Ph.D. in HEALTH & HUMAN PERFORMANCE

To learn more about our HHP doctoral program, click here to view our HHP Ph.D. Student Handbook.


The Ph.D. in HHP is aligned directly with the College mission as a single college-wide Ph.D. program, with five concentrations that are housed and administered by the four departments, according to the following organizational structure:

Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (APK): Ph.D. students in APK study the immediate and lasting effects of exercise and its use in disease prevention and rehabilitation as well as fundamental mechanisms within muscle biology, cardiovascular function, motor neuroscience, biomechanics, environmental physiology, sports medicine, and emotion regulation. The Ph.D. concentrations in APK include Exercise Physiology and Biobehavioral Science, with further specializations in biomechanics, motor control and learning, performance psychology, and sports medicine / athletic training.

Health Education & Behavior (HEB): Ph.D. students in HEB investigate health promotion strategies aimed at modifying behaviors which will improve individual, family, workplace, and community health and well-being. The Ph.D. concentration in HEB is in Health Behavior.

Sport Management (SPM): Ph.D. students in SPM study the business of sport and the impact of sports on individuals and the industry. SPM improves the understanding of factors that help the sport industry thrive. SPM students and faculty explore organizational and marketing theories, sociological concepts and sport consumption behaviors among sport organizations and sport consumers to improve the quality of the sport industry practices and the experiences of sport consumers and participants. The Ph.D. concentration in SPM is Sport Management.

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism (RPT): Ph.D. students in THEM study the impact of tourism, recreation activities, professional and amateur sports, ecotourism, parks, and beaches on the personal, social, economic, environmental and resource infrastructures of society. The Ph.D. concentration in THEM is Recreation, Parks and Tourism.


Integration of the College and University missions is reflected in the preamble to the HHP College Constitution: “serving our state, country, globe, and its citizens through teaching, research, creative scholarship, and service for the purpose of helping people protect, maintain, and improve their health, fitness, and quality of life.”  In addition to the fine work they do while at UF, our Ph.D. students extend the HHP and UF missions by leaving the university to obtain entry level professorial and post-doctoral positions at research intensive universities and federal agencies, as well as careers in the health, tourism, and management industries.