January 18, 2008
TO:
Mark Schneiderhan, Chair
Senate Committee on Educational Policy
FROM:
Midge Grosch
Director, Programs and Academic Assessment
I am forwarding for review and action by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy the
attached Revision and Redesignation of the PhD in Human Nutrition and the PhD in
Movement Sciences as the PhD in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Rehabilitation.
The proposal was approved by the Applied Health Sciences Academic Affairs Committee on
November 6, 2007 and was approved by the Graduate College Executive Committee on February
1, 2008.
Attachment
Cc:
D. Corcos
J. Livermore
J. Wencel-Drake
Revised on 2/19/08
1
Title:
Revision and Redesignation of the PhD in Human Nutrition and the PhD in Movement Sciences
as the PhD in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Rehabilitation
Sponsor:
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition
College of Applied Health Sciences
Description:
1. PhD in Human Nutrition, PhD in Movement Sciences
a. Combine two currently existing PhD programs into one
b. Remove delineated research emphases and specific course requirements in favor of general
guidelines and flexible course selection options. We have based our catalog description
on that of the Department of Biological Sciences that, like us, has excellent research
faculty that cover a broad range of research interests. The breadth of research
opportunities available to students does not lend itself to a tightly regulated curriculum
that must be followed by all students. The minimum G.P.A. requirement for admission
will be 3.50 for graduate work, with a 3.25 preferred for undergraduate work.
c. Expand available research emphases to include “Rehabilitation”
d. Rename degree program to PhD in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Rehabilitation
Justification:
The PhD program in Human Nutrition was approved in 1996 and the PhD program in Movement
Sciences was approved in 1998. The Department of Human Nutrition merged with the
Department of Movement Sciences on August 16, 2007 resulting in a new Department of
Kinesiology and Nutrition with a combined enrollment of 17 doctoral students. Creating a single
PhD program that is driven towards a unified vision and mission from the merged Departments
of Movement Sciences and Human Nutrition will create opportunities that would not otherwise
emerge.
Over the next 25 years, 20 percent of the US population will be older than 65 years. The
prospect of increased age-related disease and disability carries an associated and potentially
enormous increase in the health-care costs and the gap in healthcare disparities. Seventy percent
of age-related physical decline is related to modifiable habits such as poor nutrition, lack of
physical activity and injuries related to falls. The Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition and
the College of Applied Health Sciences are uniquely positioned to address interdisciplinary
research related to the causes of disease and disability and rehabilitation interventions designed
to address these problems.
The former separate departments of Movement Sciences and Human Nutrition included faculty
investigating similar biological questions and mechanisms. While research collaboration did
exist between these faculty members, as a combined faculty working in the same PhD program,
the possibilities for new courses and research experiences drawing on these collaborative efforts
will greatly strengthen and expand the opportunities for all current and future PhD students.
There have been four successful meetings of college wide faculty towards this end during the
fall, 2007 semester. As a result, it is clear that there is a critical mass of faculty in at least three
Revised on 2/19/08
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areas of common faculty interest and the proposed restructuring will allow students to integrate
knowledge from all three areas.
As such, we are initiating this revision for the following two reasons:
1. The merger of the Movement Sciences and Human Nutrition PhD programs would be
particularly appropriate given: 1) the recent merger of the departments of Movement
Sciences and Human Nutrition into a new department entitled, “Kinesiology and Nutrition”,
and 2) the synergistic relationship between the research programs of the current faculty.
2. The addition of the rehabilitation component would support and facilitate one of the enduring
visions for our College, which is to increase interdisciplinary research collaboration and
excellence in translational approaches among faculty from different departments. Currently
several faculty in the new Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition have a major
rehabilitation component in their research programs. The revision would create training
opportunities in rehabilitation for faculty and students within the College as a whole. This
will allow faculty and students from the College’s nationally ranked Departments of Physical
Therapy and Occupational Therapy to fully interact with colleagues in Kinesiology and
Nutrition. This offers a considerable opportunity to use the existing scientific and academic
strengths of the combined College faculty. These strengths, in the area of normal and
pathological aging, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, health and occupation, diabetes and
obesity for example, can be harnessed to address the complexities related to prevention and
reduction of various impairments and improvements in the quality of life, and to train the
next generation of scientific, academic and professional leaders. Currently all these areas
overlap in the types of research questions that are of interest to NIH, and this restructuring
will allow students to study rehabilitation from a wide variety of theoretical and applied
perspectives.
Finally, increasing the required admission GPA will strengthen the program. In recent years,
the caliber of applicants to all of our graduate programs has increased substantially.
Catalog Statement:
Attached
Minority Impact:
There are no changes anticipated in the impact on minority students.
Budgetary and Staff Implications:
The budgets of the former Department of Human Nutrition and Movement Sciences have been
fully integrated. Currently there is only one DGS for both programs. This merger will be very
efficient in terms of both the budget and staff.
Library Resource Implications:
There will be no changes in impact on library resources.
Space Implications:
There are no additional space implications since both programs currently exist and have space.
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Unit Approval date:
All changes related to the PhD program were approved unanimously at the meeting of Graduate
Faculty of the College of Applied Health Sciences: September 28, 2007
All of the changes were approved unanimously at the meeting of the Faculty of the Department
of Kinesiology and Nutrition: October 12, 2007
College Approval dates:
All of the changes were approved unanimously at the meeting of the Academic Affairs
Committee of the College of Applied Health Sciences, November 6, 2007.
Contact Person:
Dr. Daniel Corcos and Dr. June Wencel-Drake
dcorcos@uic.edu and junewd@uic.edu
Proposed Effective date:
Fall, 2008
Revised on 2/19/08
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Current
Proposed
Movement Sciences
Kinesiology, Nutrition
and Rehabilitation
Mailing Address:
Department of Movement Sciences (MC 194)
901 West Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608-1516
Mailing Address:
Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition (MC 517)
1919 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60612-7256
Campus Location: 337 PEB
Program Codes: 20FS3987MS (MS);
20FS3987PHD (PhD)
Telephone: (312) 996-9685
E-mail: mvsc@uic.edu
Web Site: http://www.ahs.uic.edu/mvsc
Department Head: Mark Grabiner
Director of Graduate Studies: Charles Walter
The Department of Movement Sciences offers work
leading to degrees in Movement Sciences at both
the master’s and doctoral levels.i MS candidates
pursue course work and research concentrating in
Applied Exercise Physiology, Exercise Biology, or
Motor Control and Learning. Doctoral students are
afforded research opportunities in exercise biology,
motor control and learning, and musculoskeletal
biomechanics.
Revised on 2/19/08
Campus Location: 650 AHSB
Program Codes: 20FS1326PHD (PHD),
20FS3987PHD (PhD)
Telephone: (312) 996-4600
E-mail: kndept@uic.edu
Web Site: http://www.ahs.uic.edu/kn
Department Head: Mark Grabiner
Director of Graduate Studies: Daniel Corcos
The Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition offers
programs leading to degrees at both the Master’s
and Doctoral levels.



