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M.S. Program Plan

What is a Program Plan?

An M.S.program plan is a written document that specifies the course work that the student must complete as part of his or her degree requirements. Although there are certain university, college, and departmental requirements, program plans are personalized for individual students.

Steps in Developing a Program Plan

  1. The student develops a draft program plan to share with his or her advisor. The program plan should specify the student's choice of capstone experience: (a) thesis; (b) project; (c) internship; or (d) course work only. Note that all capstone experiences require a final certifying examination, with the format of the examination depending upon the choice of capstone experience.
  2. The student and advisor collaborate and reach consensus.
  3. The student asks the KIN graduate secretary to prepare a copy of the program plan using the approved MSU form.
  4. The student shares the program plan with members of his or her guidance committee in advance of a guidance committee meeting. The student should also share: (a) a proposed timeline for completing the proposed course work capstone experience, and final certifying exam; (b) a current curriculum vita; (c) a current transcript from StuInfo - https://stuinfo.msu.edu/ ; and (d) a summary of professional development or research plans.
  5. A meeting of the guidance committee is conducted. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the student's program plan and progress toward degree, as well as to approve the program plan.
  6. If the program plan is approved, the guidance committee members sign the form and the student takes the signed form to the KIN graduate secretary.
  7. If the program plan requires revision, the student asks the KIN graduate secretary to make the revisions, then obtains signatures from guidance committee members, then takes the signed form to the KIN graduate secretary.

Required Elements of an M.S. Program Plan

Students should give attention to the following Department of Kinesiology and Michigan State University requirements when constructing their program plans.

    KIN requirements

bulletMinimum of 30 semester credits, including the capstone experience.
bulletCourses must include:
bulletConcentration - minimum of 9 credits.
bulletBreadth requirement - minimum of 6 graduate-level credits in KIN courses outside the student's concentration.
bulletResearch requirement - 3 credits of KIN 871 - Research Methods in Kinesiology. Students who choose the thesis option must also complete an additional 3 credit course in statistical methods.
bulletCapstone requirement - student's choice of 6 credit thesis, 4 credit project, or 4-6 credit internship.
bulletElective courses.

    University requirements (from the Academic Programs catalog)

bulletA minimum of 6 semester credits (more is recommended) in residence on campus.

Course-Taking Options

M.S. students have a variety of course-taking options when developing the program plan. However, the selected courses must be (a) appropriate to the student's academic program and (b) completed within the time limit for earning the M.S. degree at MSU, as judged by the student's guidance committee.

bulletGraduate-level courses. At MSU, 900-level courses are designed specifically for doctoral students, and 800-level courses are designed for for both master's and doctoral level students. The M.S. program plan may include any 800 or 900 level graduate courses offered by any academic unit at MSU. Usually an override is needed for enrollment by a master's degree in a 900-level course, with the onus on the student to demonstrate that she or he is prepared for the advanced-level course.
bulletUndergraduate-level courses
bulletMaster's students may include 400-level courses on the program plan if the course is essential to the program of study, especially for students who enter the KIN graduate program from other disciplinary areas. However, 400-level courses should be the exception rather than the rule in an M.S. program plan, especially within the student's area of concentration.
bulletIn almost all cases, 100, 200, 300 level courses are considered remedial and should not be included on the student's program plan. However, if the guidance committee approves, an M.S. student may enroll in KIN 890 - Independent Study with a plan to complete the undergraduate course requirements plus added work that reflects graduate-level expertise and competence.
bulletTransfer credits. Graduate students may transfer up to 9 semester credits from other accredited colleges or universities, up to 10 semester credits earned at MSU while enrolled through the Lifelong Education program, and the 6 credits earned in TE 802 and TE 804 in the post-BA teacher certification program. Credits will be transferred only if the student earned a grade of at least 3.0 in the course.

Sample Program Plan

Two sample M.S. program plans are provided in this section, one for a student in the Athletic Training concentration who completed a thesis, and another for a student in the Student-Athlete Development concentration who completed an internship. Notice how these program plans were personalized for the students. Also notice how courses are grouped by degree requirements.

Example 1: Athletic Training Concentration
with thesis (33 credits)

Concentration: Athletic Training
KIN 820
KIN 821
KIN 822
KIN 894		 Advanced Clinical Evaluation
Management of Structural Pathologies
Rehab Techniques for Musculoskeletal Dysfunction
Field Experiences in Kinesiology

3
2
3
1
KIN Breadth Requirement
KIN 860
KIN 862		 Growth and Motor Behavior
Motor Skill Learning

3
3
Required Course
KIN 871 Research Methods in Kinesiology

3
Elective Courses
KIN 810
KIN 831		 Physiology of Physical Activity
Advanced Biomechanics of Physical Activity

3
3
Additional Statistics Course
STT 421 Statistics I

3

Capstone Experience
KIN 899 Master's Thesis Research

6

Example 2: Student-Athlete Development Concentration
with internship (30 credits)

Concentration: Student Athlete Development
KIN 853
KIN 858
KIN 854		 Athletic Administration in Higher Education
Student-Athlete Development
Legal and Administrative Issues of Coaching

3
3
3
KIN Breadth Requirement
KIN 840
KIN 860		 Psychosocial Aspects of Physical Activity
Growth and Motor Behavior

3
3
Required Course
KIN 871 Research Methods in Kinesiology

3
Elective Courses
EAD 871
KIN 845		 Collegiate Contexts in Teaching and Learning
Sociocultural Practices in Sport

3
3

Capstone Experience
KIN 893 Internship: SASS program in Intercollegiate Athletics

6

Deadline

KIN master's degree students are expected to submit an approved program plan within 18 credits following admission to the M.S. program, preferably sooner.