Kinesiology Honors Program

Department of Kinesiology

Honors Program

Revised Fall 2015

DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY HONORS PROGRAM

I. Admission to the Honors Program

Students may apply for admission to the Kinesiology Honors Program (KHP) under any of the Kinesiology programs (Athletic Training, Exercise Science, Neurodiagnostic & Sleep Sciences, or Respiratory Therapy). Consideration for admission to the KHP may be initiated by the student or by any faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology. A student is eligible to begin participating in the KHP in her/his Sophomore or Junior year of study.

A student may be removed from the KHP at any time upon her/his own request or upon recommendation of the student’s thesis mentor following consultation with the Kinesiology Honors Program Committee and Department Chair of Kinesiology. There shall be no penalty for removal from the KHP.

*For dual honors students: Once accepted into the KHP, the student is required to complete thesis work with a grade of “A” to graduate with dual honors. Removal from the KHP may require the student to extend their graduation date in order to graduate with University Honors because he/she will have to complete additional courses in the Honors College catalog (HONR 3790 University Honors Senior Seminar and HONR 3791 University Honors Senior Project).

KHP Admission Requirements

  1. The student must have an overall GPA of 3.50.
  1. The student must submit a typed statement explaining (maximum length 500 words):
  1. What the student’s academic/career goals are in their respective Department of Kinesiology major.
  2. How the KHP is relevant to the students academic and/or career goals. How will participation in the KHP help them achieve these goals?
  3. Who will be mentoring the student through the KHP?
  1. Briefly discuss a project or potential project that the student will participate in and complete as a thesis to fulfill KHP requirements. Please use language understandable by those who are NOT experts in the given field.
  1. The Department of Kinesiology Honors Program Committee will review the materials of all eligible student applicants on an ad hoc basis and recommend to the Department of Kinesiology Chair those who should be admitted into the program.
  1. Upon acceptance, the student must sign the Honors College Student Code form

II. Requirements for Graduation with Honors in the Department of Kinesiology

To obtain Honors in their respective Department of Kinesiology major, a student must:

  1. Complete 6 credit hours of Honors coursework through the Department of Kinesiology. 3 of the credit hours must be earned through completing the honors requirements of one of the courses listed in the KHP Course Offerings, with an “A”. The honors requirements for the course you select are in addition to the standard requirements from your instructor. This requirement should be completed the fall, spring, or summer of the student’s junior year. The remaining 3 credit hours will come from KNES 3900-H, Honors Undergraduate Research. This requirement will be met the first semester of the student’s senior year.
  1. Complete at least three hours of Honors Thesis (KNES 4700) with an “A”, which includes writing an honors thesis under the supervision of a single faculty member, and publicly presenting the results of that research to the Department faculty to the satisfaction of your KHP committee. KNES 4700 is reserved for your final semester.
  1. Have a GPA of at least 3.50 in the Kinesiology major at UNCC
  1. Comply with all procedural and substantial requirements established by the Honors Council and the Faculty Council for graduating with Honors in a department

*For dual honors (UHP and KHP), the requirements for the KHP are in addition to the requirements for the UHP, with the exception of HONR 3790 and HONR 3791.

III. Forming Your Thesis Committee

Your thesis committee must be comprised of a minimum of 3 members including: a. Thesis mentor

b. 2 supporting members approved by your thesis mentor

IV. Application to Candidacy (from the Honors College website)

The application to candidacy is a two-step process:

  1. First semester of your senior year, submit page 1 of the Application to Candidacy form with a draft of your thesis proposal and layperson summary. This is typically due during the first week of November for graduation the following Spring semester, or first week in April for graduation the following Fall semester. These documents should be sent via email pdf (3 individual files) to honorsapptocand@uncc.edu or brought to the Honors College office, Cone 369A. Please save the files in the following way: Last Name, First Name – Application to Candidacy Form Page 1; Last Name, First Name – Layperson Summary; and Last Name, First Name – Honors Proposal.
  1. The last day of classes of your graduating semester, submit page 2 of the Application to Candidacy form with an abstract of your thesis work. These documents should be send via email pdf (2 individual files) to honorsapptocand@uncc.edu or brought to the Honors College office, Cone 369A. Please save the files in the following way: Last Name, First Name – Application to Candidacy Form Page 2; Last Name, First Name – Abstract.

Please visit http://honorscollege.uncc.edu/students/current-students/application-candidacy for more information.

V. Important Deadlines

Please visit the Honors College website for important deadlines related to thesis completion and graduation. http://honorscollege.uncc.edu/students/current-students/importantdeadlines

VI. The Department of Kinesiology Honors Committee

  1. The Department of Kinesiology Honors Committee will be formed at the end of each spring semester to serve for the following academic year. The committee will consist of a Department of Kinesiology Program Coordinator, a faculty member appointed for this purpose by their peers. The two or more members in addition to the Program Coordinator will serve staggered, two-year terms.
  1. The Department of Kinesiology Honors Committee will establish its own procedures consistent with this document. Among those procedures, the Committee will promulgate written guidelines for admission to and removal from the program, and any guidelines they deem appropriate for the Honors Thesis.
  1. The Department of Kinesiology Honors Committee will be responsible for recommending that students be admitted for candidacy to graduate in their respective Department of Kinesiology major with Honors, and that a candidate graduate with Honors in their respective major.

