Exercise Science, MS
Administrative Unit
The Office of Graduate Studies administers this program through the Exercise Science faculty in the Department of Kinesiology, College of Health Science and Human Performance.
Program
The Master of Science in Exercise Science program is designed to extend students' understanding of the concepts, research, and theories related to the science of human movement - kinesiology. Additionally, the program design recognizes students' desire to use such information to improve their professional competencies as physical educators, coaches, athletes, sport administrators, fitness program directors, and in other professions that are grounded in the discipline of kinesiology. The program is offered in both online and combined online/on campus formats. Two courses are offered on campus in a face-to-face format each semester.
Graduate students have an opportunity to focus on one of three interest areas within the discipline of Exercise Science:
- Exercise physiology;
- Psychology of exercise and sport; and
- Teaching, coaching, and administration.
Working with their faculty advisors, students are encouraged to design programs that meet their professional needs, goals, and interests.
As a partner in a UT System collaborative program, UT Permian Basin offers most graduate courses over the Internet. It is possible to complete the entire Master of Science in Exercise Science online through web-based courses. With a couple of exceptions, graduate Exercise Science courses are no longer offered on the UT Permian Basin campus.
Objectives
Regardless of students' area of interest and/or the course delivery mode, the following objectives should be met through the successful completion of the Master of Science in Exercise Science:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical bases of Kinesiology through oral and written expression.
- Discuss and describe the research literature related to the student's chosen interest area.
- Apply theoretical concepts from the research literature to the student's chosen profession.
- Design, implement, and complete a research or professional project.
- Develop a manuscript describing the results of a research or professional project suitable for submission to a professional journal.
Admission Requirements
Students seeking admission to the Exercise Science graduate degree program must meet all admission requirements specified by the Office of Graduate Studies. Typically, students desiring to pursue the Master of Science in Exercise Science would possess a bachelor's degree with a major or minor in Physical Education, Exercise Science, or a related area. Individuals who do not hold such a degree may be required to complete leveling courses prior to enrolling in certain Exercise Science graduate courses. Typically, such students are required to take an undergraduate anatomy and physiology course prior to taking the exercise science courses. Determination of these leveling requirements will be made on an individual basis by the Graduate Acceptance Committee comprised of the Exercise Science Graduate Faculty and will be specified in the student's acceptance letter.
Regular Admission Status
Option 1
Option 2
- Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.
- Successfully completed a previous master's degree.
Conditional Admission Status
If a student has a GPA below a 3.0 but not lower than a 2.5 in the last 60 credit hours, entrance into the Exercise Science Program is based upon entrance scores generated from the following formula:
(GPA X 225) + (GRE total X 3.06)
In the equation, GPA equates to 42% of the decision-making process while the GRE score equates to 58% of the decision-making process.
- Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university
- GRE Scores
- Graduate Admission Equation: Score a 1400 or better (This entrance score equates to a CGPA of 2.5 and GRE score of 275)
If the student is conditionally admitted, the student must earn a B grade or better in each course of his/her first 12 hours of course work of which the first 6 hours of course work should include KINE 6310 Statistics and KINE 6360 Advanced Exercise Physiology.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Exercise Science degree requires (a) the completion of twelve credit hours of core course requirements (4 courses); (b) 9 credit hours in an interest area (three courses); (c) elective hours; and (d) a final project or thesis. The total number of hours for the degree is 36.
Core Course Requirements
All students pursuing the Master of Science in Exercise Science are required to complete the following core of 12 semester credit hours:
Interest Areas
In addition, a student will select one of the following three areas of interest and take at least nine semester hours of course work from that area. Additional course work may be drawn from any area.
Exercise Physiology
| KINE 6360 | Advanced Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| KINE 6361 | Exercise Physiology Laboratory Methods-Procedures | 3 |
| KINE 6362 | Training And Conditioning Methods | 3 |
| KINE 6363 | Methods and Procedures for Coronary Heart Disease Risk Detection and Reduction | 3 |
| KINE 6364 | Heat Stress And Exercise | 3 |
| KINE 6370 | | 3 |
| KINO 6380 | | 3 |
| KINO 6382 | | 3 |
Psychology of Exercise and Sport
Teaching, Coaching, and Administration
| KINE 6380 | Analysis of Teaching and Coaching Behavior | 3 |
| KINE 6381 | Curricular Innovations | 3 |
| KINE 6382 | Administration of Physical Education and Athletics | 3 |
| KINO 6354 | | 3 |
| KINE 6322 | Applied Sport Psychology | 3 |
| KINE 6370 | | 3 |
Elective Hours
Any of the graduate courses offered by the UT Permian Basin Kinesiology faculty or by the UT System Collaborative Program as part of a collaborative online Master's degree in Kinesiology may be used for elective hours.
Although students may not include leveling course work in their graduate degree program, they may include a maximum of 6 semester credit hours of 4300-level courses with permission of their advisor.
Thesis and Non-Thesis Options
In addition to the various interest area choices, students may select either a thesis option or a non-thesis (project) option. Although there are differences between the 2 options, either option provides the student with an opportunity to work with a graduate faculty advisor to develop a proposal that describes what the student intends to do. The proposal is presented to and approved by the student's Graduate Committee and, once completed, defended by the student in an oral presentation.
I. Thesis Option. Students who select the thesis option will complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of course work plus a 6-semester credit hour thesis. The master's thesis consists of research in the application of principles and theories of human movement to some problem of interest. The research is usually a laboratory or field experiment requiring the testing of hypotheses and the collection and analysis of data.
II. Project Option. Students who select the project option will complete a minimum of 33 semester credit hours of course work plus a three-semester credit hour research project. Projects can take many forms. While they may involve hypothesis testing and the collection and analysis of data, master's projects are more likely to take the form of exploratory, field studies, secondary data analysis, and survey research. Acceptable projects also include such activities as the construction of physical education curriculum, the development of online instructional materials, and the design of employee wellness programs.
Both thesis and non-thesis options require completion of the core course requirements and at least 9 semester credit hours in one of the 3 emphasis areas.