M.S. in Kinesiology
M.S. in Nutrition
Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Nutrition and
Rehabilitation
Kinesiology, nutrition and rehabilitation are
multidisciplinary fields that draw upon and integrate
subject matter from a variety of disciplines (e.g.,
anatomy, biochemistry, biomechanics, motor
control, molecular and cell biology, neuroscience
and physiology as well as epidemiology, physical
and cultural anthropology, sociology, and
behavioral psychology). The Master’s degree
programs in kinesiology or nutrition as a terminal
degree (i.e., not leading to a PhD) are most
appropriate for students who wish to apply their
knowledge through practice in healthcare or
industry settings and can be combined, for
example, with focused course work in other fields
such as public health, toxicology, business, or
education. Doctoral studies are designed to lead to
academic research and teaching careers or to
research careers in government or industry.
Students are given the opportunity to conduct
research that is related to fundamental questions
related to kinesiology, nutrition and rehabilitation.
In addition, there is a focus on rehabilitation issues
of clinical relevance to the professions of
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Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy.
Admission Requirements
Admission Requirements
Applicants are considered on an individual basis.
Complete transcripts of all undergraduate and any
graduate work must be submitted. In addition to the
Graduate College minimum requirements,
applicants must meet the following program
requirements:
Applicants are considered on an individual basis.
Complete transcripts of all undergraduate and any
graduate work must be submitted. In addition to the
Graduate College minimum requirements,
applicants must meet the following program
requirements:
Doctor of Philosophy






