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 athletic training, exercise physiology, motor behavior, pedagogy/psychological sciences, and sport management.

• Athletic training offers academic and clinical experiences to complete specialized training in diagnostic ultrasound, orthopedic casting, IV administration, instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization techniques, manual therapies, as well as medical diagnostics and other therapeutic intervention techniques.   
• 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 gait and balance control whole and fine motor coordination, musculoskeletal system control, sensorimotor and cognitive-motor integration, effective and efficient skill learning, and motor 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.
• 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: LSU Office of Graduate Admissions, 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 potentially 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 generally around the 50th percentile (combined verbal and quantitative sections), but the GRE or GMAT can be waived under certain conditions such as a high undergraduate GPAs and established industry/career experience, along with 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 on probation or 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 faculty listings by department here)

Heather Allaway (6A) • Impact of various physiological and psychological stressors on the reproductive system and downstream consequences on the musculoskeletal system and exercise performance across the lifespan, from menarche to menopause and after.
Amanda Benson (3F) • Clinical education and integration of technology in the classroom
Senlin Chen (M) • Physical education curriculum intervention, youth physical activity and fitness promotion, motivation and learning in physical activity
Kirsten Cunha (3F) • Clinical practice, prevention and care of athletic injuries, nutrition, and psychosocial considerations in sports medicine.
Nicholas Fears (6A) •  Development of the dynamic relationships between motor, visual, and cognitive processes and how these relations affect the performance of activities of daily living in neurodivergent populations (i.e., autism, developmental coordination disorder).
Alex C. Garn (M) • Achievement motivation in physical education and physical activity contexts, approach and avoidance motivation, physical education teacher development
Jaclyn Hadfield (6A) • Clinical her research explores various domains of public health and predominantly focuses on social and behavioral determinants of health beliefs and behaviors among women within the domain of physical activity using theory-based methods with a translational and community-based approach
Rebecca Hirschhorn (3F) • Clinical education and physiological monitoring and exertional heat illnesses in the tactical athlete populations
Jan M. Hondzinski (M) • Motor control and sensorimotor integration used during task performances by adults of varying age with and without neurological deficits
Ryan Hulteen (6A) • Motor skill acquisition, motor skill assessment and physical activity participation to understand and assess the most salient motor skills needed to across the lifespan
Brian A Irving (M) • 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 (M) • 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.
Hyun Kim (6A) • application of musculoskeletal modeling and medical image processing to understand the underlying mechanisms involved in musculoskeletal diseases and balance impairments
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 (EM) • 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
Emily Marcinowski (6A) • Motor skills and asymmetries impact on development of play, language, and cognition in early childhood.
J. Michael Martinez (M) • Examines the areas of a) internal marketing and organizational learning b) employee engagement practices in sport; c) organizational commitment among various subsectors of employees within the sport context.
Arnold G. Nelson (EM) • 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
Efthymios Papadopoulos (6A) • Research aims to understand the impact of body composition on clinical outcomes in older adults, particularly after a cancer diagnosis; and identify multimodal supportive care interventions for improving body composition, disease-specific-, and patient-reported outcomes in older adults with cancer and other chronic conditions.
Yizhou Qian (6A) • New media (e.g., esports, online streaming, social networking services) and motivational information systems (e.g., gamification) in sports consumption.
Chad Seifried (M) • Use of historical methods to review the organizational and individual history of decisions/strategies of sport facility construction and management
Melinda A. Solmon (EM) • 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 (i.e., weight loss, physical activity) mitigate this response
Per Svensson (6A) • Organizational capacity of Sport for Development and Peace organizations
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
Claire Zvosec (6A) • Examining the financial underpinnings of athletics department decision-making and athletics department marketability

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. See: School of Kinesiology faculty directory.

Programs

• Kinesiology, M.S.
• Sport Management, M.S.

• Athletic Training, MSAT

• Kinesiology, Ph.D.