VII. Modifications to the Department of Kinesiology Honors Program

  1. Any full-time faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology may propose changes to the Honors Program.
  1. Proposed changes must be approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the full- time faculty (two-thirds) taken at a duly called faculty meeting. Any proposed changes approved by the Department must be subsequently approved by the Honors Council.

VIII. Kinesiology Honors Program Course Offerings

KNES 3900. Undergraduate Research. (1-3) Prerequisites: Permission of instructor Enables Exercise Science majors to initiate research projects in their respective fields of interest. Maximum credit toward major: nine hours. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

Honors Requirement (KNES 3900-h): The Honors requirement will be determined on a caseby-case basis by the instructor.

RESP 4103 Evidence-Based Practice (3) Course Description: This course will provide the student with an introduction to the concept of evidence-based practice and an opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to be able incorporate evidence and best practices into professional work. These include an understanding of research methods and the approach to critical appraisal of research literature. Prerequisite: Completion of all 3000 level courses. (Fall)

Honors Requirement (RESP 4103-h): The Honors student will complete a meta-analysis on a clinical question of their choosing as approved by course faculty. They will present the results of their meta-analysis to the rest of the class in an on-line synchronous session at the end of the semester. Please consult your instructor for additional details.

EXER 3260. Nutrition for the Physically Active. (3) Cross-listed as ATRN 3260. Prerequisite:

must be a EXER or ATRN major. Corequisite: EXER 3280. Introduction to principles and concepts of nutrition and how dietary practices affect health and disease. (Fall)

Honors Requirement (KNES 3260-h): The Honors student will complete a five-day dietary analysis of an individual with a nutrition-related chronic disease/condition (i.e. Type 2 diabetes, CVD, Celiac, etc.) approved by course faculty using www.nutritiondata.self.com. In the form of a 15 minute power point presentation at the end of the semester, the student will introduce the nutrition-related disease, show the data of the food log, and present their recommendations for better nutrition. The student must submit a 2 page double spaced summary of their findings. Please consult your instructor for additional details.

OR

Complete a service project in the greater Charlotte community promoting nutrition and healthy dietary habits, then submit a two-page summary regarding your experience. Please consult instructor for additional details.

EXER 3281. Exercise Physiology: Principles and Application. (3) (W) Corequisite: EXER 3280. Application of principles with laboratory experiences and the development of writing strategies appropriate to the domain of exercise physiology. Also to enhance the lecture material presented in EXER 3280. (Fall)

Honors Requirement (KNES 3281-h): The Honors student will select one topic from the lab investigations and find 3 places (i.e. non-peer reviewed magazine, fitness website, blog) where this topic or principle is discussed. The student must critically appraise these sources for content, accuracy and sources of information. Through a literature search of peer-reviewed sources, the student will determine the legitimacy of the information found. The findings will be presented by the last day of class via a 15 minute power point presentation. Please consult your instructor for additional details.

KNES 3286. Exercise Testing: Foundation and Theory. (3) Prerequisites: KNES 3280 Athletic Training or Exercise Science major. Methods and protocols for collecting and interpreting information collected on individuals concerning various fitness parameters for the future development of individual and group conditioning programs. (Spring)

Honors Requirement (KNES 3286-h): The Honors student will perform a complete fitness evaluation one subject with a cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic disease (i.e. hypertension, diabetes, COPD) as approved by the instructor. The completed portfolio, including results and interpretation, will be submitted on the last day of classes. In addition, the student is required to present the details of their portfolio to the class via a 15 minute power point presentation. Please consult your instructor for additional details.

KNES 3287. Exercise Testing: Principles and Applications. (3) (O, W) Prerequisite KNES 3280, Corequisite: KNES 3286 or permission from the instructor. Application of principles with laboratory experiences and the development of writing strategies and oral presentation skills appropriate to the domain of exercise testing. Appropriate data collection methods and protocols are used. Enhances the lecture material presented in KNES 3286. (Spring)

Honors Requirement (KNES 3287-h): The Honors student will perform 2 external site evaluations where exercise physiologists perform exercise testing and prescription. At each site, the student will interview the exercise physiologist (i.e. questions about the profession, the type of patients, the exercise testing protocols) and if permitted, observe a patient evaluation. The student will present the details of the site evaluations to the class via a 15 minute power point presentation. Please consult your instructor for additional details.

OR

The Honors student will critically analyze the exercise testing assessment(s) associated with one of the lab investigations. The critical analysis must include a comparison of alternative assessments, pros and cons of each type of assessment, and the specific populations these assessments may be used to evaluate. Furthermore, the student may recruit students to serve as subjects for each assessment to compile comparison data. For example, the YMCA bike test is one of many protocols/modalities to evaluate sub-maximal cardiovascular responses to exercise in a clinical setting. What other protocols/modalities are commonly used for the same purpose? What are the pros and cons of each protocol/modality? Are there specific populations in which one protocol/modality should be used over another? Is the fitness classification of the individual altered as a result of the assessment used? The student will present their findings to the class via a 15 minute power point presentation. Please consult your instructor for additional details.

IX. Department of Kinesiology and Dual Honors Program Flow Chart