Adapted Physical Activity
MS or PhD in Kinesiology
Interested in furthering your education in the specialized areas of adapted physical education or adapted sports? Our nationally recognized program offers both master’s and doctoral Kinesiology degrees focused on educational theory and fitness for special populations.
Courses include a combination of online and classroom instruction in the evenings in Denton.
Careers & Salaries
This master’s degree in Kinesiology allows you to specialize as either an adapted physical education teacher or adapted sport and fitness specialist for special populations. Related fields include special education, coaching, sport management and family science. According to salaryexpert.com, the average annual salary for adapted physical education teachers is $63,740.
Those earning their PhDs most frequently enter the higher education field as assistant professors (average annual salary of $92,950) or serve as adapted physical education coordinators in public schools or adapted sport specialists for organizations or agencies.
Why Adapted Physical Education at TWU?
When you are part of this program at TWU, you will learn from faculty members who have helped mold the field now known as adapted physical education. TWU has a long history of preparing educators to impact the lives of individuals with disabilities through physical activity and involvement in physical education.
Project Nexus
Project Nexus is an interdisciplinary collaborative project between TWU’s graduate programs in Adapted Physical Activity and Speech-Language Pathology. Project Nexus aims to prepare APE and SLP scholars with the skills necessary for effective teaching and/or service provision to students with disabilities with high intensity needs.
Master’s Program Requirements
A thesis, non-thesis, professional project or culminating experience is required in this program, in addition to the 36 credit semester hours. See the Graduate Catalog for full program requirements.
This program has two tracks:
- Adapted Physical Education (APE), designed for a student with an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology or related field, who has a teaching certificate in physical education. special education or a related field.
- Adapted Sport and Fitness, designed for a student who is not seeking teacher certification but has a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology or a related field, or an individual with a certification from ACSM, NCHPAD or other adapted sports certifications (e.g., CDSS, ASSP, SO).
As a full-time student, you can complete the coursework for this master’s degree within one year.
Doctoral Program Requirements
This program requires 96 credit hours, including credit hours from graduate-level work and six semester credit hours for dissertation. (See full program requirements in the Graduate Catalog.)
To be considered for this program, you must have a master’s degree in Kinesiology or a related field with a major in adapted physical education, coaching, special education, exercise physiology or similar area of study. Also, at least two years of teaching/professional experience is highly recommended.
As a doctoral candidate, you will present a minimum of two research projects and publish at least one manuscript before graduation. A manuscript based on your dissertation must be submitted for publication before graduation, also.
Admission Requirements
Program Contact
Jason Torres
940-898-2864
jtorres9@twu.edu
Application Deadlines
Fall and Summer - March 1
Spring - July 1
Admission Requirements
Unconditional admission indicates an applicant meets all requirements for admission. However, meeting minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission.
- Hold a baccalaureate degree in health promotion, public health, kinesiology, or a related field from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional or general accrediting agency, or an equivalent degree from a foreign college or university.
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 semester credit hours of bachelor's degree coursework, as evidenced by official transcripts.
- For those seeking the M.S. in Kinesiology with Biomechanics emphasis, submission of GRE scores is highly recommended.
- For international students, a test of English proficiency or exception. Please consult the School of Health Promotion and Kinesiology Graduate Advisor and the Office of International Education prior to applying.
For applicants who submit all required application materials but do not meet the minimum requirements for unconditional admission to the master’s degree program, provisional admission will be considered, dependent upon the relative strength of the application materials. When provisional admission is granted, the admission letter from the Graduate School will specify the prerequisites and/or provisions a student must satisfy to advance to unconditional admission status. It is the student’s responsibility to satisfy all requirements to remove the provisional admission status. Once the provisional requirements are complete, the student must inform and provide evidence of requirement completion to the advisor.
Students who do not plan to work toward a graduate degree but who wish to enroll in coursework for personal or professional purposes may, with the permission of the School, apply as “non-degree seeking students.’’ Please refer to the Graduate Catalog for more information.
How to Apply
- Apply for admission to the TWU Graduate School. In the application, specify degree and emphasis area.
