Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness (PANW) at Arizona State University at the Polytechnic campus

Click here to apply online     **Application Deadline - January 15, 2008**

Administrative Faculty

PANW Executive Committee Administrative Assistant: Barbara Mattingly
Phone: (480) 727-1959
E-Mail: bmattingly@asu.edu

Exercise and Wellness Coordinator: Barbara Ainsworth, Ph.D., MPH
Phone: (480) 727-1924
E-mail: Barbara.Ainsworth@asu.edu

Nutrition Concentration Coordinator: Carol Johnston, Ph.D.
Phone: (480) 727-1713
E-Mail: carol.johnston@asu.edu

Faculty from the Department of Exercise and Wellness and the Department of Nutrition offer an interdisciplinary graduate program leading to the Ph.D. degree in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness (PANW). One of the unique features of this interdisciplinary program is that a student may tailor a course of study to fit individual needs and goals within two main concentration areas: exercise & wellness and nutrition. 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.

Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D. degree in PANW is an individualized interdisciplinary program that integrates graduate courses from several academic units to provide a sound foundation for research leading to a dissertation. The PANW doctoral program prepares research scholars, teachers, and professionals who study physical activity, nutrition, healthy lifestyles, and wellness. The program prepares graduates for careers in higher education, research, government agencies, and health-related positions in private industry. The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program requires residency and three years of full-time study after the master’s degree. Students will be actively involved in research at all stages of their doctoral study through their participation in formal class settings, research internships, independent research experiences, teaching internships, seminars and colloquia, and dissertation research.

Goals of the PANW Ph.D. Program

Specific program goals include the following.

• To produce scholars 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 individuals who can provide leadership to the evolving field of physical activity, nutrition and wellness.

Program Administration

The Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Degree Program in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Wellness (PANW) is an interdisciplinary academic degree offered by faculty from different academic administrative units at Arizona State University Campuses. While the program is housed in the Department of Exercise and Wellness at Arizona State University at the Polytechnic Campus, the administrative locus of the degree program is a five member Executive Committee. The PANW program currently has two concentration areas: Exercise & Wellness and Nutrition & Wellness. Each concentration has two representatives on the Executive Committee with one serving as the coordinator of Exercise and Wellness and one serving as the coordinator of the Nutrition & Wellness program. There is also an at-large member on the Executive Committee.

ASU Polytechnic Campus Location

The Department of Exercise & Wellness and the Department of Nutrition moved from the Tempe Campus to the ASU Polytechnic Campus in 2001 and 2000 respectively. The benefit of this move has been increased collaboration in education and research activities. The two departments constitute the nucleus of a growing cluster of ASU-Polytechnic units focusing on research and promotion of health and healthy lifestyles. The departments are also partners in the Healthy Lifestyles Research Center (HLC) which is dedicated to research and promotion of healthy lifestyles (physical activity, nutrition and wellness)

ASU at the Polytechnic campus is located in Mesa, AZ approximately 20 miles east of the Tempe campus. It is one of four ASU campus locations – Tempe, Polytechnic, West, and Phoenix. The ASU Polytechnic campus has the advantage of outstanding classroom and laboratory facilities for student and faculty instruction and research, low student density, minimal traffic and easy parking, as well as the advantage of providing a centralized location for health studies in Health Promotion, Physical Activity, & Wellness, Nutrition and Wellness, and Human Health. Additionally, doctoral students have dedicated office space and computer terminals within the department buildings for their graduate endeavors.

Admission

In addition to meeting Division of Graduate Studies requirements, students must submit a letter designating potential concentration area, area of research interest, the name of a potential mentor (from the list of approved faculty semester), and a statement of career goals to the chair of the PANW Executive Committee comprised of faculty from the Department of Exercise and Wellness and the Department of Nutrition. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative & writing), a writing sample, a professional résumé, and three letters of recommendation must also be submitted. Additionally, all students must submit an application for a teaching or research assistantship. Applicants whose native language is not English must submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score. Applicants must have successfully received a master’s degree prior to admission to the Ph.D. program and it is preferable that they have completed a data-based research thesis. Admission decisions are based on the compatibility of the applicant’s research interests and career goals with the purpose of the degree program, previous academic training and GPA, GRE scores, recommendations, and match of research interests with those of available mentors. First priority will be given to completed applications received by January 15.

Program of Study

The program of study (POS) in the PANW program consists of a minimum of 68 semester hours past the master’s degree distributed across five areas of study: Core (12), Internships (2), Inquiry/Analysis (15), Concentration (15) & Dissertation (24). It is expected that 12 of the 15 semester hours in the Concentration will be in a focused content area within the concentration. In addition, at least 3 but not more than 9 semester hours in the concentration should be taken from a program/department outside the student’s home program. An individual POS is selected in consultation with the student’s supervisory committee. It is expected that students admitted to the Ph.D. program will have a strong foundation in either Exercise and Wellness or Nutrition. Those lacking background in these areas will be required to make up deficiencies prior to admission. Minimal undergraduate course requirements are: Human Anatomy/ Physiology; Bio 201, 202, Human Nutrition; NTR 241 & Physiological Foundations of Exercise; EXW 315. It is also expected that all students will enter the program with at least one graduate level basic statistics and basic research methods courses. Other requirements may be necessary depending on the area of study and will be determined by the mentor and Executive Committee who oversees the PANW program.

