Welcome from the Director of Graduate Studies
Greetings! On behalf of the Graduate Program at the Department of Kinesiology, I welcome you to the University of Wisconsin – Madison. We are pleased to have you join us and hope that you will find a sense of warmth and belonging in our community of learning.
This Handbook will provide you with key information to facilitate your graduate study. The handbook highlights information from campus-level sources but also includes details specific to the Department of Kinesiology. Please read it in full and be sure to refer to it regularly as you move through our program.
The Handbook provides overall information about the program and is intended to complement – not replace — thoughtful individual planning and continuous personal communication with your faculty advisor. On its own, the Handbook creates no policy. It will not supersede policy statements in most other sources. At any time, if you have a question not answered by the handbook or are uncertain about something, please reach out to me or Dr. Erin McGowan, our Graduate Program Manager, so that we can assist you.
Whom can you consult?
If you are a research-based graduate student (enrolled in thesis MS named option or a PhD program), then your faculty mentor will be an excellent resource for any questions or concerns related to your graduate studies. Kinesiology is a broad field encompassing multiple disciplines with their own norms, journals, and practices. Your mentor is positioned to give you the specific guidance that will help you succeed within your chosen area. Please actively seek and maintain frequent and open interaction with your advisor. It is primarily up to you and your advisor, working together closely, to reach a shared plan for mentorship and to design a sequence of courses to satisfy all degree requirements of the Department and The Graduate School.
If you are an MS student in the Applied Exercise Science named option, then I am your faculty advisor, and you may direct your academic questions to me or direct your procedural questions to the Graduate Program Manager, Dr. McGowan. Our contact information follows in this Handbook.
If you are an OT student (Occupational Therapy), then this Handbook is not your best resource. We refer you instead to the OT program website, and click the OT handbook, or consult the OT Program Director (see contacts section). Likewise, if you are an Athletic Training MS student, please refer to the Athletic Training MS program handbook or consult the MSAT Program Director.
We are pleased you have chosen the University of Wisconsin for graduate education. We are especially pleased that you have made the Kinesiology Department your graduate study home. We want to make your experience with us a rewarding one. Let us know if we can help!
Karla Ausderau
Associate Professor (Occupational Therapy)
Director of Graduate Studies