Applying to the Department of Kinesiology

The following guidelines are for application to the MS and PhD programs in Kinesiology and Therapeutic Science.  Applicants to the Master’s in Occupational Therapy (MS-OT) program follow different procedures and should visit the Occupational Therapy program web site to learn more.

Following is a summary of material required for application to the Graduate Program in the Department of Kinesiology at UW-Madison.    

1. UW Graduate School Application, including undergraduate GPA (submit On-Line to Grad School at http://www.wisc.edu/grad)
2. Personal statement of reasons for graduate study (include with on-line application to Grad School; or submit separate hard-copy to the Kinesiology Department)
3. GRE scores (give proper code to the testing service for electronic submittal directly to UW-Madison)
4. Minimum of three letters of recommendation (ask the writers to send recommendations directly to the Kinesiology Dept.; or to submit them electronically)
5. All university-level educational transcripts (instruct the provider to send to the Kinesiology Dept.)
6. English proficiency test results (if applicable, see below)

Of these required submittals, numbers 1, 3, and 6 must be submitted electronically. Numbers 2 and 4 may, but need not, be submitted electronically. Only number 5, post-secondary-level (college/ university) educational transcripts must be submitted in hard-copy format. More detailed information is given about each of these items below, but if you have additional questions, you should feel free to contact us.

Departmental Contact:

John Hageman
Kinesiology Graduate Program Secretary
Graduate Program Office, Rm. 1001
University of Wisconsin-Madison
2000 Observatory Dr.
Madison, WI  53706

On-line Application:

Officially, the Kinesiology Dept. (or any graduate program at UW-Madison) may only recommend an applicant's admission. The UW-Madison Graduate School makes the final decision on admission. If you choose to submit a graduate application, you must submit it on-line to the UW Graduate School. Go directly to the Grad School web site at http://www.wisc.edu/grad . The Graduate School requests specific items in its on-line application. Please send only the on-line application items to the Graduate School.

Standardized Test (GRE) Scores:

The Dept. of Kinesiology requires Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores for graduate admission. For general information on taking the exam, please visit the exam provider's web site, http://www.gre.org .  The Kinesiology Dept. doesn't set minimum GRE scores. The Kinesiology faculty for any specialization(s) that you select will evaluate GRE scores as one factor among many factors in the admissions decision. You would need to have the exam provider submit official scores via on-line submittal to UW-Madison's web-based student-information system. Official scores are submitted directly from the test provider to UW-Madison. Scores are required for the General Test with three GRE components: Quantitative, Verbal, and Written Analytical.  A department should ordinarily have access to your scores in four to six weeks after the exam date. Please note that departments access your GRE scores via your online application to the Graduate School. You must complete the Graduate School application before a department can obtain your official GRE scores.

Select and Name your Specialization Interest(s):

If you are admitted to the Kinesiology Grad Program, you will be admitted to a particular area of specialization (e.g., Biomechanics, Exercise Physiology, etc.).  Thus, you should be sure that your statement of reasons for graduate study expressly names the area(s) of specialization for which you wish to be considered. That way, your application can be evaluated by the relevant faculty. You may apply for as many specializations as you feel you are interested in and qualified for. A wide range of general interests, however, isn't likely to increase your chances of acceptance into a graduate program specialization where you will be seeking narrow studies and concentrated expertise. Instead, try to assess the prerequisites and research focus of the specialization(s), and then be selective, applying only to the one(s) with which your own background, interests, and goals are most compatible.

Advisor Required for Admission:

To assure strong mentoring from the outset of studies, all Kinesiology graduate students must have an individual faculty member who agrees, as part of the application process, to serve as the student's advisor (major professor). A professor's acceptance of an applicant as an advisee, during the initial application review, is required for admission to the Kinesiology grad program. Your application does not need to name any specific professor(s) with whom you wish to work. However, you may name a specific professor(s) of interest if you feel there is good match between your research interests and their areas of study.  Otherwise, faculty reviewing your application will draw inferences about compatibility from the nature of your specific research interests.

