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STORRS, Conn.– The Department of Kinesiology in the Neag School of Education has received one of the highest honors in its field: Its doctoral program in kinesiology has been ranked first in the nation by the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
This is the first time doctoral programs in kinesiology, offered at 62 institutions of higher education, have been ranked through an objective review process. The evaluation, based on data from the last five years, took into account seven indexes involving faculty and students. The Neag School’s kinesiology program tied for first place with Penn State.
“We are extremely proud of this accomplishment by our kinesiology department,” says Richard Schwab, dean. “The competition was fierce and we are in good company in the rankings.” Some of the other top-ranked programs are Arizona State, the universities of Michigan, Indiana, Maryland, and Oregon, and Columbia University.
“This honor is not only important to the kinesiology department in terms of highlighting the quality of its faculty, research, and students, it reflects well on the whole School,” Schwab says. “Carl Maresh and his team have worked hard to achieve our mission by raising standards and recruiting some of the field’s top researchers and students.”
As part of its strategic plan, the Neag School set out to become one of the top 20 schools of education nationally, with several programs ranked in the top 10. Kinesiology is the first department to reach the goal.
Kinesiology, which originated from the discipline of physical education, is a multifaceted field of study in which movement or physical activity is the intellectual focus. Programs can include physiology, biochemistry, genetics, biomechanics, sports medicine, psychology, and sociology.
The American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education is dedicated to educational and scientific advancements in the field. Among the factors weighed in the evaluation were students’ GRE scores, percentage of students on research support, faculty publications in refereed scientific journals, number of books published, editorial boards served on, grant dollars received, and fellowships in professional organizations.
“It is particularly satisfying to be ranked at the top the first time purely quantitative standards are used to compare kinesiology programs,” says Maresh, department head and director of the Human Performance Laboratory. He was recently named a Fellow of the Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education.
The kinesiology department offers two areas of doctoral study: exercise science and sport management/sociology. It has three research laboratories, including the Human Performance Lab, where the exercise science team has access to sophisticated technology. Through advanced science, Maresh and his powerhouse faculty look at the underlying mechanisms associated with a particular physiological response.
The kinesiology department’s nine-tenure track faculty include: William Kraemer, an endocrinologist and neuromuscular physiologist, whose research in strength and conditioning, sports medicine and exercise physiology has earned him recognition around the globe; Lawrence Armstrong and Douglas Casa -- two of the nation’s leading authorities on issues related to exertional heat illnesses and hydration -- whose work is the basis by which the National Athletic Trainers Association and the American College of Sports Medicine set guidelines for amateur and professional athletes; Jaci VanHeest, an exercise physiologist and endocrinologist who investigates physical, hormonal and metabolic outcomes, and has received media attention coast-to-coast for her before-school activity intervention for overweight children; and Jeff Volek, a registered dietitian and an authority in sports nutrition, diet and lipid metabolism, who is best known for his extensive work on low-carb diets.
The #1 ranking stands for five years.
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