Academic Programs - Recreation and Leisure Studies
- Counseling Psychology
- Counseling and Student Personnel Services: Counselor Education and Supervision Focus
- Counseling and Student Personnel Services: College Student Affairs Focus
- College Student Affairs Administration
- Professional School Counseling
- Student Affairs Leadership
- Professional Counseling
- Recreation and Leisure Studies
The doctoral program requires 58 (minimum) semester hours of coursework beyond the Masters. Students who do not have a research-based M.A. or who lack experience in recreation and leisure studies may be required to take additional coursework. A well-prepared and well-organized doctoral student can fulfill coursework requirements in four semesters. Subsequent graduation will depend upon how long it takes to undertake and write up the ensuing doctoral research. Doctoral students typically graduate in three to four years.
A core set of classes provides all doctoral students with a foundation in leisure theory and research skills, including qualitative research. The Graduate School does not allow the transfer of courses taken prior to entering a graduate program on campus; however, once a student has entered UGA a minimal number of credits can be taken at another university and transferred in.
Doctoral students must pass written and oral comprehensive exams covering the literature in leisure studies and the student’s chosen area of specialty, including questions about research design and analysis. Typically, this comprehensive exam occurs at the end of the second or beginning of the third year. The remainder of a student’s doctoral program consists of completion and successful defense of a dissertation.
