Earn your MS in Health and Human Physiology

The MS in Health and Human Physiology is designed to academically prepare students with a bachelor's degree for doctoral programs in the broad areas of health promotion and human physiology. Because this curriculum is designed to prepare students for a doctoral program, it is offered only as MS with thesis.

Health promotion is distinguished by its focus on physiological and behavioral processes as they interact with social and cultural forces to impact health.

Scholarship in this area advances the current understanding of physical activity behavior and health outcomes associated with this behavior through the evaluation of theories that predict behavior, the modeling of physical activity patterns associated with health outcomes, and the testing of interventions that promote physical activity and improve quality of life. Students with a special interest in health promotion may elect to focus on acquiring the analytical and research skills necessary to go on to doctoral programs.

Human physiology is the study of how the human body responds to external and internal stimuli, including physical exercise and stress, environmental conditions, aging, and disease.

Scholarship in this area requires in-depth knowledge in the natural sciences, including biology, chemistry, biochemistry, biomechanics, mathematics and statistics, physics, anatomy, biomechanics, neuroscience, and physiology. Students with a special interest in human physiology will acquire knowledge of the integrative functions of human organ systems and gain hands-on skills in experimental techniques in the areas of biomechanics and/or cardiovascular, skeletal muscle, pulmonary, sensorimotor and/or neurological physiology, and/or exercise physiology using human subjects, experimental animals, isolated tissues, or cell culture systems.

Required Coursework

For full curriculum, please visit:

https://catalog.registrar.uiowa.edu/liberal-arts-sciences/health-human-physiology/health-human-physiology-ms/#requirementstext