MS KINESIOLOGY – 2005-07 Catalog
Kinesiology Department
Physical Education Bldg. (43), Room 453
(805) 756-2545

General Characteristics

The degree program is designed to offer advanced study in kinesiology which will qualify men and women to enter the field at occupational levels requiring a master's degree. The program offers the increased depth and quality needed for teaching physical education at the secondary and community college levels, and positions in corporate, private, and governmental agencies as well as those in clinical preventative and/or rehabilitative health settings.

Areas of Emphasis

Students may select one of the following areas of emphasis which is most compatible with career and personal objectives.

Exercise Science and Health Promotion

This emphasis is an extension of the Exercise Science and Health Promotion Concentration under the BS degree program in Kinesiology. It prepares students to work in the health promotion field in diversified settings, including corporate, club, private, and governmental agencies. It also qualifies graduates to pursue clinically oriented positions in preventative and rehabilitative health programs as well as providing students with an excellent background for further postgraduate study.

Physical Education and Sport Studies

This emphasis is offered for students who wish advanced preparation for elementary, secondary, or college positions in physical education and coaching. It is oriented toward a practical application and offers an opportunity for the in-depth study needed for (a) teaching physical education at all levels; (b) coaching at the secondary and post-secondary levels, as well as with private and municipal agencies; and (c) continued graduate work at other institutions.

Individual Course of Study

Students develop programs of study that meet their projected career goals. Approval must come from the students' advisors and the department graduate coordinator. To be approved, students must present, in writing, proposals describing the interest area they intend to study. Students must have a strong focus outside the two traditional graduate emphases listed above. If students are interested in pursuing a degree beyond the MS, they may develop a course of study which best prepares them academically for further study. The thesis option is highly recommended.

Conditionally Classified Standing

Applicants to the MS degree program in Kinesiology should have an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology or equivalent academic preparation. Those applicants with undergraduate deficiencies must remove these deficiencies through coursework or examination before Advancement to Candidacy and may do this while enrolled as a graduate student at Cal Poly.

Information pertaining to specific requirements for admission may be obtained from the Graduate Coordinator of the Kinesiology Program (www.calpoly.edu/~pek, and select “Master of Science”).

Classified Standing

For admission to classified standing, an applicant must have an undergraduate major in kinesiology or equivalent academic preparation as determined by the departmental coordinator of graduate studies and a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in the last 90 units of undergraduate work. Students below a 2.75 GPA may appeal to the Graduate Coordinator to be "conditionally" accepted. This latter procedure will involve a review process and a specified contract to be successfully completed before admission to classified standing.

Advancement to Candidacy

For Advancement to Candidacy a student shall have:

Successfully completed all conditionally classified requirements;

Successfully completed the Graduation Writing Requirement;

Filed a Formal Study Plan; and

Maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA for all course work completed on the formal study plan.

At least 18 units must be completed after advancement to candidacy.

Requirements for the Degree

The formal program of study must include 45 units of approved graduate work; at least 33 of these units must be completed at the 500 level in Kinesiology.

All candidates must meet the current Graduation Writing Requirement.

Each candidate must successfully complete a comprehensive examination before the degree is granted. This examination may take one of two forms: (1) those students presenting a masters thesis or project must successfully defend the thesis or project in an oral examination, or (2) those students not presenting a masters thesis or project must pass an oral examination dealing with general current knowledge of the profession and coursework taken toward the degree requirements. If the degree requirements are not completed within 7 years, the student may need to complete additional requirements.

Up to 12 units may be taken in 400-level courses with advisor approval, provided these courses were not required as part of the undergraduate degree program. Graduate students taking 400-level courses will be required to complete assignments beyond those normally required of undergraduate students and will be graded against more rigorous standards than those applied to undergraduate students in the same course. A maximum of 12 advisor approved units may be taken outside of the Kinesiology Department.

Curriculum For MS Kinesiology

Required courses	24-26
KINE 510 Communication and Health Behavior Change (3)
KINE 517 Research Methods in Kinesiology (3)
KINE 501 Evaluation of Current Studies (3)
KINE 522 Advanced Biomechanics (3)
KINE 525 Adv Motor Learning & Control (3)
KINE 530 Adv Physiology of Exercise (4)
KINE 581 Grad Seminar in Kinesiology (1-3)
STAT 513 Applied Experimental Design and Regression Models (4)
Area of Emphasis or course of study Choose one of the following:	12-16
Exercise and Health Promotion (16)
KINE 503 Seminar in Adult Wellness (3)
KINE 504 Advanced Pathophysiology and Exercise (3)
KINE 511 Management and Administration in Kinesiology Settings (3)
KINE 514 Health Education Planning (3)
KINE 536 Advanced Electrocardiography (4)
Physical Education and Sport Studies (15)
KINE 502 Current Trends and Issues in Physical Education and Sport (3)
KINE 511 Management and Administration in Kinesiology Settings (3)
KINE 526 Sport in American Society (3)
KINE 539 Observation and Analysis of Teaching Physical Education and Coaching Sports (3)
Individual Course of Study (16)
Advisor and graduate coordinator approved electives
Advisor approved electives	6-7
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For more detailed information or advisement, contact the Coordinator of Graduate Studies for Kinesiology.