Current Students

All Graduate Students

Academic performance is vital for all graduate students. Each graduate student should familiarize themselves with the academic policies found in the Department of Kinesiology Graduate Handbook and the Mississippi State University Graduate Catalog. Both sources contain information regarding successful academic performance in the graduate program and the consequences of not meeting these performance requirements (academic probation and dismissal). If you have questions about these policies, please discuss them with your major professor or the Department of Kinesiology Graduate Coordinator (Dr. Knight). Below is a summary of the academic performance guidelines found in the Mississippi State University Graduate Catalog.

  1. Students must meet all the degree and program requirements and have a graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. This requirement is necessary to take comprehensive exams, defend a thesis, defend a dissertation, and graduate.
  2. Students will be placed on academic probation if any of the following happens:
    1. Graduate GPA falls below a 3.0 at the end of an academic semester.
    2. Receives a third course grade below a B (one of these courses must be retaken and the student must earn a grade of B or higher).
    3. Fails to meet a departmental requirement outlined in the Department of Kinesiology Graduate Handbook.
    4. If a student is placed on academic probation, they will have one academic year to pull their GPA up to a 3.0 or higher and be released from probation, or they will be dismissed from the University.
    5. Students are not eligible to take comprehensive exams or defend a thesis/dissertation while they are on academic probation.
  3. Student will be dismissed from the University if one or more of the following conditions occur:
    1. Receives a second course grade of D or lower.
    2. Receives a fourth course grade of C or lower.
    3. Violates the Student Honor Code for a second time.
    4. Was placed on academic probation and fails to meet the requirements to be released from academic probation.
    5. Fails to meet the standards established for graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology.   

Additionally, it is imperative that all graduate students regularly check their official Mississippi State University email account for announcements from the Department, Graduate School, and University. Failure to monitor this account for important emails could result in delays in completing the requirements of the program. It is also imperative the students respond to emails in a timely manner.   

Master's Students

All Master’s students in the Department of Kinesiology must have a major professor/advisor and an advisory committee. The following are the guidelines for the advisory committee.

  1. This advisory committee must include the student’s major professor and at least two other graduate faculty members.
  2. Master’s students should choose a major professor/advisor in their specific concentration, and they can receive assistance with this process from Dr. Knight.
  3. The advisory committee should be assembled by the end of the student’s second semester of coursework.
  4. Once the committee is complete, the student needs to complete the Committee Request Form. Here are the steps to completing this form:
    1. The student’s information should go at the top of the form (name, netID, nine-digit MSU number).
    2. The degree is Master of Science, the major is Kinesiology, and the concentration is either Disability Studies, Exercise Physiology, Sport Administration, or Sport Pedagogy.
    3. The student’s advisor should be listed on the major professor line, and the other committee members below this in the committee members’ spots.
    4. Once all the above steps have been completed, the student should have each committee member sign the form. The best way to accomplish this task is through email and asking each committee member to sign the form digitally.
    5. The student should also sign the form at the bottom.
    6. Once the form is complete and all committee members and the student have signed it, the form should be sent to Dr. Knight for processing.

For Master’s students to successfully complete the program and earn their degree, the following steps must be taken.

  1. The student must complete all the required coursework for their concentration and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  2. The student must successfully complete a concluding option. There are three concluding options for Master’s students in the Department of Kinesiology.
    1. Option One: Students may complete a thesis (6 credit hours) under the direction of their major professor and advisory committee, which will conclude with a thesis defense.
    2. Option Two: Students may complete a directed individual study (3 credit hours) under the direction of their major professor. This option requires the student to take an additional three-hour graduate class.
    3. Option Three: Students may complete an internship (3 credit hours) related to their concentration. This option requires the student to take an additional three-hour graduate class.

These options should be discussed early in the program with the student’s major professor. For students that choose the directed individual study or internship option, comprehensive exams must be taken during the last semester of the program. Below are the guidelines for Master’s comprehensive exams:

  1. The exams are typically held in mid to late October during the Fall semester, mid to late March during the spring semester, and July during the summer semester.
  2. The specific date of the exam will be announced at the beginning of each semester.
  3. Students are allowed to select five classes that they have completed that they wish to receive questions from as part of their exams. Students are encouraged to work with their major professor and advisory committee to select these classes, and then complete the Kinesiology Exam Application.
  4. Students then have a day in which to answer these questions.
  5. Students wishing to take comprehensive exams in a specific semester must complete the committee request form and the Kinesiology Exam Application and submit them to Dr. Knight at least 10 days prior to the scheduled day of the exams.
  6. Students must be enrolled in at least one credit hour for the semester in which they take their comprehensive exams.     

Doctoral Students

All Doctoral students in the Department of Kinesiology must have a major professor/advisor and an advisory committee. The following are the guidelines for the advisory committee.

  1. The student’s major professor will be identified during the application process prior to beginning the program. Doctoral students are also allowed to have two primary advisors (a major professor and co-major professor).
  2. The student’s advisory committee must include the student’s major professor and at least three other graduate faculty members. One of the committee members must be from a department outside of kinesiology. If you are working towards a minor, then at least one committee member should come from the department in which you are attempting to earn a minor.
  3. Once the committee composition is complete, the student needs to complete the Committee Request Form. This form should be completed by the end of the student’s first academic year in the program. Here are the steps to completing this form:
    1. The student’s information should go at the top of the form (name, netID, nine-digit MSU number).
    2. The degree is Doctor of Philosophy, the major is Kinesiology, and the concentration is either Exercise Science or Sport Studies.
    3. The student’s advisor should be listed on the major professor line, and the other committee members below this in the committee members’ spots.
    4. If the student is attempting to earn a minor, the committee member from the minor department should go on that specific line (minor member). The graduate coordinator from the minor department will also need to sign the committee request form.
    5. Once all the above steps have been completed, the student should have each committee member sign the form. The best way to accomplish this task is through email and asking each committee member to sign the form digitally.
    6. The student should also sign the form at the bottom.
    7. Once the form is complete and all committee members and student have signed it, the form should be sent to Dr. Knight for processing.

For doctoral students to successfully complete the program and earn their degree, the following steps that must be taken.

  1. Academically, students must complete the required coursework for their concentration with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  2. The student must also demonstrate progress in research as outlined by their major professor and advisory committee.
  3. Once the student has completed their coursework (not counting dissertation hours) and the directed individual study requirement, they must take and pass the doctoral comprehensive exams prior to their dissertation proposal.
  4. The doctoral comprehensive exams will consist of a written portion and an oral portion. The specific format of the exam will be determined by the student’s major professor and advisory committee.
  5. Students must be enrolled in at least one credit hour during the semester in which they take their comprehensive exams and defend their dissertation.  

Once a doctoral student successfully passes both the written and oral portion of the comprehensive exam, they become a doctoral candidate. They are then allowed to conduct their dissertation proposal and complete their dissertation, concluding with the dissertation defense. For more information on this process, see the Department of Kinesiology Graduate Handbook.