Doctoral Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. requires a minimum of 90 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s degree, including 30 credit hours of dissertation research. The number of hours from a previously completed master’s degree which may be counted toward the 90-hour requirement is decided by the student’s supervisory committee and is reviewed by the chair of the College of Health and Human Sciences Coordinating Committee and the Graduate School. A maximum of 30 hours may be transferred from a completed master’s degree. A maximum of 9 credit hours can be transferred from graduate work completed after the master’s degree at another accredited university. Doctoral students are required to pass both written and oral preliminary examinations prior to admission to candidacy.

• 90 credit hours minimum
• 30 credit hours minimum of dissertation research
• 15 credit hours minimum at the 800 level or above
• 6 credit hours maximum at the 500 level
• 6 credit hours maximum of independent study
• 30 credit hours maximum from master’s degree
• Dissertation: preparing three or more papers for publication in exercise physiology or exercise behavioral science.

Core Requirements (12 Credit Hours)

• KIN 815 - Research Methods in Kinesiology Credits: 3
• STAT 703 - Introduction to Statistical Methods for the Sciences Credits: 3
• STAT 705 - Regression and Analysis of Variance Credits: 3
• STAT 720 - Design of Experiments Credits: 3

Other Coursework in Major Area (18 Credit Hours)

Students develop a plan of study with their major professor and graduate committee to develop an expertise in exercise physiology or exercise behavioral science. Students may select from the list below or other courses to fulfill the requirement.

Dissertation Research (30 Credit Hours)

• KIN 999 - Dissertation Research Credits: 1-15