Doctor of Philosophy in Health, Sport Management, and Exercise Science
Programs in the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Science (HSES) offer undergraduate and graduate degrees preparing students to work in health, sport management, and exercise-related fields. HSES graduates apply their knowledge to serve as teachers, researchers, clinicians, managers, administrators and other professionals in academic, private, and public settings.
Doctoral students may pursue the Ph.D. degree with a major in Heath, Sport Management, and Exercise Science in the following specialization areas:
· Exercise Physiology
· Health Education
· Sport Management
Admission Requirements for the Ph.D. in Health, Sport Management, and Exercise Science
Students applying for Ph.D. programs MUST contact a faculty member in their specialization area for a required interview.
- A completed online graduate application.
- 1 official transcript of all previous undergraduate and graduate credit.
- Personal statement
- 3 letters of recommendation
- A vitae or resume.
- Writing Sample
Minimum Admission Requirements (Ph.D.)
- Earned masters degree
- GPA requirement for regular admission - 3.5 GPA in your masters degree.
- Contact your desired advisor regarding the GRE requirements.
Please note: Meeting minimum admission standards does not guarantee admission to the program.
All application materials should be submitted online with the graduate application. If there are application materials that cannot be uploaded with the online application, they may be emailed or mailed to the department.
International Applicants
International applicants can visit Graduate Admissions website to learn more about the University's requirements.
- Official transcripts from an international university (must include an English translation of all documents in addition to the official transcript in the original language, or documentation that the University’s mode of instruction is English.)
- Graduate applicants who are non-native speakers of English must meet English Proficiency Requirements for Admission to Graduate Study.
Please note: Students applying for Ph.D. programs MUST contact a faculty member in their specialization area for a required interview. It is possible that multiple interviews will be required before a decision is made. Students must have a faculty advisor that is able to work with them.
Contact the department for application deadlines.
Questions: krigordon@ku.edu
HSES Graduate Admissions
1301 Sunnyside Ave., Room 161
Lawrence, KS 66045
Ph.D. Degree Programs
The Doctor of Philosophy degree is offered with concentrations in exercise physiology, health education, and sport management. Students must interview with a faculty advisor in the intended emphasis before admission.
Pre-aspirant status requires the prospective doctoral student to earn a grade-point average of at least 3.5 in the first 12 credit hours.
With the advisor, each student develops a plan of study consistent with the student’s needs and the faculty’s expertise. This includes:
- A minimum of 36 hours of major courses is required, excluding credits used to fulfill Research Skills and the Dissertation requirements. The HSES Core may be included as part of the major if it is consistent with the student's area of study and if doing so is supported by the student's department and doctoral committee. 50% of the student's major must be at the 800-level or above. The program must include at least 6 credit hours outside of the student's home department - not including courses required to fulfill the student's research component or the HSES Core.
-A minimum of 12 hours of research skills is required. At least 9 of the 12 credit hours must be 800-level or above. The 12 credit hours cannot include EPSY 715 or it's program equivalent. Up to 6 hours of the required 12 may be waived by research coursework completed as part of a prior master's degree. If not taken as a part of the student's master's degree, EPSY 715 must be taken during the student's first enrollment in doctoral study. This course does not count toward any doctoral requirement. Students must have completed all research skills courses before they are allowed to take the comprehensive examination.
-HSES Core Course - This requirement is met by students taking HSES 990, Doctoral Seminar.
-Responsible Conduct of Research - Student will work with their advisor to fulfill this 3 credit hour requirement.
-College Teaching Experience - Documentation of supervised college teaching experience (completed during the student's doctoral program) is required Programs may require that a student enroll in HSES 996, but these credits may not be used to fulfill credit hour requirements in the student's major.
-Comprehensive Exam - In HSES doctoral programs, students do an alternative comprehensive exam. In this format, the student completes a research manuscript that is suitable for a mid-tier journal in their chosen field. Additionally, they complete a dissertation length literature review of the topic of interest. An oral defense is conducted after these two documents are deemed to be of a passing quality.
Dissertation Proposal - After successfully completing the comprehensive exam, students are required to complete a dissertation proposal. The dissertation proposal must be read and approved by a minimum of 3 dissertation committee members. One copy of the approved dissertation proposal title sheet, signed by these members of the dissertation committee, along with an electronic copy of the proposal must be submitted to the School of Education and Human Sciences Graduate Division office.
-Dissertation - A minimum of 18 credit hours of dissertation is needed for the doctoral degree. These credits cannot be applied to the student's major.
Students should obtain specific instructions and guidelines for graduate degrees from the department and also from the School of Education graduate regulations section of the catalog.