Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology

Graduate Advising

The Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Graduate program supports and ensures each graduate student receives the individual guidance needed to achieve their academic goals. 

Program Director and Assistant

Students who have concerns about their advising experience are encouraged to meet with the Graduate Director before making any decisions about changing advisors. Early and open discussion can often help resolve challenges and strengthen the advising relationship moving forward.

William Cooke

William H. Cooke

  • Professor, Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology

Research Interests

  • Autonomic Cardiovascular Control in Humans
  • Orthostatic and Simulated Orthostatic Stress
  • Traumatic Injury and Device Development
Megan Johnson

Megan Johnson

  • Department Coordinator, Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology
  • Graduate Program Assistant

Research

To help expedite degree completion, a student should ideally begin conducting degree research with a faculty research advisor no later than during the senior year. Each student will work with a faculty research advisor who is a member of the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology Graduate Faculty. The advisor’s primary responsibility is to supervise the student’s research and academic and professional growth, as well as to work with the student to develop an academic plan for enrolling in the appropriate courses. 

Intellectual Property

Your Advisor is a member of the faculty with whom you work to design, implement and defend your graduate academic program and thesis. The ideas generated are intellectual property of many (you, your advisor and committee members, and possibly the funding source). Please consider and acknowledge that.

Advance Human Performance and Health Through Graduate Study

The Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (KIP) department at Michigan Technological University offers a dynamic, graduate-focused academic environment that blends rigorous coursework with hands-on research and real-world applications in human health, movement science, and physiology. Graduate students pursuing the PhD in Integrative Physiology and the MS in Kinesiology work closely with faculty on interdisciplinary investigation and clinical applications that span from molecular physiology to biomechanics and performance science.

Resources



  • Faculty expertise: Graduate students will engage with accomplished KIP faculty whose varied research and mentorship interests include cardiovascular and metabolic physiology, human performance, biomechanics, and exercise physiology. Faculty labs focus on translating research into health outcomes—from understanding cardiovascular regulation to improving human movement and rehabilitation strategies—which enriches the mentorship and training environment for both MS and PhD students.
  • Funding opportunities: Graduate students at Michigan Tech can access a range of financial support mechanisms, including graduate assistantships that provide a stipend and potential tuition support, internal and external fellowships that may include stipends and tuition benefits, and reduced-tuition programs for eligible students. These resources are administered through the university’s Graduate School and Financial Aid offices.
  • Career outcomes and networking: Graduates of the KIP graduate programs have pursued careers in academia, healthcare, industry, and clinical settings, and doctoral alumni often continue into post-doctoral research appointments or faculty positions. The department’s seminar series and collaborations with professionals across health and sports science fields help students build professional networks that support career advancement.
  • Research: Research is central to graduate study in KIP, with students participating in projects that address pressing health challenges such as hypertension, metabolic disease, aging, neuromechanics, and injury prevention. Both the MS and PhD programs support research or in-depth investigations, allowing students to contribute insights to the sciences of human physiology and movement.