Doctor of Philosophy in Leisure Behavior
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Leisure Behavior degree is administered through the University Graduate School. A member of the graduate faculty will be appointed to chair the student's doctoral advisory committee. Early in the first academic year the student will select 2 or 3 additional faculty members, including one representing the minor area. The doctoral advisory committee works with the student to prepare a course of study (prescription of courses) which must be approved by this committee.
Although most applicants for the Doctoral Program generally have a background in the area of recreation and park administration, the possession of degrees in this field is not a prerequisite to admission. Otherwise, qualified applicants who have deficiencies in academic or professional background may be required to take specific courses or acquire specific experience as prerequisites to degree work. To be considered for admission, applicants for the doctoral program must have a minimum GRE score of 600 in one of the following areas: verbal, quantitative, or analytical; a strong composite GRE score; be in the top 50th percentile on the GRE; and have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 or better with a graduate GPA of at least 3.5.
International Students: International students whose native language is not English must submit a TOEFL score. Requirements for the TOEFL include a score of 550 on the paper-based test and a 213 on the computer-based test.
Admissions
- Submit completed Application for Graduate Program Admission online or a paper copy to the Records Office, School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, HPER 115, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405-4801.
- Submit official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate work taken at institutions other than Indiana University.
- Request three people to complete Application Reference Forms.
- Submit GRE scores.
- A non refundable application fee of $45 ($55 for International Applications) must be submitted to the Bursar, using the Graduate Application Fee return envelope which is included in the application packet.
Course Requirements
- 30 credits in the Major area
- 15 credits (or as stipulated by the minor department) in the Minor
- a second minor or supporting electives totaling 15 credits
- a dissertation totaling 20-30 credits
- up to 10 credits of electives
- Included in the 90 credit hours is the research skill requirement, usually a minimum 15 hours completed outside the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, excluding courses taken to complete the tool skills and languages requirement.
For more information, please refer to the degree tabsheet.
Research and Teaching Experiences
Students will complete at least one research project prior to their dissertation. All Ph.D. students also shall instruct a course. Academic credit may be given for these experiences, and these experiences may be included in a course prescription.
Prerequisites
Masters in Recreation or equivalent preparation in Recreation course work.
HPER, T590, Research Methods (3crs.)*
HPER, T591, Interpretation of Data in HPER (3crs.)
Required Major
R701, Social Psychology of Leisure (3crs.)
R702, Current Issues in Recreation and Leisure (3crs.)
R703, Inquiry Methodology in Leisure Behavior (3crs.)
R704, Doctoral Seminar: Leisure Behavior (3crs.)
(Additional hours prescribed by student's committee.)
Research Skill Requirement
Nine hours of advanced statistics courses (beyond HPER, T591). Credits earned in meeting research skill requirements may not be counted in the total credits required for the degree.
Minor
The minor must be selected in a subject area in which the Ph.D. degree is offered. It should support the major area of leisure behavior.
A doctoral program normally takes about 3 years of full-time residency to complete. Doctoral students are typically expected to be involved in research with their major advisor, participate in teaching opportunities, and be involved professionally.
*Incoming students must arrange to complete a research competency examination to determine whether T590 will be assigned.
