Health and Kinesiology M.S.

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to facilitate the continuing professional development of practicing health professionals and physical education teachers. It is not for the purpose of the initial preparation of teachers or to credential health professionals. The learned societies for health and kinesiology are National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), respectively. Therefore this program is designed to meet the NCATE Unit Candidate Performance Standards and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) in health and physical education while incorporating the philosophy of the relevant learned society.

The proposed degree program consists of 32 hours of coursework and a capstone experience. The program consists of eight 5000 level three hour courses, six approved 5000 level electives and a two hour seminar designed to prepare the candidate for their written composition experience and their capstone paper.

The program is designed to be flexible so that it might meet the diverse professional development needs of practicing health professionals and physical education teachers. More specifically it needs to meet the needs of teachers who are currently practicing as well as for area health specialists. Therefore, the programs rely on strong academic advising that will take into consideration the current knowledge and skills of program applicants when developing individual degree plans.

Application and Admission to NSU’s Graduate College

Any student who wishes to enroll in a class for graduate credit must complete an Application for Graduate Admission. Application materials are on campus or by visiting the Graduate website at www.nsuok.edu.

The application should be completed and returned to the Graduate College, NSU, Tahlequah, OK 74464-7098, at least one month prior to the first enrollment for graduate credit.

To be considered for admission, the applicant must submit a complete Application for Graduate Admission and supporting documents. One copy of official transcripts of all previous course work must be sent directly from the schools attended to the NSU Graduate College. Test scores and other documentation needed to determine admissibility must also be submitted. If the applicant is approved for regular admission to the Graduate College, the applicant will be notified in writing and assigned to an academic advisor.

The minimum requirements for regular admission to the Graduate College are:

1. An earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
2. Scores no more than five years old on either the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
3. A grade point average of 2.5 based on a 4.0 scale on all undergraduate course work attempted.
4. Proof of citizenship for a U.S. citizen born outside of the United States and for a resident alien. An international applicant for who English was their first language and is the spoken language in the home must sign a statement to that effect.

Admission to the Masters of Science in Health & Kinesiology

Admission to the Health & Kinesiology program includes:

1. Admission to the Graduate College.
2. Possess an undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 in all previous course work attempted; or attain a raw score of 383 on the Miller Analogies Test; or attain a score of 900 (verbal plus quantitative) on the Graduate Record Examination; or a 3.00 grade point average based upon 12 hours of previous graduate coursework.
3. A minimum of twenty-four semester hours of undergraduate credit in the field of Health or Kinesiology.

Advisement

An advisor is assigned to the student by the Graduate College when the student is admitted to graduate studies. The student should arrange an appointment with the contact person for an interview before the first enrollment. The advisor counsels with the student and assists in selection of classes each semester.

Plan of Study/Statement of Understanding

The plan of study (degree plan) will be prepared by the advisor in conference with the student early in the program. The Statement of Understanding is reviewed with and explained to the student when the degree plan is made and must be signed by the student and the advisor. It is sent with the signed copies of the degree plan to the Graduate College. After approval by the Dean, the distribution is made by the Graduate College. Any changes made in the student’s plan of study require prior written approval of the advisor and the Dean of the Graduate College.

Note: This degree is not structured for the purpose of initial teacher certification.

Admission to Candidacy

Students are eligible to be admitted to candidacy if they have:

1. Completed all requirements for admission to the Graduate College.
2. Been formally admitted to the Masters of Science in Health & Kinesiology.
3. Completed a minimum of 12 semester hours, or a maximum of 18 hours of the degree as described by the plan of study.
4. Maintained a grade point of 3.0 in all graduate course work taken prior to candidacy.
5. Filed a plan of study (degree plan) approved by the advisor and the Dean of the Graduate College.
6. Filed a Statement of Understanding, signed by the student and advisor, with the Graduate College.

Students are advised to meet candidacy requirements within the first 16 semester hours of their program. In any event, 16 semester hours toward the Master of Education degrees must be completed after being admitted to candidacy.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of six semester hours of approved transfer credit may be applied toward the master degree. Students who wish to transfer credit applicable to a degree program at Northeastern State University must have maintained a “B” average in all graduate course work attempted at the transferring institution. No credit will be given for a transfer course in which the grade is lower than a “B”.

Retention

All plans of study are valid for only six years. All graduate course work must be completed within six years in order to be counted toward the degree.

Graduation Requirements

1. Complete an approved program in M.S. in Kinesiology.
2. Possess a grade point of at least 3.0 in all graduate work on the plan of study.
3. Request a degree check prior to the semester of graduation.
4. Apply for graduation at the beginning of the semester of expected graduation.
5. Satisfactorily complete an approved capstone experience.
6. Satisfactorily complete the written and oral examination as part of P ED 5742 Seminar in Kinesiology

Capstone Experience

A capstone experience is an academic activity that encourages the use of skills learned and knowledge gained in one or more areas of field of study. It is a culminating experience that goes beyond the course work required for the graduation and should be completed near the end of the student’s program. Capstone experiences for the Master of Science in Kinesiology program will have a significant writing component and may include satisfactorily completing one of the following:

1. An APA data based thesis
2. A teaching portfolio that may be submitted for National Board Certification.
3. An applied research project, or action research project, on the student’s own health or physical education teaching and a research paper discussing the project and its findings.
4. Achieve certified health education specialist (CHES) certification.

Summary of Graduate Hours for M.S. in Health & Kinesiology
 

	Number of Graduate Hours
Total Number of Graduate Hours Required for the Degree	32 (all 5000)
Professional Core	24 (all 5000)
Guided Electives (Select two courses)	6 (all 5000)
Seminar in Health, Physical Education and Safety	2