Kinesiology (Graduate Program)

For information regarding the UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM, click here.  

Program Overview

The term kinesiology means “study of movement.” In the kinesiology graduate program, human movement is studied from different perspectives, forming the basis for graduate specializations in exercise physiology, motor behavior, pedagogy/psychological sciences, and sport management.

• Exercise physiology is focused on the genetic, biochemical, and clinical evaluation of physiological alterations to exercise training and detraining in both human and animal models. This focus is centered on modifications in the muscular, cardio respiratory, and immune systems from an aging, disease, or peak performance perspective.
• Motor behavior research focuses on the learning and performance of coordinated movement, with particular interest in topics such as variables influencing effective and efficient skill learning, gait and balance control, sensorimotor integration for whole body and fine motor coordination, and musculoskeletal system rehabilitation.
• Pedagogy/psychological sciences research investigates factors that influence teaching, learning, and behavior choices in a broad range of physical activity settings, including physical education, health education, and exercise programs.
• Sport Management research focuses on the social construction and organization of sport and sport organizations, centering on management, sociological, and organizational perspectives.

Administration

Admission

Applications and supporting materials for all graduate study must be submitted through the online application site for the LSU Graduate School. Official transcripts, official test scores, and other materials that come from third-party sources must be mailed to: Graduate Student Services, 114 West David Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. These paper documents are stored electronically and departments have access to all materials submitted by and/or on behalf of a student applying to graduate study.

Applications for admission are received and evaluated by the departments throughout the year. Applicants must adhere to the application deadlines established by the Graduate School. Applications are continuously evaluated and students may be admitted for any semester. To ensure full consideration for financial assistance, applicants are encouraged to submit their materials by February 1 for admission in the fall semester.

Students seeking admission must submit satisfactory credentials from previous study, including a bachelor’s degree in a related field, acceptable GRE scores (GMAT can be used for admission to the sport management specialization), and three letters of recommendation. The target GRE score is 295-300 (combined verbal and quantitative sections), but students may be admitted with lower scores with high undergraduate GPAs and strong letters of recommendation. The school adheres to the minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale set by the LSU Graduate School for regular admission. International students whose native language is not English must also submit an acceptable TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE score according to the standards set by the LSU Graduate School.

Meeting the minimum entrance requirements does not ensure acceptance into the program. The school accepts qualified students whose interests and goals are consistent with our areas of specialization. Full admission is granted when students meet the minimum standards and a graduate faculty member agrees to serve as their advisor. If a student does not meet all requirements, he or she may be admitted provisionally.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of graduate assistantships and fellowships are available. Most assistantships require both teaching and assisting in research. Application forms are available on the school website.

Graduate Faculty

(check current listings by department by clicking this link)

Kwame J. A. Agyemang (6A) • Organizational and individual level of analyses to understand the generation of high performance and social issues in the workplace
Damon P. S. Andrew (M) • Organizational behavior, human resource management, and consumer behavior centered around the antecedents of critical organizational outcomes, such as employee satisfaction, motivation, and commitment
Birgitta L. Baker (M) • Psychological, family, and built environment predictors of physical activity and other health behaviors
Christopher Barnhill (6A) • Organizational behavior with a focus on psychological contracts between organizations, employees, and athletes
Claude Bouchard (M) • Genetics and physical activity (Pennington Biomedical Research Center)
Ralph Ray Castle (3F) • Clinical effectiveness of physical rehabilitation techniques/therapeutic modalities on acute and chronic inflammatory responses
Timothy S. Church (3F) • Exercise and health (Pennington Biomedical Research Center)
Jan M. Hondzinski (M) • Motor control and sensorimotor integration used during task performances by adults of varying age with and without neurological deficits
Brian A Irving (6A) • Short- and long-term metabolic and proteomic adaptions to exercise, dietary, medical interventions in young and old adults at risk for or with cardiometabolic diseases 
Neil Johannsen (6A) • Research focus is the study of physical activity and exercise training effects on chronic disease and special populations ranging from young lean adults to older adults, overweight/obese people, individuals with type 2 diabetes, and women with a history of breast cancer.
Lisa G. Johnson (3P) • physical environmental influences on physical activity and health and endocrine responses to exercise
Maria Kosma (M) • Psychosocial determinants of physical activity for health and wellness among underserved populations (e.g., people with physical disabilities and older adults)
Dennis Landin (M) • Musculoskeletal system actions and rehabilitation, clinical anatomy
Amelia M. Lee (EM) • The role of self-perceptions of ability in achievement behavior; beliefs, expectations, motivations and attitudes as mediators between teaching and learning; gender differences in achievement-related cognition, affect, and behavior
Li Li (3F) • Effect of peripheral neuropathy on movement capacity and quality of life
Michael MacLellan (6A) • Integration of biomechanics and neuroscience to further our understanding of how the central nervous system controls human locomotion and adapts to the environment
Richard A. Magill (EM) • How practice-related variables influence motor skill learning, performance and rehabilitation
Jean Michael Martinez (6A) • Organizational management settings within the areas of branding, internal marketing, and organizational commitment. Additional research explores the benefits of intercollegiate athletics and sportsmanship education
Arnold G. Nelson (M) • Physiological and biochemical adaptations of skeletal muscle and muscle metabolism to acute and chronic stressors (e.g., exercise, environment, dietary supplements) and how these adaptations can be manipulated to improve work and/or athletic performance
T. Gilmour Reeve (M) • Psychological factors related to human performance, response selection and programming processes in the execution of skillful human movements
Chad Seifried (M) • Use of historical methods to review the organizational and individual history of decisions/strategies of sport facility construction and management, high school athletic management and coaching and Division I (FBS) postseason decision management and governance
Melinda A. Solmon (M) • Achievement motivation in physical activity, student goals and perceptions of teachers’ actions in physical education
Guillaume Spielmann (6A) • Describe the immunological decrements of ageing and stress, and explore the mechanisms by which behavioral interventions (ie weight loss, physical activity) mitigate this response
Per Svensson (6A) • Organizational capacity of Sport for Development and Peace organizations
Michael John Taber (3P) • Study of motor skill acquisition and performance in harsh environments and the psychophysiological responses associated with completing complex tasks such as helicopter underwater egress, offshore installation abandonment, emergency decision-making, and sea survival
Catrine E. Tudor-Locke (3F) • Walking behavior (Pennington Biomedical Research Center)
Elizabeth Kipling Webster (6A) • Physical activity behaviors and motor skill competency in pediatric populations
Arend W. A. Van Gemmert (M) • Mechanisms contributing to changes in the control of fine motor task performance due to stress, mental load, aging, neurological disease, and practice
Sara Winges (6A) • Focused on the kinematics, kinetics, and neuromuscular patterns of hand control and examining the role of vision in haptic perception of arm movements and prediction in smooth pursuit during eye tracking tasks.

Recent Faculty Publications

A representative sample of recent faculty publications may be found at the School of Kinesiology website and various faculty pages linked to that location. The School of Kinesiology faculty directory is located at: http://www.lsu.edu/chse/kinesiology/faculty_listing/index.php 

Programs

• Kinesiology, Ph.D.

• Kinesiology, M.S.

• Behavior Health
• Life Span Studies