PhD in Kinesiology - Curriculum and Pedagogy Studies in Physical Education

The Ph.D. program in Kinesiology provides rigorous training for students who aspire to achieve the highest level of education. The Curriculum and Pedagogical concentration focuses on training future scholars who are competent in conducting quality research on curriculum and instruction in various physical activity settings, developing innovative physical education and physical activity programs for K-12 schools and communities, and providing evaluation service to improve the quality of physical activity programs for children, adolescents, youths, and adults.

The goal of the Curriculum and Pedagogical Graduate Studies program is to help graduate students accomplish their professional/career goals with unique experiences in research, teaching, and service with high-quality individualized programming.

PhD in Kinesiology, Curriculum and Pedagogy Studies in Physical Education Program Distinctions

Nationally, the doctoral program in Kinesiology at UNCG is ranked in the top 15 overall and #1 for R2 universities (Doctoral Universities — High Research Productivity).

The Curriculum and Pedagogical Graduate Studies program enjoys a strong reputation as one of the best programs for Ph.D. training in the U.S. and around the world. Its Pedagogical Kinesiology Research Laboratory conducts high-profile curriculum innovation research with hundreds of research publications, countless scholarly presentations across the world, five innovative K-12 curricula, and curriculum/program evaluation projects for nearly a dozen school districts and several national youth sport development programs by professional sport organizations.

These “real world” experiences have provided valuable learning opportunities for two dozen Ph.D. students who are now working as university professors, researchers, and post-doctoral fellows across the U.S. and around the world.

The PhD Student Experience in Kinesiology

• Once admitted to the program, Ph.D. students are immediately immersed in the culture of scholarship. Each student will work with their chosen advisor to determine their career/professional goals. They identify and organize a Plan of Study committee that helps the student make the Plan of Study most relevant to the student’s career goal. Together, the student, the advisor, and the committee develop a tangible, step-by-step, course-by-course sequence.
  
  The plan is followed closely and reviewed and, if necessary, adjusted annually to ensure the study will eventually lead to the goals set by the student and the advisor. The student can expect to be involved in the advisor’s research projects that are all conducted in K-12 schools and communities, and participate in professional development events such as the signature Graduate Colloquium of the department.
• The Ph.D. degree requires a total of 60 credit hours’ work in which a minimum of 48 is devoted to coursework and independent studies and the other 12 to dissertation. A student’s progression toward the degree is marked using four major milestones: approval of the Plan of Study (at the completion of 18 credit hours), Comprehensive Examinations (at the completion of 48 credit hours), approval of the Dissertation Research Proposal, and the defense of the Dissertation. It normally takes about 4 years to complete the degree program.
• There are assistantship opportunities for full-time Ph.D. students in the Department of Kinesiology on a competitive basis. The assistantships include teaching assistantships, research assistantships and clinical assistantships. If a student is awarded a graduate assistantship, the student will work with a faculty supervisor who will mentor the student with high quality experiences in these areas. 
• Our Pedagogical Kinesiology Research Lab offers research assistantship to qualified full-time graduate students, along with the teaching assistantship offered by the Department of Kinesiology. The graduate assistants can have opportunities to teach KIN physical activity courses, assist in relevant Physical Education Teacher Education courses, teaching the Healthful Living course at the UNCG Middle College (a Guilford County-UNCG collaboration high school on campus), and assist in funded curriculum intervention research in local K-12 schools. The faculty also actively help qualified students to apply for competitive fellowships and scholarships UNCG offers. 
• The Department of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Sciences, and the UNCG at large offer Ph.D. students a variety of activities. KIN regularly holds graduate students and faculty socials after each colloquium to encourage student-faculty interaction. The campus offers free admissions to students for sport events. UNCG School of Visual and Performing Arts offers student rates for concert and theatrical performances.

After Graduating with a PhD in Kinesiology, Curriculum and Pedagogy Studies in Physical Education

Alumni are scholars and practitioners. They conduct research on curriculum and instruction in various physical activity settings, develop innovative physical education and physical activity programs for K-12 schools and communities, and provide evaluation services to improve the quality of physical activity programs for children, adolescents, youths, and adults.

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