Communicate with Faculty Before Applying:

It isn't required that you contact any professor(s), but it's hard to over-estimate how valuable it can be for you to have some direct interaction with your potential advisor(s) before applying. The Kinesiology web site includes brief research profiles/ biographies of professors here.  An applicant to the Kinesiology Graduate Program should carefully examine the professor profiles and should read some publications by those professors whose research appears to be compatible with the applicant's graduate study goals and who could potentially become the student's advisor. The Department highly encourages you, after examining the profiles, and before applying, to contact the professor(s) whose interests best match your own. Most professors will make themselves available to exchange e-mails or talk with you on the phone (or in person, if circumstances permit).

Minimum Undergraduate GPA:

The Graduate School requires all graduate applicants to have a bachelor's degree (or equivalent) prior to admission. Application may be made while the bachelor's is in-progress. All applicants must meet a minimum undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA). The minimum GPA is 3.0 (if a maximum 4.0 scale). A department may, however, request a waiver if the department can justify admission because of the candidate's other qualities. The official graduate application forms provide space for you to give your GPA. Ultimately, the Grad School will review an applicant's GPA using the equivalent of the last 60 semester-hours of undergraduate course work.

Transcripts and Letters of Recommendation:

All university-level educational transcripts and at least three letters-of-recommendation for an application to the Kinesiology graduate program should be sent directly to the Kinesiology Graduate Program Office, not to the Graduate School. The Kinesiology Graduate Program Office will combine your transcripts and recommendations with the Graduate School's on-line application items and with your web-reported GRE scores. The Kinesiology Graduate Program Office (address below) will forward all your materials to Kinesiology specialization faculty for review when your application file is complete.

The UW-Madison Graduate School accepts on-line letters of recommendation. The Graduate School on-line application form includes instructions on how to use on-line letters of recommendation, which the Grad School now considers "standard". The Department of Kinesiology will accept either electronic or paper letters of recommendation. If your recommendations will be sent on paper, please be sure to have them sent directly to the Kinesiology Graduate Program Office (mailing address noted below).  If convenient, please submit two copies of official transcripts. If the Department recommends you for admission, it must send one copy of your official transcripts to the Grad School, and the Department then has a second official copy for its files.

Deadlines:

The Dept. of Kinesiology sets no formal deadline for applications. We admit for the Fall semester (primary) or for the Spring semester. (Exception: The professional Masters in OT program admits only for the Summer Semester.) You may apply at any time, subject to availability of the On-Line application. Some applicants apply up to a year before their desired admission date. Faculty for the specialization(s) that you specify in your application may review individual applications as they become complete, or they may consolidate several applications for batched review. Sometimes faculty can reach a decision within a few weeks of an individual application being completed, but review may also take several months.  You should plan to apply well in advance of the date you wish to begin your graduate studies.  While the Kinesiology Graduate Program does not have a graduate application deadline, the UW Graduate School DOES HAVE some deadlines. It is thus vital that you submit your graduate application materials to meet the Graduate School's deadlines.  More information is available from the Grad School web site at http://www.wisc.edu/grad .

In addition, while there are no departmental deadlines for admission, there are deadlines for applications for competitively awarded scholarships/ fellowships (described in detail here). These applications are generally due in January or February. Grad students who have been accepted into a program are eligible to compete for scholarship/ fellowship awards for their first year of graduate study (as well as for subsequent years). Applicants to the graduate program who wish to be accepted by January should plan to complete their graduate application a minimum of several weeks prior to January of the calendar year they wish to begin graduate study. 

English Competency
Showing of Funds by International Students

Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English, must provide evidence of English competence on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or accepted alternate. Please see: http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/admissions/requirements.html  International students are subject to United States law that requires a showing of adequate funds to cover all expenses, including tuition, for the entire duration of studies here. The Graduate School enforces this requirement. See, for example: http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/admissions/financialinfo1.html .  If you are an international student required to make a showing of funds, please do NOT submit documentation until the Graduate School specifically instructs you on when, where, and how to do so. That will occur after you complete your application and after you have been recommended by a department for admission. A showing of funds is unnecessary and can be counter-productive at the first phase of the application process. The amount of funding that a student must prove may be offset by any offer of support that the Department might make (for example, a teaching assistantship). In the past, applicants who sent financial documentation before the Graduate School requested it were often required to duplicate their documentation when the Graduate School needed it. That can be time-consuming and expensive for the student.

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