Prior Degrees No restrictions. However,
all doctoral applicants must have at least
one semester of undergraduate course
work in physics and calculus; applicants
who intend to perform research in exercise
biology must have at least one year of
biology and one semester of biochemistry.
Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00
for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours
of undergraduate study, and at least
3.50/4.00 for any previous graduate work.
Tests Required GRE General with a
minimum combined score of 1100 on the
quantitative and verbal sections.
Minimum TOEFL Score 550 (paperbased); 213 (computer-based); 80, with
subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17,
Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (new Internetbased TOEFL).
Letters of Recommendation Three
required from past professors who can
assess the candidate’s aptitude and
potential to complete doctoral work.
Personal Statement 1–2 pages explaining
the applicant’s career goals and objectives
for graduate study.
Revised on 2/19/08
Doctor of Philosophy







Baccalaureate Field Applicants for
graduate study may come from the entire
spectrum of undergraduate fields, or from
other health professions such as medicine
or nursing. Some applicants may not meet
all course prerequisites without having to
take selected additional undergraduate
course work. Minimum prerequisites for full
admission to graduate study can be
obtained from the department.
Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00
for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours
of undergraduate study (3.25 preferred);
and 3.5/4.0 for all graduate work.
Tests Required
GRE General; minimum combined verbal
and quantitative score of 1100
Minimum TOEFL Score 550 (paperbased); 213 (computer-based); 80, with
subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17,
Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (new Internetbased TOEFL).
Letters of Recommendation Three
required.
Personal Statement Required.
Other Requirements Candidates for direct
admission to PhD study may be asked to
submit a sample of their prior published or
unpublished written work. Prior work or
research experience indicative of the ability
for laboratory, clinical, or community-based
research will be considered. In addition,
exploratory queries and interviews from
potential candidates are welcomed at any
time. All applicants for admission for PhD
study are encouraged to interview with the
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graduate faculty, and such interviews may
be required before an admissions decision
is made. Contact the department at (312)
996-4600 for more information.
Degree Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum
requirements, students must meet the following
program requirements:
Doctor of Philosophy





Minimum Semester Hours Required 96.
Course Work Required Courses: MVSC
500, 501, 502, and an advanced statistics
course. An additional 18 hours of graduate
course work (not including independent
study or thesis) is determined, in
consultation with the adviser, based on
interests and career goals of the individual
student. 32 hours of credit earned from a
related master’s degree can be applied
toward the PhD following approval.
Remaining hours consist primarily of credit
for thesis research and independent study
work.
Examinations
1. Preliminary exam
2. Dissertation proposal
3. Dissertation defense
Dissertation Required.
Other Requirements All PhD students are
expected to participate in the teaching
programs of the College of Applied Health
Sciences.
Degree Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum
requirements, students must meet the following
program requirements:
Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology, Nutrition and
Rehabilitation




