Mar 28, 2024  
2012-2013 Graduate Catalog 
    
2012-2013 Graduate Catalog ARCHIVED CATALOG: CONTENT MAY NOT BE CURRENT. USE THE DROP DOWN ABOVE TO ACCESS THE CURRENT CATALOG.

Sports Education Leadership Ph.D. (Discontinued 2011)


 This program is was eliminated in 2011. Students enrolled in this program must complete their degree by December 2012. Degrees in Sports Education Leadership Ph.D. will not be awarded after December 2012.  

The Ph.D. program is designed specifically for professionals who desire tenure-track research, teaching, and administrative positions in postsecondary education. The Ph.D. program offers academic concentrations in physical education teacher education, coach education, adapted physical education, and athletic administration.

Admission Requirements

Admission to doctoral study in the Department of Sports Education Leadership will be granted to qualified applicantsbased on a combination of the following:

  1. A master’s degree from an accredited college or university
  2. Official copies of all postsecondary transcripts
  3. Professional vita or resume
  4. Evidence of writing ability with appropriate examples including excerpt from a master’s thesis, professional paper, or published article
  5. Three letters of recommendation from previous instructors and/or professional colleagues attesting to the applicant’s ability to complete doctoral study
  6. A detailed statement explaining why the student desires admission to the program
  7. A personal interview with the department graduate faculty. Interviews will be held in March.
  8. Satisfactory GRE test scores (taken within five years from the date of application for admission)
  9. TOEFL scores are required of international students with a preferred minimum of 550 for the written exam, 213 for the computerized exam, or 80 for the internet-based exam.

Admission Process

Applications for the Ph.D. program will be considered once per year and deadline for receipt of application is February 1. Application forms, fees, and official transcripts should be sent to the Graduate College, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 451017, Las Vegas, NV 89154-1017. Further admission information and application forms may be obtained from the UNLV Graduate College website at: http://graduatecollege.unlv.edu/admissions. Three letters of recommendation, professional resume or vita, GRE scores, official copies of all college transcripts, evidence of writing ability (e.g., excerpt from masters’ thesis, professional paper or published article), a detailed statement explaining why the student desires admission, and a statement demonstrating evidence of professional/ educational compatibility with program goals should be submitted to the Department of Sports Education Leadership, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 453031. As a final step in the admission process, a personal interview with the graduate faculty will be conducted.

Degree Requirements


The Ph.D. in Sports Education Leadership will consist of a minimum of 66 credit hours beyond the master’s degree to include the following areas: content knowledge (18); two 9 hour cognate areas (18); research methodology (15); and the culminating experience of prospectus (3) and dissertation (12). Individual programs of study may exceed minimum requirements and specific course work will vary depending on particular interest. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.00 or higher for all course work taken at the doctoral level.

Scholarly Product Requirement

The Ph.D. in Sports Education Leadership will consist of a minimum of 66 credit hours beyond the master’s degree to include the following areas: content knowledge (18); two 9 hour cognate areas (18); research methodology (15); and the culminating experience of prospectus (3) and dissertation (12). Individual programs of study may exceed minimum requirements and specific course work will vary depending on particular interest. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.00 or higher for all course work taken at the doctoral level.

 Student Advisory Committees

Students are required to select a graduate advisory committee before completing 16 hours or by the sixth week for the first semester of admission if 12+ hours, taken prior to admission, is considered part of the degree program. Advisory committees must consist of three Sports Education Leadership graduate faculty members (one of which can be an associate graduate faculty member) and a graduate college representative from outside of the department. The chair of the advisory committee must be a graduate faculty member in the Department of Sports Education Leadership. Advisory committees should be informed prior to the student’s completion of 16 credit hours. The committee oversees the student’s progress, including the comprehensive exams. A temporary advisor is assigned until the student becomes acquainted with the faculty and selects his/her advisory committee.

 Comprehensive Examination

The student takes the comprehensive examination during the semester immediately preceding enrollment in dissertation. The comprehensive examination consists of six questions in which the student is allotted two hours per question. Questions are constructed and scored by the student’s advisory committee. Students must file intent to take comprehensive examinations, adhering to timelines cited for other graduate programs scheduled by the Graduate College and the Department of Sports Education Leadership. The examinations are scheduled on Fridays in October or Fridays in March. Students may petition the Sports Education Leadership Graduate Program Committee for permission to take  comprehensive examinations in the summer or in an alternative set of consecutive Fridays.

The questions on the comprehensive examination address elements of content knowledge, research methodology, and related discipline electives. The student’s advisory committee provides general parameters from which questions are selected. “Take-home” examinations, in whole or in part, are not allowed. Students may use college provided technology for word-processing. Grading consists of two categories: Pass and Fail.

Upon receiving a passing grade for the written comprehensive examination, students will be required to pass an oral examination by their respective advisory committees. Students must successfully complete the written and oral comprehensive examinations before beginning the dissertation.

 Dissertation Proposal and Defense

Following the successful completion of the written and oral comprehensive examinations, the student must submit a dissertation proposal to the Doctoral Advisory Committee and submit the accompanying “Dissertation Prospectus Approval” form from the Graduate College. The Doctoral Advisory Committee will determine the acceptability of the prospectus.

Upon completion of the dissertation, a defense will be scheduled and conducted in accordance with the Graduate College’s policy for dissertation completion. Students should obtain The Graduate Study Guide and the Guide to Preparing and Submitting a Thesis or Dissertation from the Graduate College web site.

It is the student’s responsibility to file all required paperwork (Dissertation Prospectus Approval, Appointment of Advisory Committee, Proposed Degree Program, etc.) to the Graduate College in a timely manner.