Program: Health and Physical Activity Programming and Promotion, MS - University of Pittsburgh

Admission Requirements

The admission requirements will be unchanged compared to what is currently required for the Master of Science degree programs in the Department of Health and Physical Activity. These requirements include the following:

Applicants who possess an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science or a closely related field, or who can demonstrate foundational knowledge in key areas (human anatomy, human physiology, exercise physiology, exercise testing and prescription) are admitted to the Master of Science degree program provided that they meet all other School of Education admission requirements.
Applicants who do not possess an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science or a closely related field, or who cannot demonstrate foundational knowledge in key areas are provisionally admitted to the Master of Science Program provided that they complete coursework in the following areas prior to admission into the Master of Science Program in the Department of Health and Physical Activity (this was previously approved by the University in Spring 2018):
1. Human Anatomy
2. Human Physiology
3. Exercise Physiology
4. Exercise Testing and Prescription

Undergraduate Degree Requirement or Foundational Knowledge Requirement for Admission to the Master of Science Program in the Department of Health and Physical Activity	Provisional Admission Requirement*
Undergraduate degree in Exercise Science or a related field of study. OR Foundational knowledge in Anatomy, Human Physiology, Exercise Physiology, Exercise Testing and Prescription	*Completion of courses in the following areas:	Options for Completing this Admission Requirement
	Human Anatomy	Complete HPA 1011/12 (Applied Human Anatomy) or complete a comparable course.
	Human Physiology	Complete HPA 1033 (Human Physiology) or complete a comparable course.
	Exercise Physiology	Complete HPA 1042 (Physiology of Exercise) or complete a comparable course.
* Indicates that when the application is reviewed, only those courses where a gap in the core knowledge is identified will be required for admission.	Exercise Testing and Prescription	Complete HPA 1224 (Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription) or complete a comparable course.

Academic Requirements

A minimum of 30 credits for the non-thesis degree and 36 credits for the thesis degree option are required for the Health and Physical Activity Programming and Promotion degree.
Students must complete a comprehensive examination based on core competencies prior to graduation. Student will be eligible to sit for the comprehensive examination after completion of a minimum of 24 credits. Students will be provided a study guide to assist in their preparation for the comprehensive examination.
Students must complete courses in the appropriate order as outlined on the Plan of Study to be given permission to register for the appropriate courses in this degree.
All students must complete a minimum of 30 credits in the non-thesis option and a minimum of 36 credits in the thesis option.

Course Requirement	Non-Thesis Option	Thesis Option
HPA 2268 - PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH	X (3 credits)	X (3 credits)
HPA 2381 - CLINICAL EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PHYSIOLOGY 1	X (3 credits)	X (3 credits)
HPA 2380 - BEHAVIOR CHANGE AND HEALTH COACHING	X (3 credits)	X (3 credits)
HPA 2320 - PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH	X (3 credits)	X (3 credits)
HPA 2387 - MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY	X (3 credits)	X (3 credits)
HPA 2322 - EVIDENCE BASED HEALTH PROGRAM PLANNING	X (3 credits)	X (3 credits)
HPA 2386 - HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROMOTION AND MARKETING	X (3 credits)	X (3 credits)
Selects one of the following 2 options:
Option 1: Research Design - HPA 2375 or PSYED 2030 + Statistics - HPA 2410 or PSYED 2018 (Option 1 is required of students in the Thesis Option) Option 2: 2 Electives (within or outside HPA)	X (6 credits)	X (6 credits)
Selects one of the following 2 options:
Option 1: (Non-Thesis option): HPA 2385 - PRACTICUM IN HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Option 2: (Thesis option): Elective (within or outside of HPA)	X (3 credits)	X (3 credits)
HPA 2999 - MASTER’S THESIS RESEARCH		X (6 credits)
TOTAL CREDITS	30	36