Main Office
Physical Education Building, 209
P.O. Box 311337
Denton, TX 76203-1337
(940) 565-2651
Graduate Faculty: Albertson, Bahnsen, Bungum, Caldwell, Chng, Collins, Cornelius, Goggin, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Jackson, Keller, Koziris, Martin, Morrow, Patton, Pekara, Richardson, Valerius, Weiller, Wilhite.
The Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation offers graduate programs leading to the following degree:
The degrees offered and the career opportunities afforded by the degrees are outlined in the program descriptions below.
Note: Admission requirements were being revised at the time this catalog went to press. Contact the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies or the program for current admission requirements, or see information posted on the graduate school web site (www.tsgs.unt.edu).
Applicants for admission into the department's graduate programs are expected to have the following qualifications to obtain unconditional admission:
1. a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution;
2. a minimum 2.8 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) overall or at least a 3.0 during the last 60 hours of undergraduate work; and
3. a minimum combined score of at least 800 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with a minimum score of 375 on the verbal and 375 on the quantitative sections. Students who do not meet minimum admission standards may be required to complete additional course work.
Applicants with a GPA between 2.4 and 3.0 on the last 60 undergraduate semester hours must score an additional 50 points above the minimum 800 GRE score for each tenth of a point that their GPA falls below the minimum 3.0. In addition, international students need a TOEFL score of at least 550.
Students not meeting these admission requirements are permitted to appeal to the College of Education Graduate Affairs Committee.
The GRE requirement must be successfully met during the first semester at UNT. Students will not be permitted to take additional graduate classes until they fulfill this requirement. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that students complete this requirement before enrolling at UNT.
The program in health promotion aims to improve personal and community health through its educational, research and service programs.
Graduates of the program are employed in a wide range of school and community health settings: public health departments; voluntary organizations; corporate and other work-site settings; health-care environments; federal, state and local agencies; professional health organizations; hospital-based health programs; commercial health promotion settings; and secondary schools.
The school health promotion program is accredited by the Texas Education Agency [1701 North Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78701-1494; (512) 463-9734] at the secondary level.
Current research of the faculty in the health promotion program includes investigations of the impact of health promotion in the workplace and the impact of corporate fitness programs on the health status of employees. Other research includes investigation of the impact of AIDS on dating and sexual behavior, study of issues of sexuality among college students, epidemiological analysis of the psychosocial determinants of health behavior, youth fitness and wellness, cross-cultural correlates of health promotion and an examination of holistic health issues.
Financial support for the research programs comes from internal faculty research grants and instructional grants, as well as external funding agencies.
The program offers a Master of Science degree that emphasizes the scientific base of community
and school health, and the investigation of community
health-related problems. This degree allows pursuit
of
special academic interests, yet requires a core of study in school and community health-related issues.
The program offers two options, thesis or non-thesis, for the Master of Science degree.
Note: Admission requirements were being revised at the time this catalog went to press. Contact the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies or the program for current admission requirements, or see information posted on the graduate school web site (www.tsgs.unt.edu).
The program requires that each applicant demonstrates the ability to perform at the B level or better and submit a brief statement of professional goals and objectives.
Students without an undergraduate degree in health promotion may be required to take additional hours of deficiencies.
1. 36 semester hours are required.
2. All students must complete an 18-hour core of graduate courses in health promotion.
Graduate Internship can be waived by the program coordinator for students with a minimum of one year of health promotion experience
3. All students must complete 6 hours of studies for a minor from a related field to be selected with the approval of the major professor.
4. Thesis students must complete HLTH 5950 (6 hours).
5. In lieu of a thesis, non-thesis students will complete HLTH 5900 and from it produce a graduate-level project and/or professional paper. Master of Science candidates who select the non-thesis option are required to successfully complete a three-part written and oral comprehensive examination during their last semester of enrollment.
6. Thesis students must complete 6 hours of health electives, whereas non-thesis students must complete 9 hours.
Individuals who possess an undergraduate degree in any field may complete 6 hours of DRED courses and be endorsed as a teaching assistant. This endorsement permits them to instruct behind the wheel and in simulators, but it does not permit them to engage in classroom instruction.
Individuals who hold a teaching certificate may complete 9 hours of DRED courses to receive endorsement as a teacher of driver and traffic safety. This endorsement permits them to perform the duties of a teaching assistant and to teach driver and traffic safety in the classroom.
Individuals who have endorsement as a teacher of driver and traffic safety may complete an additional 6 hours of DRED courses and receive certification as a supervising teacher. Persons certified at this level also are permitted to supervise the activities of up to five individuals certified at the teaching assistant level.
The primary purposes of the program in kinesiology are to provide students with an understanding of basic research methodology; to acquaint students with the professional literature, trends and research being conducted in kinesiology; and to enable students to take electives in an area of interest, such as sport psychology, exercise physiology, health/fitness management, motor behavior, and teacher behavior.