Residence

It is expected that students will spend three years in full time residence. The intent is to involve and embed the student in ongoing research as well as class study. Thus, all Ph.D. students are required to be full-time students and hold part time appointments (50% time -- 20 hours per week) -- as a teaching assistant (TA) or research assistant (RA). As such, to be accepted into the program you must have the expertise, experience and willingness to teach courses in the physical activity program or in the EXW or Nutrition undergraduate curriculum or be a research assistant and conduct research with your mentor as funding allows.

Foreign Language Requirements

None.

Comprehensive Examinations

Upon completion of course work and before commencing dissertation research, the student is given written and oral examinations. After the student has passed the comprehensive examinations, a dissertation committee is approved by the PANW Executive Committee and the dean of graduate studies. After the dissertation committee has approved the dissertation prospectus, the student is eligible to apply for admission to candidacy. At least 12 semester hours of dissertation must be taken following advancement to candidacy.

Dissertation Requirements

The dissertation must consist of a fully documented written analysis of a problem that extends the knowledge and/or theoretical framework of the field. The research should demonstrate the student’s creativity and competence for independent research.

Final Examination

A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required. The candidate must take the final oral examination within five years after passing the comprehensive examinations. Any exception must be approved by the supervisory committee, the chair of the PANW Executive Committee, and the dean of graduate studies and ordinarily involves repetition of the comprehensive examinations.

Courses

We offer the following graduate courses for students in the PANW program. Students are encouraged to identify courses offered in other ASU departments as electives that supplement their research interests.

EXW/NTR 500 Research Methods
EXW 501 Research Statistics
EXW 505 Applied Exercise and Wellness Laboratory Techniques
EXW 534 Sports and Fitness Conditioning
EXW 535 Advanced Exercise Prescription
EXW 536 Physiological Aspects of Physical Activity and Chronic Disease
EXW 538 Obesity, Exercise, and Health
EXW 540 Psychosocial Issues in Exercise, Wellness: Stress, Coping, and Resilience
EXW/NTR 542 Health Promotion Theory
EXW 544 Fitness and Wellness Management
EXW 546 Program Evaluation
EXW 560 Theory of Weight Training
EXW 598 Special Topics - Advanced Research Statistics
NTR 598 Nutrition and Wellness (EXW students only)
EXW 598 Physical Activity and Wellness (NTR students only)
EXW 635 Aging and Physical Activity (3)
EXW 640 Analysis of Variance for Exercise and Wellness (3)
EXW 641 Qualitative Research Methods (3)
NTR 501 Research Methods II: Qualitative Methods and Survey Design (3)
EXW 642 Physical Activity and Nutrition Epidemiology (3)
EXW 643 Correlation/Regression/Multivariate Statistics (3)
EXW 650 Physical Activity and Public Health (3)
EXW/NTR 691 Doctoral Research Seminars
EXW/NTR 700 Doctoral Advanced Research Methods - Grant Writing (3)
EXW/NTR 784 Doctoral Teaching/Research Internship
EXW/NTR 791 Doctoral Seminar
NTR 540 Advanced Macronutrient Metabolism
NTR 544 Therapeutic Nutrition
NTR 548 Nutrition Program Development
NTR 546 Assessment Techniques in Nutrition
NTR 550 Advanced Maternal and Child Nutrition
NTR 551 Advanced Geriatric Nutrition
NTR 598 Nutrition and Chronic Disease
NTR 598 Energy Balance &Weight Management
NTR 598 Herbal and Dietary Supplements
NTR 598 Nutrition Immunology

Exercise and Wellness Ph.D. Degree History

The Exercise and Wellness Ph.D. program was created in 1988 as one of 10 Concentrations in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) in the College of Education, ASU at the Tempe campus. Our first doctoral student graduated in 1991. Since then the EXW has had over 35 graduates from the C & I Ph.D. program. The original program was created because of the demand for teachers and scholars with great breadth of expertise relating to health and wellness promotion, with a focus on healthy lifestyles. Universities need people who can teach a variety of courses in exercise and wellness areas, but who also have outstanding research credentials. Research programs, government agencies, and foundations with active living and healthy dietary practices as program goals need skilled personnel to achieve their goals. Our Exercise and Wellness graduates are employed in a variety of settings that impact on the health of people across the lifespan. The PANW program was officially approved by the Board of Regents in July 2005 and has now supplanted the original Interdisciplinary Exercise & Wellness Ph.D. Program in Curriculum & Instruction (C&I).

