Michael G. Bemben , Chair
Debra A. Bemben, Graduate Liaison
1401 Asp Avenue, Room 104
Norman, OK 73019-6081
Phone: (405) 325-5211
FAX: (405) 325-0594
Internet: http://hes.ou.edu
E-mail: rdmcbride@ou.edu
Professors: M. Bemben, Gabert; Associate Professors D. Bemben, Dinger, Hofford, Taylor; Assistant Professors Brittain, Cramer, Kerksick, Stout; Instructor: Coniglio.
Information on both undergraduate and graduate programs is included. However, the information contained in this section mainly covers undergraduate study. Please refer to the Graduate College section of this catalog for general information on graduate programs.
A growing responsibility of the University of Oklahoma is meeting the needs of a changing society by proposing theoretical and practical solutions to contemporary problems. The Department of Health and Exercise Science contributes to this mission through teaching, research, and service activities in the areas of exercise science and health promotion.
The undergraduate program consists of a single core curriculum emphasizing applied science and professional preparation. The core is combined with an elective block sufficiently broad to allow students to develop strong preparation in an area of personal interest related to health and exercise. A minor in athletic coaching is also available at the undergraduate level. The master’s degree program consists of a specialized core curriculum, Health and Exercise Science, with two options: Exercise Science and Health Promotion. The department also offers doctoral degrees in Exercise Physiology and Health Promotion.
The department encourages participation in the Honors College, departmental research projects, internship and fieldwork experiences, and membership and participation in professional organizations and societies. All such activities are designed to enhance the basic academic preparation associated with coursework in the core and elective blocks.
The Department of Health and Exercise Science supports the position that students should receive both broad educational preparation and disciplinary specialization in order to prepare effectively for future professional demands. This includes: strong general education preparation with an emphasis in biological and behavioral sciences; a core of requisite coursework in HES; and an individualized block of elective coursework.
The department is equally proud of preparation and academic standards at the graduate level. The graduate program is demanding and comparable to programs at peer institutions which are much larger.
The Department of Health and Exercise Science is located in the Huston Huffman Physical Fitness Center, which opened in 1981. The department is housed in the west wing of the building and maintains classrooms, research laboratories, and faculty and graduate student offices. The east wing of the building houses the student recreation and intramural activity areas. The department recently acquired approximately 3500 square feet in the old Collums Commissary for additional teaching and research laboratories.
The department encourages interdisciplinary study and research. Students interested in special projects may also have access to facilities housed in Recreational Services, the Athletic Department, the Oklahoma Center for Continuing Education, Goddard Health Center, and OU Health Sciences Center sites. In addition, faculty and students frequently interact with members of other University academic units in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, Medicine, Public Health, and Allied Health.
The department offers the Mary Anne Price Undergraduate Merit Scholarship and the Glen Michael Sims Memorial Graduate Merit Scholarship. Application is restricted to HES majors. Students should contact the department for further information and applications at 1401 Asp Avenue, Room 104, Norman, OK 73019-6081, (405)325-5211.
Students accepted in the HES graduate programs are eligible for financial aid in the form of teaching and research assistantships. The stipend ranges from $10,150-$10,900 for master’s level and from $14,040-$15,600 for doctoral level graduate assistants for 20 hours per week during the nine month academic year. Qualified graduate assistants also receive a non-resident tuition waiver (up to nine credit hours) and a resident tuition waiver (up to seven credit hours) during the Fall and Spring semesters. All students should seek advice from the University of Oklahoma Financial Aid Services Office.
Since the Fall Semester of 1999, majors have been selected for matriculation into the upper division undergraduate core curriculum from a pool of students who have completed the pre-requisite coursework identified as “Pre-HES.” Approximately ninety (90) students per year will be selected for matriculation based on the criteria listed below. Other criteria for selection in addition to completion of prerequisite courses are 1) prerequisite course GPA and 2) combined retention GPA. Pre-registration and career advisement for those students who declare the Pre-HES curriculum will be conducted within the department by designated advisers. Please contact the HES support staff for additional information.
1. Application for admission will be accepted two times per year. Deadline for application for the following Fall semester is January 30 and for the Spring semester is September 30 of each year.
2. Minimum eligibility requirements for application:
a. a minimum combined retention and prerequisite course grade point average of 2.75;
b. 60 credit hours completed prior to enrollment in Fall after admission to HES and a minimum of 45 hours completed at the time of application;
c. completion of the following prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better — all prerequisite courses must be completed prior to application to the program:
HES 2131, 2823, 2913;
ZOO 1114 (or 1005), 1121, 2124, and 2255 (or 2234);
CHEM 1315;
PSY 1113 or equivalent;
SOC 1113 or equivalent;
COMM 1113 or 2613 or 3483;
ENGL 1113 and ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213; and
MATH 1503 or higher.
3. Matriculation ranking based on combined retention GPA and GPA of prerequisite courses (as defined above).
4. Students who do not meet minimum eligibility requirements for matriculation can petition the HES Undergraduate Committee for an exception.
The Health and Exercise Science major program is designed to meet the needs of students who plan to work in specialized health and exercise careers, and to prepare students for graduate studies in Health and Exercise Science or related fields. Progress toward the degree can best be facilitated through regular advisement with department faculty and advisers. Students should be aware that all courses are not offered every semester. The department office will provide degree plans, checksheets, and assignment of an adviser upon request.
