Exercise Physiology

MS or PhD in Kinesiology

Exercise physiology is a growing field of interest. If you are interested in learning more about how the body reacts to exercise, this is the program for you.

Program courses are offered on the Denton campus.

Careers & Salaries

Exercise physiologists typically work with two different clients: those who are healthy and are trying to improve their fitness and strength levels, and those who need to improve their health and fitness levels to fight diseases, obesity or other chronic conditions. Salaries in this profession vary widely. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a median annual income for exercise physiologists is $54,860.

Those earning their PhDs most frequently enter the higher education field as assistant professors (average annual salary of $66,570) or serve as a research scientist or specialized professional within the field of exercise physiology.

Why Exercise Physiology at TWU?

TWU provides hands-on learning to our students. We combine lectures with applied exercises in the lab. You will get experience reading and analyzing data output from state-of-the-art equipment.

As a doctoral student, you perform research of interest to you, with opportunities to collaborate with other TWU departments, such as biology, nutrition and health studies.

Master’s Program Requirements

This program takes 33-36 credit semester hours to complete, depending on whether you choose to do the thesis or non-thesis option. See full program requirements in the Graduate Catalog.

Non-thesis students complete an internship in a clinical or wellness setting. An internship portfolio is required for review and approval at the end of the program. This portfolio includes a description of the internship, an evaluation of the internship location with recommendations for improvement and a detailed plan outlining how you would establish your ideal wellness or clinical program.

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 doctoral program requirements in the Graduate Catalog.)

Six undergraduate hours in Exercise Physiology are required for this program. You also must select a minor outside of the department of Kinesiology in an area of research interest such as biology, chemistry or nutrition.

Admission Requirements

Admission to Master Degrees in the School of Health Promotion & Kinesiology

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.

  1. 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.
  2. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 semester credit hours of bachelor's degree coursework, as evidenced by official transcripts. 
  3. For those seeking the M.S. in Kinesiology with Biomechanics emphasis, submission of GRE scores is highly recommended. 
  4. 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

  1. Apply for admission to the TWU Graduate School. In the application, specify degree and emphasis area.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Admission to Doctoral Degrees in the School of Health Promotion & Kinesiology

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. For Biomechanics specialization – Submission of GRE scores is highly recommended. For Exercise Physiology specialization - Submission of GRE scores is required. 
  5. 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

  1. Apply for admission to the TWU Graduate School. In the application, specify degree and emphasis area.
  2. If required, take the GRE General Test and submit your GRE scores to TWU
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

Jason Torres
Graduate Academic Advisor
Pioneer Hall 213
jtorres9@twu.edu 

Page last updated 10:39 AM, August 30, 2024