Career opportunities for graduates are generally found in the private sector with health clubs, wellness centers, corporations, rehabilitation centers, athletic groups and other private groups; or within the teaching profession as teachers, coaches, athletic trainers and administrators.
Current research in kinesiology includes overtraining and burnout, mental health benefits of physical activity, and studies of exercise and fitness in special populations. Other projects include anxiety and motor performance, mental preparation strategies and maximum performance, central versus peripheral cardiovascular adjustments to exercise, measurement and evaluation of physical fitness, age and physical activity and fitness, sociological profiles of sport consumers, regional commercial sport development, gender-sport issues in the twentieth century, job characteristics and work production of sport/fitness personnel and professional preparation of high school and college teachers.
Financial support for the research programs comes from internal faculty research grants and instructional grants, as well as external funding agencies.
The Master of Science 36-hour degree includes a 15-hour core curriculum of courses in kinesiology. The student takes 21 hours of additional course work (which may include thesis) that allow development of an interest area such as sport psychology, exercise physiology, health/fitness management, motor behavior, sport sociology, and teacher behavior.
1. 36 semester hours are required.
2. All students will complete a 15-hour core of graduate courses in kinesiology.
3. Thesis students will complete KINE 5950 (6 hours).
4. Non-thesis students will take a designated capstone course (KINE 5940, 3 hours) which may be taken only after completing a minimum of 24 hours including all KINE core courses. Master of Science candidates who select the non-thesis option are required to successfully complete a final comprehensive examination during the designated capstone course (KINE 5940).
5. The remaining 15-18 hours will be electives approved by the major professor with no more than 6 hours outside of KINE.
The Master of Science degree program with a major in recreation and leisure studies is designed to prepare students for management-level positions within the leisure service field or the therapeutic recreation area, or for further graduate work in recreation and leisure studies.
Career opportunities include leadership and management positions in various agencies such as municipal recreation departments, not-for-profit agencies, resorts, military bases, commercial recreation enterprises, schools, hospitals and rehabilitation centers, long-term care facilities, state or federal agencies, parks, outdoor education centers, camps, YMCAs, intramural and campus recreation programs, corporations and fitness clubs.
Research emphases of the recreation and leisure studies faculty include the examination of antecedents to leisure, the benefits and consequences of leisure, the assessment of leisure functioning, the administration of leisure services, the barriers or constraints to leisure and the future of leisure in society. The faculty also conduct research on various methods and techniques used in professional practice. Specific research examples include older adults' health and well being, disability and sport, organizational behavior, administration of leisure services, human resources, and recreation and leisure opportunities for disenfranchised and under-represented groups.
Financial support for research programs is generated by the faculty from internal university resources and external grants and contracts.
The graduate program in recreation and leisure studies provides a 36-hour Master of Science degree, with opportunities for students to take course work in program management and therapeutic recreation.
Note: Admission requirements were being revised at the time this catalog went to press. Contact the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies or the program for current admission requirements, or see information posted on the graduate school web site (www.tsgs.unt.edu).
Applicants for admission into the recreation and leisure studies graduate program must submit a current resume and a typewritten statement of purpose describing their reason(s) for seeking graduate study in recreation and leisure studies. In addition, two letters of reference pertaining to the applicant's aptitude for graduate work are required. These materials should be sent to the recreation and leisure studies program coordinator.
Students without an undergraduate degree in recreation, parks or leisure studies will be required to take up to 9 hours of prerequisite or corequisite course work as part of their master's degree program.
Every student is required to take 15 hours of core courses:
Students with a career interest in program management take the following 9 hours of elective courses: RECR 5060, 5080 and 5850. Students with a career interest in therapeutic recreation take the following 9 hours of elective courses: RECR 4760, 5130 and 5870.
Both thesis and non-thesis options are available. Students selecting the thesis option will register for 6 hours of thesis credit and will complete a 6-hour minor. Students selecting the non-thesis option will register for RECR 5110 and will complete a 9-hour minor. Non-thesis students will complete a written comprehensive examination appropriate to the selected interest area.
Students with no work experience in recreation and leisure services and those preparing for certification in therapeutic recreation with no prior therapeutic recreation internship will be required to complete RECR 5860 as a deficiency (does not count on the degree plan).
An area of emphasis (6-9 hours) to complete the 36-hour program is selected in consultation with the graduate adviser. Recommended minors include public administration, sociology, computer sciences, education, business, psychology, rehabilitation studies, gerontology, kinesiology and health promotion.
All Courses of Instruction are located in one section at the back of this catalog.
The "Course and Subject Guide," found in the Courses of Instruction section of this book, serves as a table of contents and provides quick access to subject areas and prefixes.
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