The College of Education at Mississippi State University will add a doctoral program for kinesiology in the fall.
Stanley Brown, professor and head of the department of kinesiology at MSU, said the idea of adding the doctoral program began when he started working at MSU and realized MSU was the only university in the SEC that did not have the doctoral program.
 “It started with the realization when I got here in 2008 that MSU was the only SEC University without a doctoral program in its kinesiology department,” Brown said. “That and the fact that we were building a solid faculty whose research productivity was steadily increasing.”
According to Brown, this addition is important because of the many research projects the university does.
“A doctoral program is so important to the life of a department in a research university,” Brown said. “Doctoral students aid faculty in conducting their own research, and this in the long run helps department in recruiting faculty and it also helps in faculty retention.”
Brown said he believes adding this program benefits MSU because the university wants to add more Ph.D. degrees in the coming years.
“The university wants to increase its output of people being awarded doctoral degrees each year,” he said. “With the way the department has developed over the years and the great team of researchers we now have, it makes sense for the department to develop in this direction.”
Adrianna Nichols, sophomore biological sciences major, said she would consider being in the program because she has a great appreciation and passion for learning.
 “I would definitely consider getting my doctorate degree in kinesiology,” Nichols said. “I love being able to further education. I think everyone in every major would appreciate being able to receive a doctorate degree.”
Kyai Williams, sophomore whose major is undeclared, said she believes this program would greatly benefit MSU students who want to pursue an advanced degree in kinesiology, and she would consider the program if she learned information she could use in the future and if the program was affordable.
“I think it would be beneficial to those who need the program to exceed in kinesiology,” Williams said. “Depending on if the program benefited me in the long run would determine if I would be in it to get my degree, and also the cost.”