The HES core includes the following courses: HES 3513, Health Promotion Program Planning; 3563, Lifestyle Intervention; 3813, Principles of Health and Fitness; 3823, Physiology of Exercise; either 3853, Exercise Testing and Prescription or 4833, Exercise Physiology Lab; either 4543, Comprehensive Stress Management or 4853, Chronic Disease Intervention; 4953, Senior Capstone; and two 1000-level HES lifetime activity courses. In addition to completion of the required core courses, students are required to complete 15 hours of upper-division HES elective coursework.
An HES major must complete a minimum of 45 hours of major coursework with at least 36 of these hours at the upper-division level. Selection for matriculation to the upper-division core curriculum is required in order to enroll in all 3000- and 4000-level Health and Exercise Science core courses. HES majors must earn grades of C or better in all HES and prerequisite courses.
HES courses numbered below 2000 are basic skills courses which include the teaching of specific skills, rules and regulations when appropriate, and nomenclature of the sport or recreational activity. The basic skills courses represent lifetime health, fitness and leisure activities to enhance the lifestyle of all participants. All service courses are graded S/U and have attendance requirements.
A minor in Athletic Coaching requires a minimum of 16 hours of courses acceptable for major credit, including at least nine upper-division hours. The following HES courses must be completed: one beginning sport skill course; one hour of weight training (1121/1131) or individual fitness (1221); 2022, 2212, a theory of sport course selected from 3052, 3072, or 3990; 3502; three hours selected from the following upper-division courses: 3253, 3843, 3853, 4213, 4543, and up to three hours of 3430.
All required courses must be completed before enrolling in HES 3430. Requirements of field experience include written documentation of: purpose; seasonal goals and objectives; specific time analysis for one week in the season; evaluation of the study by the cooperating coach; evaluation of the experience by the student; and participation by the student in an entire coaching season including a minimum of 10 clock hours per week and 135 hours per season. The participation by the student should allow time for observation of other coaches in action, as well as actual participation as a coach.
An undergraduate degree in Health and Exercise Science or an equivalent allied field such as biological sciences, health education, kinesiology, human performance, or health psychology is required. Applicants holding equivalent degrees will be evaluated by the department for course deficiencies. If course deficiencies exist, a student may be admitted conditionally, but all deficiencies and conditions must be removed before a student can be fully admitted. Removal of deficiencies is required prior to taking the comprehensive/general examination or enrolling in thesis/dissertation hours.
A grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for undergraduate and/or graduate work as defined by the Graduate College Bulletin is required for full admission. Applicants with less than a 3.0 may be admitted conditionally. Students must complete the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) prior to admission. Admission to the Master of Science programs will be based on GRE scores, undergraduate grade point average, undergraduate coursework, letters of recommendation, and an interview. Admission to the doctoral program will be based on GRE scores, graduate grade point average and coursework, statement related to academic, research, and professional goals, letters of recommendation, successful interview, and availability of a faculty member to work with the student.
In addition to graduate program admission requirements, applicants for graduate assistantships must submit professional recommendations supporting teaching/research ability.
Students enrolling in a Master of Science degree program must complete a minimum of 36 graduate hours in Health and Exercise Science including coursework from the Department of Health and Exercise Science (HES) and any graduate electives from other departments.
Each area of study requires a basic core of graded courses, an area of electives related to the degree option and approved by the student’s adviser, and completion of a research requirement. The research requirement involves a minimum of eight credit hours, including HES 5953, a graduate course in statistics, and a thesis or nonthesis project.
A student may elect a thesis or nonthesis program of study. A thesis program requires a minimum of 32 hours of coursework in addition to four hours of thesis credit and satisfactory defense of a thesis (HES 5980). The nonthesis program requires completion of a minimum of 34 hours of coursework, plus two credit hours of an approved research experience (HES 5940) under faculty supervision and satisfactory performance on a comprehensive examination.
Health and Exercise Science
An interdisciplinary program integrating health education/health promotion, applied exercise physiology and nutrition which is designed to prepare students for health/fitness professions, working in a variety of settings and with varied target groups. Core: HES 5523, 5563, 5823, and 5853. Extended Core: Health Promotion—HES 5553 and a three-credit hour approved graduate nutrition course, or Exercise Science—HES 5833 and 5863.
The doctoral degree in Health and Exercise Science is awarded for excellence in research scholarship in combination with successful completion of an approved program of study consisting of coursework within and external to the Department of Health and Exercise Science. It signifies the attainment of independently acquired and comprehensive learning which evidences general professional competence. A doctoral student should, under normal conditions, spend at least the equivalent of five full academic years beyond the bachelor’s degree. During this period the student shall take appropriate graduate coursework, successfully complete the General Oral and Written Examination, and submit and successfully defend the results of original research as a dissertation. The total number of hours, combining both formal courses and hours of research, for the doctoral degree will be at least 90 post-baccalaureate hours excluding the credit hours required to gain proficiency in the tools of research. Departmental requirements will conform to University policies in the following areas: (1) residency requirements, (2) limitations to the number of 3000/4000 level courses that may be applied to the degree, (3) transfer credit, (4) time limitations, (5) general examination, (6) use of human subjects/animals in research, and (7) completion and defense of the doctoral dissertation.
Admission will be granted on the basis of undergraduate and graduate grade point average, satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), a statement of purpose related to their academic, research and professional goals, and at least three letters of recommendation. Applicants are expected to have a bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in a curriculum which will provide a solid foundation for doctoral study in the disciplines of health promotion and exercise physiology. Because of the professional nature of these disciplines, on the job experience will also be considered. Those applying with less than adequate training may be required to take prerequisite coursework before receiving full admission status.