Program Requirements

Honours Bachelor of Kinesiology

Degree/Progression Requirements

The Honours BKin degree in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education consists of a minimum of 20.0 credits, not more than 6.5 of which may be at the 100 level. The program must include at least 9.5 and may include at most 10.0 senior credits (200 level or higher) in Kinesiology and Physical Education. Non-KPE electives may be taken from any discipline.

Progression requirements for the Honours BKin program are based on grade point averages (GPA) obtained from all courses taken and are calculated on a cumulative basis. For progression from year-to-year, the requirements are a minimum GPA of 5.00 (C) in Kinesiology and Physical Education courses, and a minimum overall GPA (including KP courses) of 5.00 (C). For graduation with the Honours BKin degree, the requirements are a minimum cumulative GPA of 7.00 (B-) in Kinesiology and Physical Education courses, a minimum overall GPA (including KP courses) of 5.00 (C), and the completion of all program requirements (including 96 hours of leadership/activity experience). A BKin (no Honours) degree is conferred when all programs requirements are met and a cumulative GPA between 5.00 and 6.99 in Kinesiology and Physical Education courses and a minimum overall GPA (including KP courses) of 5.00 (C) is obtained.

Please view the current undergrad calendar for a detailed listing of BKIN course requirements.  

Current Academic Calendar

BKIN Progression Work Sheets can be requested by emailing kinadmin@wlu.ca   This work sheet is intended to assist students in mapping course selections and tracking degree progression. It is expected that all students will bring an updated copy of this worksheet to any meeting with the Undergraduate Advisor relative to course planning.

Community Leadership/Activity Experiences

Every student must gain a minimum of 96 hours of community related leadership/activity experiences. These shall be obtained by participating in between 2 and 4 different applied experiences related to their studies in Kinesiology and Physical Education, with no fewer than 16 hours for any one experience. These experiences shall be leadership oriented, have an applied educational component and involve participation in some form of volunteer or paid activity in the community. These activities shall involve the student in some form of leadership, administrative, instructing, or service capacity related to the wide scope of kinesiology, physical activity, recreation and applied health. All leadership/activity experiences must be approved, prior to their commencement, by the department's undergraduate advisor or chair.  

For details on the process and required documents please check the Leadership Experience Webpage 

Areas of Concentration

Students may choose to focus their studies in one of four optional concentration (designated 2.5 credits) areas. Formal concentration recognition will appear only on transcripts of students earning Honours BKin degrees.  Areas of Concentration: Athletic Performance and Injury Management; Movement, Health and Development; Sport Development and Management; and Physical Activity Education and Promotion.  For a detailed listing of courses under each of these concentrations, please refer to the academic calendar or the progression work sheet.

+KP340 and KP342, when the content is relevant and approved by the Department, may count towards concentration credits. A note will be forwarded to the Registrar’s Office to include the course credit.

For more information, including on admission requirements, see the graduate academic calendar.

It is expected that the MKin program will be completed in six consecutive terms beginning in the fall term. To graduate, students must obtain a minimum grade of B- in all graduate courses, with an overall minimum average of B.

All students in the first year of the program are required to take the following courses:

• KP601: Seminar in Kinesiology I
• KP620: Statistical Reasoning and Advanced Experimental Analysis
• KP622: Advanced Research Design in Human Movement, Health and Development

All students in the second year of the program are required to take the following course:

• KP611: Seminar in Kinesiology II

All students, beginning in the spring term of their first year should register for and continue to register until graduation:

• KP699: MKin Thesis

All students must take at least two of the following courses during the program:

• KP697: Directed Research in Kinesiology
• KP698: Directed Readings in Kinesiology
• KP621: Qualitative Research Design
• KP623: Biophysical Instrumentation and Measurement
• KP630: Epidemiology of Physical Activity and Health
• KP631: Health and Illness Across the Age Continuum
• KP650: Biophysical Aspects of Kinesiology
• KP651: Neurocognition of Movement
• KP670: Sociocultural Foundations of Kinesiology

All students will complete 4.0 credits, including KP699:* Master's Thesis. Also, please note that students, with program permission, are able to take courses from other departments or universities. Interested students should discuss with their supervisor and graduate coordinator.

MKin Thesis Requirement

A thesis based on original research and defended before a thesis committee is required of all students in the program. A thesis committee will be set up for each student normally consisting of his/her supervisor, and two other faculty members from within the program. Students will present a thesis proposal to their committee usually before the end of their third term and will defend their completed thesis usually before the end of their sixth term.

For more information, including on admission requirements, see the graduate academic calendar.

Program Requirements

The PhD in Kinesiology is research intensive and, as such, course requirements in most areas are minimal. The minimum requirements are as follows:

A total of at least six courses at the graduate level (including both Master’s and PhD)

Two courses must be completed while registered in the PhD in Kinesiology program (in addition to KP801 - Seminar in Kinesiology, KP891: Comprehensive Examination, or KP899: Doctoral Dissertation). These additional courses can be completed through the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education or other departments as deemed necessary.

Additional courses at the discretion of the Doctoral Advisory Committee may be required.

Required Courses:

• KP801: Seminar in Kinesiology. Registration for a minimum of four terms is required; however, doctoral students are generally expected to attend the seminar for the duration of their period of study (i.e., until graduation). Periodic exceptions to this general expectation are permitted on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by the supervisor and KPE graduate coordinator (GC).
• KP891: Comprehensive Examination. The purpose of the comprehensive examination is to allow students an opportunity to demonstrate their competence in their area of research and two additional related areas. The student’s dissertation advisory committee (DAC) guides the student in preparation for the comprehensive examination. The DAC determines the area in which the student is examined and provides the student with a reading list outlining the information to be examined.
• KP899: Doctoral Dissertation. An original doctoral dissertation provides the primary evidence of the candidate’s academic competency. The regulations governing the doctoral dissertation from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies are directly adopted.

Comprehensive Examination

The PhD comprehensive examination focuses on the student's area of specialization and at least two additional cognate areas. This examination includes both a written and oral component. The comprehensive examining committee includes three members (may or may not include the supervisor), one of whom will be from outside of the program. At least two members of the comprehensive examining committee must be members of the Wilfrid Laurier Kinesiology and Physical Education graduate program.

The examination will normally be completed by the end of the third term of registration in the doctoral program. A candidate has only two opportunities to successfully complete the comprehensive examination (pass/fail evaluation). After the first unsuccessful attempt, the examination committee will identify areas of improvement and the method of improvement that the student must complete prior to re-examination. The student must complete the second examination within one term following the initial exam.

Doctoral Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation is an original research contribution consisting of a major study or series of studies focused on one area of specialization. All regulations and procedures governing the dissertation and its evaluation follow those outlined by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS). The dissertation process includes formal procedures for both a proposal and defence.

Progress Reports

In April of the first year of registration and once a year thereafter, a student is required to complete an annual progress report detailing the achievements of the previous year and the objectives for the next year. The report must demonstrate satisfactory progress, and must be signed with comments by the supervisor and department’s Graduate Coordinator, and filed with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Failure to submit a satisfactory report may result in the student being required to withdraw from the program.

Typical Progression

Year 1

Fall

• KP801: Seminar in Kinesiology
• First KPE elective
• Advisory committee formed

Winter

• KP801: Seminar in Kinesiology
• Second KP elective

Spring

• KP891: Comprehensive Examination

Year 2

Fall

• KP801: Seminar in Kinesiology

Winter

• KP801: Seminar in Kinesiology

Spring

• KP899: Doctoral Dissertation

Years 3 and 4

• Full-time work on KP899: Doctoral Dissertation (all three terms).