Exercise Bioenergetics, Exercise Science, Sports Physiology and Performance Honors Program
The Department of Human Studies Honors Program provides high-achieving Exercise Bioenergetics, Exercise Science, and Sports Physiology and Performance students with the opportunity to participate in honors (HON) sections of KIN 485 and 499. During this time, they will collaborate with faculty mentors (i.e. Dr. Fisher, Dr. Morris, Dr. Sims or other faculty on campus) in pursuit of their intellectual interests and complete an honors project.
Supervision of each student’s work will be conducted by a faculty mentor who will be responsible for guiding the student’s progress and setting deadlines. The honors project consists of an inquiry or investigation that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline of kinesiology and meets global and societal needs. Dr. Gordon Fisher, the Honors Program Director, must pre-approve all projects.
Benefits
Each student has the opportunity to work one-on-one with a mentor in an area of mutual interest and will conduct an in-depth literature review plus either a research project or a civic engagement project designed to meet some particular need related to pertinent areas of fitness, exercise, or physical activity. Students develop critical thinking skills and learn to present their ideas in an organized and insightful manner.
Eligibility
Students majoring in kinesiology with concentrations in either Exercise Science or Sports Physiology and Performance who have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher are eligible to apply for the Department of Human Studies Honors Program.
When to Apply
Each student should secure a faculty mentor and identify an honors project during his or her junior year while taking or after having taken KIN 307 and 400. Students should apply to the honors program during the semester prior to taking KIN 485 so that they have sufficient time to complete their honors projects (which will entail at least 90 hours of coursework) in their senior year while enrolled in KIN 485 and KIN 499.
When is the deadline to submit the HON Application for students taking KIN 485 in Fall? July 20th
When is the deadline to submit the HON Application for students taking KIN 485 in Spring? November 10th
When is the deadline to submit the HON Application for students taking KIN 485 in Summer? March 20th
Application Materials
Each student is required to submit (1) a student application, (2) an essay, (3) a letter of support from his or her faculty mentor, and (4) a second letter of recommendation. All of these materials may be submitted as attachments in one email to Dr. Gordon Fisher, or else as hard copies in one envelope to Dr. Fisher, (See Office Address). Please be sure to submit ALL four documents together and at the same time; incomplete packets will NOT be reviewed.
Please use a PC to complete this form—the form is NOT compatible with Mac computers. If you have difficulty entering information in the template provided, please seek assistance from the student workers in the EB 149 Open Lab.
Honors Coursework
Grades for students enrolled in KIN 485 (HON) are determined in the same manner as they are for students in KIN 485 (non-HON). During the last week of the semester, the faculty mentor will submit a progress report with the designation of satisfactory or unsatisfactory for each of their mentees—while mentees submit a journal (hourly log) of their activities signed by their faculty mentor—to the KIN 485 HON course co-instructor. Students are placed in the HON or non-HON section (traditional) of KIN 499 based on the recommendations of their faculty mentors.
The faculty mentor also determines, in consultation with Dr. Fisher, the final grades for the KIN 499 HON coursework. By the completion of KIN 499 HON (3 credits), students should have devoted at least 90 hours to their honors project. Faculty mentors submit either a satisfactory or unsatisfactory progress report and a copy of each student’s written report—while each student submits a journal (hourly log) of his or her activities signed by the faculty mentor—to Honors Program Director Dr. Fisher.
Please refer to the syllabus (provided by your faculty mentor) for specific course prerequisites, grading policies, and guidelines. The faculty mentor serves as the agency supervisor during the KIN 499 HON Fitness Internship. Students may register for an additional section of KIN 499 HON if they need more time to complete their project.
Honors Project
In order to complete the honors project successfully, each student must produce a written report that meets stated criteria in the syllabus and also conforms to the format necessary for submission to an approved journal for publication and/or a professional organization for an oral or poster presentation. The written report may consist of the following components: abstract, introduction, statement of the problem, purpose, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. For more information and guidance, consult the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR), UAB’s one-stop clearinghouse for the promotion and facilitation of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activities across all disciplines at the university. Students may also wish to seek guidance from Inquiro, the official UAB journal for undergraduate scientific research.
Graduating with Honors
Honors students must earn a grade of ‘A’ in HON sections of both KIN 485 and KIN 499 (3—6 hours) in order to graduate with "Honors in Education.” Honors students must also maintain an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher throughout their degree.
Honors graduates will wear a ‘white cord’ at the Commencement ceremony (picked up from the Honors table), and with ‘Honors in Education’ will be printed by their name in the Program.
Honors Advising
Please contact Dr. Gordon Fisher, Honors Program Director, for additional information and advising. He will help students identify both their project and faculty mentor.