About PhD Program,
Our PhD program is acknowledged as a STEM program according to the Carnegie classification. Over the last 20 years, there has been an increased research focus on the role of exercise and nutrition on health, performance, and disease. There has also been an increased interest in identifying strategies to reduce risk to chronic diseases through behavioral modification and wellness intervention programs. The goal of this research has been to identify ways to optimize performance, health, and quality of life. Clinically-related research on preventive and rehabilitative health represents one of the strongest areas for private and public funding. There are also significant resources available to implement community-based fitness and wellness education programs particularly to under-served communities.
Historically, research in this area has been conducted in a multidisciplinary manner through the collaborative efforts of scientists trained in exercise physiology, nutrition, rehabilitation, health, psychology, chemistry, molecular biology, nursing, and/or medicine. While this collaborative approach has been successful, there has been a well-recognized need to develop doctoral programs that integrate exercise science and nutrition so that researchers are better prepared to conduct multidisciplinary health science research. Our program is one of few designed to train specialists in the areas of exercise science and nutrition.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
- An equivalent of a Master’s degree in a related area of exercise physiology, nutrition, health, sports medicine, physical therapy, nursing, or medicine OR appropriate undergraduate degree work including coursework, laboratory, and practical experience that would suggest that the student could be successful in the program
- Willingness of an applicant-identified mentor to supervise the applicant’s doctoral training
PhD Funding Coverage,
Depending on funding availability, we typically accept 2-3 new students per year into this program. Since the program is a 3 or 4-year program, this means that we typically have about 10-12 doctoral students in the program at a given time. Doctoral students are usually funded to work on Baylor Laboratories for Exercise Science and Technology grants, research, or assigned as TA’s.
Your GTA position will entail teaching (2-3 credit hours per semester of Anatomy, Exercise Physiology, and Human Physiology lab), and/or assisting mentor’s research, not to exceed 20 hours per week. In year 3 or 4 after the completion of the prelim, GTAs would have the opportunity to teach or co-teach a three credit hour lecture class during their studies at Baylor.
The stipend for this assistantship is currently set at $30,000 paid out across all academic terms (fall, spring, summer). In summer, you will be working primarily as a research assistant. Renewal of the stipend is dependent upon your maintenance of an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in your graduate studies and your satisfactory performance of assigned duties for up to four years. Baylor may terminate your stipend award for unsatisfactory performance of your duties or for misconduct.
The tuition scholarship is not associated with services. The tuition scholarship consists of up to 24 semester hours of credit per academic year, not to exceed the total number of hours required to meet degree requirements. Renewal of the tuition scholarship is contingent upon your maintenance of an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in your graduate studies.
Application Requirement,
- Completed Graduate School Applicationfor the EXNS program.
- Official GRE test scores (optional)
- Letter of intent, including a description of your academic preparation, degrees earned, interests in the doctoral program, professional goals, research skills, and teaching/work experience (Also indicate the faculty mentor(s) you wish to work with and why, in the letter)
- Resume
- Samples of writing or copies of representative publications (articles and abstracts) if available
- Three letters of reference from individuals with insight into your potential for success in the doctoral program
- Transcripts
Application Deadline,
Feb 01, 2025
Application Fee,
Baylor University Graduate School charges a $50 application fee that is required.
