Kinesiology - Doctor of Philosophy

Coursework

The Ph.D. in Kinesiology requires a minimum of 36 credit hours of formal coursework (beyond a masters degree) and an expected 24 credit hours of research and dissertation work. Thus, the minimum expected credit hour accumulation is 61 credit hours.

At least 12 credit hours must come from graduate courses in the department of Kinesiology. NMSU's department of Kinesiology offers courses across a range of foundational knowledge areas in Kinesiology, including:

  1. Relationships among physical activity, health, and quality of life
  2. Scientific foundations for the study of physical activity and human movement
  3. The social, cultural, and historical context of the study of physical activity
  4. The practice of physical activity

A minimum of 12 credit hours must be taken in research methodologies, at least 3 credits of which must be in experimental statistics and at least 3 credits from a qualitative methods course(s). There are many options for these courses on the NMSU campus that will permit the student to meet this requirement.

The remaining 12 credit hours are taken at the direction of the student’s advisor and committee and agreed upon at the time of the student’s qualifying exam (see below).

Examinations

Students seeking the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Kinesiology must pass a (1) Qualifying Examination that must be completed before accumulating more than 24 credit hours towards their degree, a (2) Comprehensive Exam including written and/or oral elements that must be completed before beginning a final dissertation project, and a (3) Final Exam that includes the defense of their final dissertation study.

Dissertation

The candidate for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy in Kinesiology must complete a dissertation in a focused area of study. The student and their committee must agree upon the dissertation topic, and approval of the dissertation requires the consent of the plurality of the student’s committee members. The student must complete a minimum of 18 dissertation credit hours.

Graduate courses currently offered in the department of Kinesiology

Prefix Title Credits
SPMD 5310Inferential Statistics in Sports and Exercise Science3
SPMD 5350Principles of Strength and Conditioning3
SPMD 5410Biomechanics3
SPMD 5450Exercise for Special Populations3
SPMD 5510Psychology of Sport3
SPMD 5550Skill Acquisition and Performance3
SPMD 5575Advanced Motor Development3
SPMD 6310The Social Construction of the Body3
SPMD 6350Advanced Exercise Physiology3
SPMD 6410Cardiovascular Physiology3
SPMD 6450Skeletal Muscle: Structure and Function3
SPMD 6510Designing Resistance Training Program3
SPMD 6996Special Topics1-3
Research and Dissertation24
Problems1-3
Project1-12
Kinesiology Research1-3
Doctoral Dissertation18
Total Credits61-63