Minimum Semester Hours Required 96
from the baccalaureate.
Course Work At least 24 credit hours of
400- and 500-level courses are required. A
minimum of 9 credit hours of 500-level
courses must be letter-graded courses (A
to F), not project, thesis, or independent
study, or seminar courses that are graded
Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U).
Examinations
1. Preliminary exam
2. Dissertation proposal
3. Dissertation defense
Dissertation Required. Students must
earn at least 32 hours using a 599 rubric.
4. Other Requirements All PhD students
are expected to participate in the
teaching programs of the College of
Applied Health Sciences.
Human Nutrition
Mailing Address:
Department of Human Nutrition (MC 517)
1919 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60612-7256
Campus Location: 650 HHDSB
Program Codes: 20FS1326MS (MS);
20FS1326PHD (PhD)
Telephone: (312) 996-8055
E-mail: nutrition@uic.edu
Web Site:
http://www.ahs.uic.edu/ahs/php/?sitename=hn
Interim Head of the Department: Alan Diamond
Director of Graduate Studies: Alan Diamond
Revised on 2/19/08
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The Department of Human Nutrition offers work
leading to degrees at both the master’s and
doctoral levels.ii The objective of the program is to
train outstanding scholars who will assume
research, teaching, and service positions related to
human nutrition. Human nutrition is a
multidisciplinary field that draws upon and
integrates subject matter from a variety of
disciplines (e.g., biochemistry, molecular and cell
biology, and physiology as well as epidemiology,
physical and cultural anthropology, sociology, and
behavioral psychology). Master’s degree study in
nutrition as a terminal degree (i.e., not leading to a
PhD) is most appropriate for students who wish to
apply their nutrition knowledge through practice in
healthcare or industry settings and can be
combined, for example, with focused course work
in other fields such as public health, movement
sciences, toxicology, business, or education.
Doctoral studies emphasize nutritional
biochemistry, clinical nutrition, and epidemiological
studies of nutrition-related health problems in
human populations and are designed to lead to
academic research and teaching careers or to
research careers in government or industry. Active
research in the department relates to carotenoids,
vitamin B-6 metabolism, nutrition and aging, cancer
prevention, mechanisms of nutrient-dependent
gene expression, adult and pediatric obesity, AIDS,
biomarkers for dietary constituents, clinical nutrition
outcomes, and maternal phenylketonuria.
Admission Requirements
Applicants are considered on an individual basis. It
should be noted that students needing
prerequisites for admission can take these courses
as nondegree students. In addition to the Graduate
College minimum requirements, applicants must
also meet the following program requirements:
Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy

Baccalaureate Field Applicants for
graduate study in nutrition may come from
the entire spectrum of undergraduate
fields, or from other health professions
such as medicine or nursing. Applicants
who do not have prior degrees in nutrition,
dietetics, food science or a biological or
health sciences field may not meet all
course prerequisites without having to take
selected additional undergraduate course
work. Minimum prerequisites for full
admission to graduate study in nutrition
Revised on 2/19/08
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






can be obtained from the department.
Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00
for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours
of undergraduate study.
Tests Required GRE General; minimum
combined verbal and quantitative score of
1000.
Minimum TOEFL Score 550 (paperbased); 213 (computer-based); 80, with
subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17,
Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (new Internetbased TOEFL).
Letters of Recommendation Three
required.
Personal Statement Required.
Other Requirements Candidates for direct
admission to PhD study may be asked to
submit a sample of their prior published or
unpublished written work. Prior work or
research experience indicative of the ability
for laboratory, clinical, or community-based
research will be considered. In addition,
exploratory queries and interviews from
potential candidates, especially PhD
candidates, are welcomed at any time. All
applicants for direct admission for PhD
study are encouraged to interview in
person with the graduate faculty, and such
interviews may be required before an
admissions decision is made. Contact the
department at (312) 996-8055 for more
information.
Nondegree Applicants Nondegree
applicants must submit a transcript from
their baccalaureate institution.
Degree Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum
requirements, students must meet the following
program requirements:
Doctor of Philosophy



Minimum Semester Hours Required 96
from the baccalaureate.
Course Work Required Courses: BCMG
460; HN 514, 515, 530, 532, 580, 581, and
595.
Electives: Choice of electives should be
guided by the subarea of interest, in
consultation with advisers.
Revised on 2/19/08
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

Preliminary Examination Required.
Through written and oral qualifying
examinations, all PhD students will be
required to demonstrate competency in at
least the following three content areas: a)
nutrient metabolism (macro- and
micronutrients), b) nutritional assessment
(anthropometry, biochemical, dietary), and
c) research design and interpretation.
Dissertation Required. The dissertation
will be guided by a committee of HN and
other graduate faculty appropriate to the
nature of the research project. The format
of the dissertation must comply with the
UIC Graduate College requirements, as
interpreted or expanded by the department.
i
Note that the MS in Movement Sciences will be redesignated as the MS in Kinesiology. This change is undergoing
final University approval.
ii
Note that the MS in Human Nutrition will be redesignated as the MS in Nutrition. This change is undergoing final
University approval.
Revised on 2/19/08
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