Graduate Study
Graduate programs are offered at the Master's (Master of Science in Leisure Studies) and doctoral levels (Ph.D. in Health, Leisure, and Human Performance) at Oklahoma State University.
The Master of Science Program
Individual students may tailor their plan of study to emphasize outdoor recreation, leadership, campus recreation, physical disabilities or psychological disabilities. The Master's degree offers culminating options of a thesis, or additional coursework along with a creative component.
The Master of Science in Leisure Studies is designed to build upon the competencies contained in the baccalaureate program and to develop "mastery" of knowledge, understanding and ability to apply those competencies in professional settings. The Master of Science program serves two primary purposes: (1) a post-baccalaureate degree program permitting mastery of disciplinary specific knowledge with an introduction to research knowledge and application, and (2) a post-baccalaureate degree program offering disciplinary specific knowledge with professional application to the work setting. Students applying for the Master of Science Program without a background in the appropriate option will be expected to complete leveling coursework identified later in this proposal.
The Doctor of Philosophy Program
The intent of the doctoral degree is to prepare graduate students for faculty positions in a wide range of institutions. As such, all students are mentored by an individual faculty member. In addition, all students gain experience in teaching, research, and service during their on-campus work.
Classic Greek included the word schole, a word linked through the Latin scola to the English "school" and "scholar." Schole, in classic language, described both the activities freely chosen for personal enjoyment and the freedom necessary to choose. Such activities included physical participation to achieve personal excellence, debate, drama, culture, and seeking knowledge. These activities also included instruction and learning to achieve excellence in human performance in all aspects of life. Historically, schole occurred in various locations including two that have become part of the American educational system. First, schole frequently occurred next to the temple of Apollo Lykos, a grove of trees that became known as the lyceum. The lyceum provided the setting for growth in mind and the ability to articulate thought. Second, schole occurred in the gymnasia, encouraging excellence in human performance requiring physical skill and effort. The gymnasia provided the setting in which to extend human performance and to improve health.
This Doctor of Philosophy degree links those disciplines within the College of Education that present the contemporary embodiments of the classic concepts, schole, licere, and gymnasia (preparation for healthy living, satisfying leisure, and excellence in human performance). The options within this Doctor of Philosophy program seek to prepare scholars capable of discovering and disseminating knowledge to understand human behavior and to further social and individual excellence.
As a component within the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Health, Leisure and Human Performance, Leisure Studies provides the connection to the classic concept of activity for its own sake, activity of choice that enriches life. Leisure Studies encompasses the scholarship related to personal participation in recreation and leisure, the provision and management of those places and opportunities that encourage such participation, and therapeutic intervention into lives through leisure to improve the quality of life. Leisure Studies includes scholarship related to motivation for leisure choice, modification of leisure behavior, use of leisure as a therapeutic modality, relationships between people at leisure and their environment, and benefits resulting from leisure behavior. Leisure Studies is supported by and integrally connected to a delivery system ranging from personal homes, through communities, community agencies, to the national and international provision of recreation and parks. Leisure Studies, in this proposed degree program, focuses on the preparation of scholars who can enter the academy as excellent faculty members.
The Graduate College
Last Updated
Thursday, July 19, 2007 10:18 AM
