Contact: Leah Barbour
Photo by: Russ Houston
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Leaders agree, Mississippi State's new doctoral program in kinesiology represents the long-anticipated extension of the university's most popular undergraduate major.
The College of Education's inaugural doctorate-level courses in the study of human movement begin in August with the 2015 fall semester. Before the introduction of this program, the highest academic level the kinesiology department offered was a Master of Science degree with concentrations in exercise physiology, sport administration or sport pedagogy.
"The new Ph.D. program in kinesiology will strengthen a department that already is strong and growing," said Jerry Gilbert, provost and executive vice president. "We expect to see additional graduate students as well as increased grant funding and research productivity as the new graduate program is implemented.
"It will be a great addition to the doctoral programs of the university," Gilbert emphasized.
MSU's official 2014-15 enrollment totals more than 20,100. More than 6 percent of undergraduate students--approximately 36 percent of College of Education majors--are pursuing bachelor's degrees in kinesiology.
Those high numbers explain why the university's addition of the doctoral degree was the natural next step, said department head Stanley Brown.
"This Ph.D. program will create a new visibility on campus, the state, region, nationally and internationally," he said. "There will be even more research being conducted, which will enhance the program as a whole."
According to college dean Richard Blackbourn, kinesiology is one of the fastest growing higher education disciplines. He said MSU's leadership in training doctoral-level researchers and instructors will further enhance the department's national reputation.
"As Mississippi State trains doctoral faculty and researchers who go on to work in other settings, we're going to have a program where our graduates will be very employable," Blackbourn said. "Our graduates will be the kind that represent Mississippi State very well on the national and international stage as we continue to spread our influence around the nation."
Graduate students interested in teaching or research careers may focus their doctoral studies in exercise science or sport studies, said Adam Love, associate professor of kinesiology.
"These two concentrations are quite different," he said. "The focus of the exercise science doctoral concentration is the scientific study of how biophysical aspects function during physical activity, exercise and sport, and the sport studies doctoral concentration encompasses such fields as sport management, sport pedagogy, sport sociology, and sport philosophy," he explained.
Whether they become postsecondary teachers or continue their work in research centers, kinesiology doctoral program graduates will contribute to the expanding understanding of health and human performance, Love said.
"With the growth and increasing numbers of students in the field--not just here at Mississippi State but also across the country--there's an increasing demand for people and programs to train those students at the doctoral level."
Information about the new kinesiology Ph.D. program at MSU is available at www.kinesiology.msstate.edu.
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