Application material guidelines (MS and PhD)
If you're applying to the kinesiology MS or kinesiology PhD program, you're encouraged to review the application material guidelines found below.
- Discuss your motivation for pursuing graduate study in your chosen emphasis area within the School of Kinesiology
- Highlight academic and professional experiences and achievements that shaped your interest in pursuing graduate studies
- Explain why you are a strong candidate and a good fit for this program
- Share your long term professional aspirations and how this degree connects to your goals
- Your personal statement should be limited to approximately 500 words
- Discuss your past research experiences and research goals for your graduate education
- Include summaries of any unique experiences relevant to the research you have done.
- Clearly state what you want to study as a research professional and why.
- Please include names of faculty members and research groups at the University of Minnesota/School of Kinesiology whose research is of interest to you
- Your research statements should be clear, concise, and limited to approximately 500 words
- Provide at least one sample of your written and/or published academic work
- Examples to include: Written work from a recent academic course (assignment, research project, etc.), undergraduate thesis, literature review, papers published as first author.
- Examples not to include: Group work, published papers as coauthor, posters, infographics. Any work written by or with the help of generative AI software.
- Be personal but professional: Share your story, but keep it relevant and focused, and use examples to illustrate your qualities and experiences
- Tailor your statements: Let us know why you want to be at the University of Minnesota in the School of Kinesiology
- Synthesize the key themes of your statements and articulate your readiness for graduate-level work
- Keep it concise: Follow the guidelines for each statement. Use concise language, and proofread your final submission
Letters of recommendation
Please submit three letters of recommendation when completing your online application.
Letters of recommendation should come from credible academic contacts familiar with your academic work. These could be faculty members or research advisors from previous institutions who you have worked with on research projects or in class, or who are familiar with your scholarly work.
Reach out to your recommenders early. Recommenders will be prompted to upload their recommendation letters directly into the University of Minnesota application system, and must do so by the December 1 deadline for consideration.
Graduate assistantships
Assistantships in School of Kinesiology are competitive and are not guaranteed upon admission to the program. Support generally takes the form of teaching assistant appointments, research assistant appointments, or fellowships. Standard graduate appointments include a current hourly pay rate, a waiver of all or part of tuition, and a health insurance benefits package.
The number of appointments fluctuates annually with the availability of funding and enrollment. Although we do not guarantee financial support to students, we do prioritize support for current students who are meeting expectations on progress toward their degree and for new student applications received by December 1. You can expect to be informed about the status of your assistantship in January or February of the year you will enter the program.