Interdisciplinary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program - Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness is an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare research scholars and faculty in the area of healthy lifestyle promotion. The program integrates graduate courses from several academic units to provide a sound foundation for research leading to a dissertation. This doctoral program is unique in the nation in that it fully integrates both exercise and nutrition research with health promotion research. The program focuses on issues that contribute to health through the reduction of disease risk, quality of life promotion, and enhancement of well being. While many healthy lifestyles are studied, the emphasis is on physically active living and sound nutrition. There are two main focus areas within the program: Physical Activity / Health Promotion and Nutrition/ Health Promotion.

Goals of the Program

• To produce researchers with a solid foundation in the knowledge base underlying healthy lifestyle promotion including an understanding of the empirical evidence, the underlying theories, strategies and principles, and the best practices in the field,
• To provide experts, for all levels of instruction, in the design, implementation, and evaluation of healthy lifestyle promotion programs for a variety of priority populations, and;
• To prepare scholars who can provide leadership to the evolving field of physical activity, nutrition and wellness.