Mission Statement and Program Overview

Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Kinesiology is to create, interpret, transmit, and apply knowledge related to movement, exercise, and human occupation with the ultimate goal of enhancing human health, productivity, and quality of life. The MS and Ph.D. in Kinesiology are available in research based named options: biomechanics, exercise physiology, exercise psychology, motor control and behavior, physical activity epidemiology, and occupational science. The MS in Kinesiology has one coursework based named option, applied exercise science.

Learning Outcomes

Every graduate program has expectations for what students will learn in the program and a curriculum to support the development of the students from admission to graduation. These expectations, more formally defined as learning outcomes, specify what students will know, or be able to do, as a result of completing the program. Learning outcomes for all graduate programs can be found by exploring the UW Madison Guide.

Program Statistics

Please refer to the Kinesiology program’s data profile for statistical information on admissions, enrollment, student funding, and degrees.

Program Structure: Organizational Overview

For graduate students, the Graduate School, which is also a part of the administrative structure at UW-Madison, exerts a strong influence on how we manage graduate study and grant graduate degrees. When Kinesiology admitted you, the admission was to the Graduate School, with Graduate School review and approval. The Graduate School will continue to exercise review and approval of various milestones during your graduate studies. At the very least, it will be involved in the conferral of your degree.

Graduate training in Kinesiology can be directed toward the degrees of MS and/or Ph.D. in Kinesiology. Both of these degrees combine advanced courses with the option of an intensive research experience. Department research facilities are well equipped, and faculty and graduate students have access to other specialized research facilities across campus. Faculty and graduate student research is currently supported by funding from the state and federal government, research foundations, and private industry.

The Kinesiology Department has undergraduate programs in Kinesiology, Physical Education Teacher Education, and Health Promotion and Health Equity. We offer graduate degrees in Athletic Training, Kinesiology (MS and PhD), and Occupational Therapy (professional OTD). The Graduate Program in Kinesiology includes several named options: Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, Exercise Psychology, Motor Control & Behavior, Physical Activity Epidemiology, and Occupational Science.

Kinesiology Graduate Studies Committee

If graduate students or advisors want to seek formal input from several graduate faculty members, or if graduate policies call for that input to be sought, the Kinesiology Department has a standing committee, the Graduate Studies Committee. It consists of five graduate faculty members appointed by the Department Chair. Usually, each Committee member and the Chair will have several years of experience in graduate program administration, and in combination they have several decades of experience at the UW and in the Department.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

More information about departmental initiatives can be found on the Equity Initiatives portion of our website. The Department of Kinesiology endorses the UW Madison Diversity Statement and the School of Education Diversity Statement.

UW Madison Diversity Statement:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background – people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. https://diversity.wisc.edu/

School of Education’s Diversity Statement:

The School of Education recognizes that our desire to be an anti-racist, unbiased and inclusive academic community is ongoing and involves shared commitment, responsibility, action and accountability. We believe that diversity, equity, inclusion, and inclusive excellence, the four essential pillars of our approach to generating positive and lasting change, build upon our scholarship and the School’s reputation as a leading educational institution.

How to Get Involved

As a graduate student at UW-Madison, you have a multitude of opportunities to become involved on campus and in your academic discipline. This involvement often enhances your academic, professional, and personal growth through developing advanced leadership, communication, and collaboration skills. It also provides opportunity for professional networking.

In Our Program/Department

The following committees include Graduate Student members. If you are interested in serving on the committee, please contact the committee chair for more information.

• • Graduate Studies Committee
    • Chair: Dr. Karla Ausderau
  • Equity, Climate, and Diversity Committee
    • Chair: Eric Walsh
  • KinEqT Mentoring Group
    • Co-chairs: Steph Adler

On Campus & In the Community

The Wisconsin Idea is the principle that education should influence and improve people’s lives beyond the university classroom. For more than 100 years, this idea has guided the university’s work. You will find a list of ways to engage in campus and local community life at:

The Graduate School’s Current Student Page

grad.wisc.edu/current-students

If you are a student actively involved in leadership and service activities, consider nominating yourself for membership in the following honor society:

Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society

grad.wisc.edu/diversity/bouchet