Excerpts from the Doctoral Handbook

The Mentor Approach
Students work with a mentor from the beginning to the end of the doctoral program. Prior to admission, prospective students contact potential mentors for advisement. The mentor is selected by mutual agreement between student and mentor based on the student and mentor research interests. The mentor must write a letter of support attesting to their willingness to mentor the student prior to admission. Typically the student will indicate names of suitable mentors during the application stage. The mentor will write the letter of support after applications have been screened and before final admissions decisions have been made.

Residence
It is expected that students will spend three years in full time residence. The intent is to involve and embed the student in ongoing research as well as class study. Thus, all Ph.D. students are to be full time students and hold part time appointments (50% time -- 20 hours per week) -- as a teaching assistant (TA) or research assistant (RA). As such, to be accepted into the program the student must have the expertise, experience and willingness to teach courses in the physical activity program, the EXW or Nutrition undergraduate curriculum or be a research assistant as funding allows. A goal of the program is to have all students listed as an author on 3 or more papers and to be involved in presentations that include published abstracts prior to graduation. Student’s are expected to hold regular “office hours” in the Graduate Student Office, attend seminars and research colloquium regularly, and generally “be involved” in all aspects of the professional and research culture of the program as much as is possible during the 3-year program.

Research Internship
Students must complete two Research Internships (RI), one during the first year and the other during the second year of doctoral studies. Each RI is worth two credits and completed under the supervision of the student’s doctoral mentor. To earn credit for the two RI the student must complete a first-year research project and a second-year research project by May of each corresponding year. The goal of the RI is to get research experience that includes data collection, data analysis, manuscript writing, and research presentation. The mentor typically assigns the first year project to the student after consultation with the student. The second year project usually consists of a pilot project in preparation for the Dissertation research. It is expected that each year the project will be completed, written up and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and/or presentation at a scholarly meting prior to May 1. The project should be written in the style of a journal in the area of the research focus. The student should be prepared to discuss their research project with the PANW Mentors at the Annual Review held in May. It is also expected that doctoral students will present their research results and/or proposals as part of the EXW/NTR 691 Research Seminars.

Teaching Internship
Typically the Teaching Internship (TI) is done during the first summer or the second year of study. The TI experience is designed to increase student teaching competency in a theory based (not an activity class) content area. A student’s past teaching experience cannot be used to fulfill the TI requirement. A student who is a teaching assistant may use that assignment to fulfill this requirement. However, the student must arrange to have a faculty member serve as a supervising/master teacher for evaluation purposes. The TI experience requires the student to participate/ complete a series of teaching development modules offered through the EXW department (on Blackboard when the student signs up for EXW 784). The teaching modules have been designed to provide students with resources on the best practices in university instruction. The five teaching modules address the teaching philosophy statement, effective instruction, assessment and evaluation of learning, teaching reflection, and the compilation of the teaching portfolio. It is expected that the intern meet and consult with the supervising/ master teacher both before and after the lesson/s. At least one lesson will need to be formally evaluated by the supervising teacher and a teaching evaluation form should be included in the final teaching portfolio. Evidence of completion of the TI will be the submission of a teaching portfolio which will be evaluated at the Annual Review held in May of the second year.

Annual Review
At the end of each school year (prior to May 1) each student will prepare a Research and Service Portfolio to be submitted to the student’s Mentor and to the Chair of the Executive Committee for review. At the end of the second year, a Teaching Portfolio should also be included.

Program of Study

The program of study (POS) in the PANW program consists of a minimum of 68 semester hours past the MS degree distributed across five areas of study: Core (12), Internships (2), Inquiry/ Analysis (15), Concentration (15) & Dissertation (24). It is expected that 12 of the 15 semester hours in the Concentration will be in a focused content area within the concentration. In addition, at least 3 but not more than 9 semester hours in the concentration should be taken from a program/department outside the student’s home program. An example of the POS is below.

Core Courses (12 hrs): EXW/NTR 542, EXW/NTR 598, EXW 791, EXW 700
Internship (2 hrs): EXW/NTR 784
Inquiry/Analysis (15 hrs): EXW 641/NTR 501, EXW 640, EXW 643, EXW 642, EXW 546
Concentration (15 hrs): Approved electives
Dissertation (24 hrs): EXW/NTR 799  

An individual POS is selected in consultation with the student’s supervisory committee. It is expected that students admitted to the Ph.D. program will have a strong foundation in either Exercise and Wellness or Nutrition. Those lacking background in these areas will be required to make up deficiencies prior to admission. Minimal undergraduate course requirements are: Human Anatomy/ Physiology; Bio 201, 202, Human Nutrition; NTR 241 & Physiological Foundations of Exercise; EXW 315). It is also expected that all students will enter the program with at least one graduate level basic statistics and basic research methods courses. Other requirements may be necessary depending on the area of study and will be determined by the mentor and Executive Committee.

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