Last modified: Thursday, November 10, 2005
Indiana University doctoral program in kinesiology ranked seventh in nation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 10, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University Bloomington ranked seventh nationally in a first-of-its-kind evaluation of doctoral programs for this field.
John Shea, chairman of the department and professor of kinesiology, said the ranking by the prestigious American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education provides credence to the long standing reputation of IUB's graduate program as being one of national prominence. The graduate program is one of the largest and most comprehensive programs in the country, with doctoral programs in exercise physiology, clinical exercise physiology, biomechanics, motor control and adapted physical education. It has nine master's degree programs, as well.
"The high ranking reflects the high quality of the department's graduate faculty and students," Shea said. "Of equal importance is the criteria established by the AAKPE. It provides a direction for the future development of our graduate program so that it will move to the top in the next round of AAKPE rankings."
The AAKPE ranked the programs based on a variety of faculty and student indices -- including journal articles and book publications, AAKPE fellows, research funding, student assistantships, postdoctoral positions and employment in the field -- gathered from 2000 to 2004. The AAKPE plans to conduct similar evaluations every five years. Nationwide 61 universities have doctoral programs in kinesiology and physical education. Kinesiology, which is the study of movement, has become a multifaceted field of study in which movement or physical activity is the intellectual focus.
In the top 10, the University of Connecticut and Pennsylvania State University tied for first; Arizona State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tied for third; the University of Maryland ranked fifth; the University of Massachusetts-Amhurst ranked sixth; IU ranked seventh; tying for eighth were Oregon State University, Teachers College-Columbia University and the University of South Carolina. Purdue University's doctoral program ranked twenty-fourth.
For more information about the rankings, visit https://www.aakpe.org/. An article discussing the rankings, including the rationale for the evaluation and methods used, will be published early next year in the quarterly journal Quest.
Shea can be reached at 812-855-6420 and jbshea@indiana.edu. For more information about the department, visit https://www.indiana.edu/~kines/.
