be considered for transfer credit.

Students who complete the 10-credit (Sport Coaching) or 13-credit (Sport Leadership and Administration) graduate certificates and who are subsequently admitted to the MS in Sport Coaching and Leadership may apply to have nine of these credits rolled into the master’s degree program.

Continuous enrollment

In order to maintain active enrollment status in either graduate program (MS or Graduate Certificate), a student must take at least one credit in each calendar year.

Application for readmission. Students who do not meet the appropriate continuous enrollment requirement must apply for readmission to the program. The appropriate forms can be found at the Registrar’s Readmission Procedure website.

Credit load

Students are generally advised to take between 6-9 credits each semester, depending on the student’s estimation of available time and resources to meet course requirements. In some circumstances, a 12-credit load could be discussed with the advisor. Minimum credit loads are governed by the policies of continuous enrollment (see previous section).

Students with graduate assistantships or federal loan requirements that specify minimum credit loads for each semester as a condition for financial assistance should discuss an appropriate enrollment plan with their advisor as soon as they have been admitted to the program.

Shared Programs – Undergraduate to Graduate (Shared Programs-UG2G) policy

Students must complete their first bachelor’s degree prior to beginning any graduate degree program. 
Students initiate interest in a Shared Program by completing the Shared Programs-UG2G Request Form that will soon be available on the Graduate School website through the Forms link. 
Students must submit the form before beginning any shared course work. 
At most 30% of the total number of credits required for the graduate degree taken at the undergraduate level can be used to satisfy graduate degree program requirements. That is, for a 30 credit masters degree program, at most 9 credits taken at the undergraduate level may be used towards the masters degree.

Time limit for degree completion

Students admitted to the masters degree program must complete their degree within 5 years of the semester they first enrolled.

Students admitted to the graduate certificate program must complete their degree within 3 years of the semester they first enrolled.

Grief absence policy

It is the responsibility of the student to: a) notify their advisor and faculty of the courses in which they are enrolled of the need for a grief absence in a timely manner, but no later than one week from the student’s initial knowledge of the situation, b) provide appropriate verification of the grief absence as specified by the advisor and faculty, and c) complete all missed work as determined in consultation with the faculty. It is the responsibility of the advisor to: a) determine with the student the expected period of absence – it is expected that some bereavement processes may be more extensive than others depending on individual circumstances, b) receive verification of the authenticity of a grief absence request upon the student’s return, and c) make reasonable accommodations so that the student is not penalized due to a verified grief absence. Students who believe their rights under this policy have been violated should contact the University Ombudsperson.

Grievance Hearing Procedures

This section pertains to the Graduate Student Academic Grievance Procedures utilized by all graduate academic programs in the College of Education. Students may request a hearing to resolve a dispute with an instructor, but only after trying to settle the matter in conversations with the instructor, the department chair, or program director and, in some cases, the associate dean of the college. The student also may consult with the University Ombudsperson at any stage of the dispute. In the event that a student’s dispute remains unresolved, a grievance hearing may be necessary. The College of Education outlines the current University policy and procedures for conducting a grievance hearing in the Graduate Student Academic Grievance Hearing Procedures document.

University ombudsperson

The office of the ombudsperson exists to assist students in resolving conflicts or disputes within the University. They also help staff members, instructors, and administrators sort through university rules and regulations that might apply to specific student issues and concerns.

Acceptable use of computing infrastructure

Students in the degree and certificate programs will have access to MSU computing infrastructure even if they complete their studies remotely. Therefore, students in these programs must comply with the Acceptable Use Policy for MSU Information Technology Resources.

Guidelines for integrity in research and creative activities

Students are expected to uphold the principles and standards set forth in university policies that maintain the integrity of academic work. Academic dishonesty, violations of professional standards, and falsification of academic or admission records are considered serious violations and may result in disciplinary action.

Even though MS in Sport Coaching and Leadership does not require a thesis, students may be engaged in forms of research for courses, or through independent studies. Faculty, staff and students are expected to exhibit the highest standards of professional integrity in their academic work, scholarship, and research activities. All Kinesiology graduate programs subscribe to the guidelines and principles articulated in the Guidelines for Integrity in Research and Creative Activities. Misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism, is considered to be serious violations of the standards of integrity and may be grounds for disciplinary action.

Responsible conduct of research

In addition, students in the MS program must complete the requirements for the Responsible Conduct of Research. These requirements are determined by the College of Education RCR policies. Requirements are sometimes met through coursework, but some requirements may be in addition to coursework.

Ethics for working with human subjects

Students must complete the university Human Research Protection Program certification. This will typically be a course requirement for KIN 872. The certification provides background on ethical guidelines for experimentation involving human subjects. Although students may not be involved in manipulations or research as a part of their degree completion strategy, it is the purview of this program, in standing with the ethics of the university, that all students with a masters degree should have an appropriate knowledge of ethical guidelines in the treatment of human subjects.

Academic integrity and plagiarism

Students and instructors in this program are expected to be familiar with the MSU policies on plagiarism. These policies should be clearly stated in each course syllabus. Graduate students have access to Ithenticate (tech.msu.edu/teaching/tools/ithenticate), an anti-plagiarism software that allows one to check manuscripts for unintentional plagiarism before submission. In addition, instructors will have the option of employing Turn It In originality checking software for assignments submitted to drop-boxes in the course management system. Policies for the use of originality checking software for course assignments should be outlined in the individual course syllabus.

Students with disabilities

If you have a diagnosed disability or believe that you have a disability that might require reasonable accommodation, please call The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) and speak to me during the first week of class. As part of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is the responsibility of the student to disclose a disability prior to requesting reasonable accommodation. It is imperative that you inform me of any accommodation needed before assignments are due or submitted, or exams are to be taken. There will be no redoing of assignments after they have been graded.

Contact information for the RCPD:

The Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD)
120 Bessey Hall
Phone: (517) 353-9642
Email: rcpd@msu.edu

Medical conditions

If you have any medical conditions that may affect your participation in a class, please communicate the nature of these conditions with the course instructor during the first week of class.