MS in Health and Human Physiology

MS in Health and Human Physiology (with thesis)

Prospective Graduate Students! The Department of HHP is looking for new MS (thesis) and PhD students for research positions [click here for more information]

The MS in HHP with thesis is designed to academically prepare students with a Bachelor's degree for doctoral programs in the broad areas of health promotion and human physiology. Because this curriculum is designed to prepare students for a doctoral program it will be offered only as MS with thesis.

Health promotion is distinguished by its focus on physiological and behavioral processes as they interact with social and cultural forces to impact health. Scholarship in this area advances the current understanding of physical activity behavior and health outcomes associated with this behavior through the evaluation of theories that predict behavior, the modeling of physical activity patterns associated with health outcomes, and the testing of interventions that promote physical activity and improve quality of life. Students with a special interest in the area of health promotion may elect to focus on acquiring the analytical and research skills necessary to go on to doctoral programs.

Human physiology is the study of how the human body responds to external and internal stimuli, including physical exercise and stress, environmental conditions, aging, and disease. Scholarship in this area requires in-depth knowledge in the natural sciences, including biology, chemistry, biochemistry, biomechanics, mathematics and statistics, physics, anatomy, biomechanics, neuroscience, and physiology. Students with a special interest in the area of human physiology will acquire knowledge of the integrative functions of human organ systems and gain hands-on skills in experimental techniques in the areas of biomechanics and/or cardiovascular, skeletal muscle, pulmonary, sensorimotor and/or neurological physiology, and/or exercise physiology using human subjects, experimental animals, isolated tissues, or cell culture systems.

Required Materials and Apply Online  

Prerequisite Coursework: Students entering the MS in HHP with thesis must hold a BS/BA degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Basic knowledge in the areas of anatomy, physiology, and statistics are required. Therefore, courses in anatomy and physiology with laboratory sections as well as coursework in statistics are prerequisites for the MS in HHP with thesis. Typically, these prerequisites are met by a total of 8 SH of anatomy and physiology (3-SH lecture and 1-SH laboratory component for anatomy and physiology, respectively) and a 3-SH introductory statistics course.

Total Semester Hour Requirements: 30 semester hours of graduate coursework which includes a maximum of 4 semester hours of Thesis MS (HHP:7500).

Required courses: All graduate students in the MS in HHP with thesis are required to take the following coursework:

One Introductory Statistics course selected from:

  • BIOS:4120 Introduction to Biostatistics 3 s.h.
  • PCOL:5204 Basic Biostatistics & Experimental Design 1 s.h. 
  • PSQF:6242 Selected Applications of Statistics
  • STAT:3510/IGPI:3510 Biostatistics 3 s.h.
  • STAT:4143/PSQF:4143 Introduction to Statistical Methods 3 s.h.

One Advanced Statistics course selected from::

  • BIOS:5120/IGPI:5120/STAT:5610 Regression & ANOVA in Health Sciences 3 s.h.
  • STAT:6513/PSQF:6243 Intermediate Statistical Methods   4 s.h.

One “Research Methods” course, e.g.:

  • HHP:6020 Advanced Research Methods and Ethics 3 s.h.

Graduate Seminar Courses (2 enrollments at 1 s.h. each) selected from:

  • HHP:6300 Seminar in Motor Control   1 s.h.
  • HHP:6400 Integrative Physiology Seminar   1 s.h.
  • HHP:6500 Seminar in Health Promotion   1 s.h.

Thesis hours:

  • HHP:7500 Thesis MS maximum of 4 s.h.

Elective courses: Elective courses serve the purpose to broaden the student’s knowledge in the general area of HHP and to enhancing the student’s knowledge in the special area of interest. Elective courses will be selected with guidance from the advisor/mentor. Examples of approved elective courses include:

  • HHP:3050 Obesity: Causes, Consequences, Prevention, and Treatment 3 s.h.
  • HHP:3440 Physical Activity Interventions 3 s.h.
  • HHP:3450 Immunology in Health and Disease 3 s.h.
  • HHP:4020 Health Communication & Coaching 3 s.h.
  • HHP:4320 Nutrition Interventions 3 s.h. 
  • HHP:4390 Understanding Human Disease 3 s.h.  
  • HHP:4450 Human Genetics and Disease  3-4 s.h.
  • HHP:5200 Epidemiology of Physical Activity  3 s.h.                                            
  • HHP:6000 Research (arr)  
  • HHP:6030 Physical Activity and Dietary Behavior Change 3 s.h.
  • HHP:6050 Advanced Topics in Obsity 3 s.h.          
  • HHP:6130 Advanced Skeletal Muscle Physiology    3 s.h.
  • HHP:6150 Clinical Exercise Physiology  3 s.h.
  • HHP:6200 Advanced Metabolic Exercise Testing & Prescription  4 s.h.
  • HHP:6260 Advanced Respiratory Pathophysiology 3 s.h.
  • HHP:6410 Advanced Exercise Physiology 3 s.h.
  • HHP:6460 Advanced Cardiovascular Physiology 3 s.h.
  • HHP:6470 Advanced Physiology of Aging 3 s.h.
  • HHP:6510 Advanced Energy Metabolism in Health and Disease 3 s.h.
  • HHP:7300 Advanced Neural Control of Posture & Movement  3 s.h.
  • ACB:5203 Gross Human Anatomy for Graduate Students 6 s.h.
  • BIOC:3110 Biochemistry 3 s.h.
  • EPID:4400  Epidemiology I: Principles 3 s.h.
  • EPID:6350 Nutritional Epidemiology 2 s.h.
  • EPID:6400 Epidemiology II: Advanced Methods 4 s.h.
  • EPID:6600 Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases 3 s.h.
  • MPB:5153 Graduate Physiology 4 s.h.
  • PCOL:3101 Pharmacology I: A Drug's Fantastic Journey  3 s.h.
  • PCOL:3102 Pharmacology II: Mechanisms of Drug Action  3 s.h.
  • PTRS:7812 Biomedical Instrumentation and Measurement 3 s.h.
  • PTRS:7875 Analysis of Activity-Based Ndeural and Musculoskeletal Plasticity 3 s.h.

Graduate Student Handbook

Graduate Student Handbook (MS)