Find a researcher/supervisor
For a listing of faculty members in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences by area of research interest, see researchers.
Thesis policies and procedures
For information about thesis advisory committees and thesis defence procedures, refer to current graduate student policies and procedures.
Conducting thesis research
Statistics consulting
The Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science at Waterloo provides a statistical consulting service through which faculty, students and staff can obtain statistical advice including information on experiment design, analyzing data and uses of statistical software packages. Consider visiting Statistical Consulting Services before you start your experiment. The incorporation of statistical principles into your design may well save time and money, and ultimately lead to more clearly defined conclusions.
Office of Research Ethics
University of Waterloo requires all research involving human participants conducted by its students, staff and faculty, on or off-campus to undergo prior ethics review and clearance through the Office of Research Ethics (ORE). All applications for ethics review of research with human participants are submitted to the ORE. The ethics review process is conducted by the Director, and/or the Human Research Ethics Committee. The ORE has developed guidelines to inform researchers about ethical issues that must be of concern when conducting research with humans (e.g., anonymity, confidentiality, risks and benefits, informed consent process etc.).
Scientific literature research
The University's libraries have extensive information and access to online scientific literature resources, such as research databases and online e-journals. Services offered graduate students include free search and delivery for journals not held by the library. For details, see library resources for research.
Liaison/Specialist Librarians are the primary contact for University of Waterloo’s academic departments. Our Health Librarian's contact info and other resources can be found at the Library's Guide to Resources in Health and Kinesiology.
Student advising and monitoring of progress
All students are assigned a graduate advisor when they enter the program. Together, the student and their advisor plan out course selection and set targets for completion of coursework and other degree requirements.
While the advisor often becomes the “supervisor” for the thesis, this is not always the case. If a student chooses to work with a different faculty member to supervise their thesis, this individual will also become their graduate advisor. A Change of Supervisor Form must be completed if you change supervisors at any point during your program.
Students are expected to meet with their graduate advisors/supervisors on a regular basis. Your advisor should be regularly kept apprised of your progress and any problems arising (e.g., due to financial, health or other personal circumstances). The student and the graduate advisor should also feel free to consult with the Kinesiology Associate Chair (Graduate) on any of these matters.
The Faculty of Health graduate policy specifies that the progress of graduate students is to be monitored and evaluated annually. Early in the Spring term, the Kinesiology Graduate Coordinator sends each student an ‘Annual Progress Report Form’ and a letter explaining the information that should be provided in the report. In consultation with their graduate advisor, students are required to submit the completed form to the KIN Graduate Coordinator by the announced deadline. Both the student and the advisor must sign the form.
These progress reports are reviewed individually by the Kinesiology Associate Chair (Graduate) and the Graduate Committee and feedback is provided to both the student and the advisor. A copy of each annual progress report is put in the student’s departmental file. The information provided in the report is used to monitor your progress towards meeting your degree requirements in a timely fashion, to alert us to potential problems, as well as to reward you for initiatives such as conference presentations and submissions to refereed journals. These reports may also be used in decisions about scholarship awards. Thus, it is important that you complete the report carefully and thoroughly.
Important: You are encouraged to read the “Guide for Graduate Research and Supervision at UW” available from Graduate Studies. This document outlines key roles and responsibilities of all partners in graduate education that are vital to a collaborative approach to graduate education.
Examples of theses
For a sample of theses/dissertations conducted by graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, see recent theses.