- Collect and submit the following documents as separate PDF files in ONE email to jtorres9@twu.edu with the subject line (YOUR LAST NAME)-(YOUR FIRST NAME)-Degree Sought. Please attach all items as PDFs.
- Personal Statement Letter. The Personal Statement Letter, evidencing the ability to express concepts and ideas in writing, should indicate whether the applicant is interested in conducting a thesis. If an applicant is interested in conducting a thesis, the applicant should also identify a preferred faculty mentor and discuss how their research interests align with the identified faculty mentor’s research agenda.
- Professional resume/curriculum vita evidencing appropriate academic background and relevant experience for graduate study.
- Two letters of recommendation submitted by faculty members and/or employers as PDFs on institutional or organization letterhead to jtorres9@twu.edu. Recommenders should include student name and degree sought (e.g. "M.S. in Kinesiology") in the subject line.
Program Contact
Jason Torres
940-898-2864
jtorres9@twu.edu
Application Deadlines
Fall and Summer - March 1
Spring - July 1
Admission Requirements
Unconditional admission indicates an applicant meets all requirements for admission. However, meeting minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission.
- As the Ph.D. is a research degree, interested applicants must identify and contact a potential graduate faculty advisor (with whom research interests and goals align) before applying.
- A baccalaureate and master’s degree. The baccalaureate or master’s degree must be in health promotion, public health, kinesiology, or a related field from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional or general accrediting agency, or an equivalent degree from a foreign college or university.
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 semester credit hours of bachelor's degree coursework as evidenced by official transcripts and master’s GPA of 3.5 or higher as evidenced by official transcripts.
- For Biomechanics specialization – Submission of GRE scores is highly recommended. For Exercise Physiology specialization - Submission of GRE scores is required.
- For international students, a test of English proficiency or exception. Please consult the School of Health Promotion & Kinesiology Graduate Advisor and the International Education Office prior to applying.
For applicants who submit all required application materials but do not meet the minimum requirements for unconditional admission to the doctoral program (including not having a master's degree), provisional admission may be considered dependent upon the composite strength of the application materials. When provisional admission is granted, the admission letter from the Graduate School will specify the prerequisites and/or provisions a student must satisfy to advance to unconditional admission status. It is the student’s responsibility to satisfy all requirements to remove the provisional admission status. Once the provisional requirements are complete, the student must inform and provide evidence of requirement completion to the Associate Director for graduate programs and initiate a status change to unconditional admission. All provisional requirements must be satisfied before a student is permitted to proceed to the comprehensive exam.
How to Apply
- Apply for admission to the TWU Graduate School. In the application, specify degree and emphasis area.
- If required, take the GRE General Test and submit your GRE scores to TWU.
- Collect and submit the following documents as separate PDF files in ONE email to jtorres9@twu.edu with the subject line (YOUR LAST NAME)-(YOUR FIRST NAME)-Degree Sought. Please attach all items as PDFs.
- Personal Statement Letter which describes the applicant’s academic and professional background, research goals, personal growth and development, future goals, and reasons for applying to the doctoral program; identifies a preferred faculty mentor; and discusses how their research interests align with the identified faculty mentor’s research agenda.
- Professional resume/curriculum vitae evidencing appropriate academic background and relevant experience for graduate study.
- One original 500-word integrated summary of three primary research articles relevant to the applicant’s research interest with the article PDFs attached.
- Three letters of recommendation addressing the applicant's ability to successfully complete a doctoral degree submitted by faculty members and/or employers as PDFs on institutional or organization letterhead to jtorres9@twu.edu. Recommenders should include student name and Degree Name (e.g. "Ph.D. in Health Studies") in the subject line.
- The School of Health Promotion & Kinesiology personnel will review all application materials to select applicants for an interview.
Final admission decisions will be determined upon review of all application materials, successful interview completion, program capacity, and availability of graduate faculty mentorship.
For More Information
Suzanna Dillon
Associate Professor
Adapted Physical Education and Adapted Physical Activity
940-898-2582
sdillon@twu.edu
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Page last updated 9:48 AM, December 5, 2024