Jeremy S. Jordan, Dean
falk.syr.edu/

About the College (Graduate Study)

David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics

David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics houses the Departments of Exercise Science, Human Development and Family Science, Marriage and Family Therapy, Nutrition and Food Studies, Public Health, Social Work, and Sport Management. Across the college, students benefit from real-world, interdisciplinary experiences through faculty-mentored research and meaningful internships that prepare them for successful careers in sports and applied health and human services. 

As educators, Falk College faculty and staff are focused on students’ academic programs and set high expectations for them in the classroom and community. Many attributes make Falk College unique, including:

Students in all Falk College academic programs can conduct research working with faculty mentors across Syracuse University, an R1 research institution. The Falk Office of Research Development (FORD) is a dedicated college resource for Falk faculty and student researchers.

Students benefit from Falk College’s numerous long-term relationships with national and Central New York-area agencies and businesses by gaining hands-on learning through internships and field placements, making them job-ready upon graduation.

Graduate students are eligible to join Syracuse University’s Future Professoriate Program that provides structured professional development experience for aspiring faculty.

Members of Falk College faculty have tremendous global connections in their respective fields; consequently, students benefit from these connections through internship/job placement opportunities, one-on-one career guidance, and guest lectures on campus.

Falk College’s leadership team includes:

• Mary Graham, Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs
• Chandice Haste-Jackson, Associate Dean, Student Services
• Katherine McDonald, Senior Associate Dean, Research and Administration
• Kenneth James Marfilius, Assistant Dean, Online and Distance Education
• Rachel Razza, Associate Dean, Human Dynamic
• Megan Myers, Assistant Dean, Advancement
• Kay Stearns Bruening, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

Accreditation

• Falk College offers accredited programs in nutrition science and dietetics at the undergraduate level and nutrition science at the graduate level accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. (ACEND)
• Falk College’s bachelor’s degree in public health and master of public health degree are accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
• The M.A. and Ph.D. programs in marriage and family therapy are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).
• All social work programs are fully accredited through the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Graduate Program Overview

David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics

In the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics cross-professional collaboration is the cornerstone of teaching, research, and practice. Like professionals in the field, students and faculty in the college work and learn together across discipline lines to find new, more effective approaches to important challenges and opportunities in sports and applied health and human services. Master’s degree programs are offered in exercise science, human development and family science, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science, public health, social work, sport analytics, and sport management; Ph.D. programs are offered in exercise science, human development and family science, and marriage and family therapy.

Faculty members include high-impact researcher as well as current and former practitioners who provide a real-world perspective on the professional field. Our small college atmosphere allows for personalized attention from the faculty and staff who guide students through the educational experience. Requirements are flexible in each program of study, allowing students to choose course combinations to match their personal and professional interests. Additional University resources allow students to further enhance their studies and professional development.

The integration of theory and practice is at the heart of the college’s mission. Through field and clinical placements in a wide variety of settings, students gain valuable hands-on experience that complements their classroom learning and better prepares them for their careers.

Today’s Falk College graduates hold positions of importance and distinction all over the world in diverse disciplines and industries alongside their fellow Syracuse University alumni.

For more information about Falk College graduate admissions, please call or visit our admissions office at:

David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
340 White Hall
Syracuse, New York 13244
(315) 443-5555
falk@syr.edu

Fees

Graduate Financial Assistance

Falk College academic programs offer a limited number of graduate assistantships and tuition scholarships. Graduate admissions officers in each graduate program allocate this financial aid based largely on merit. Graduate assistantships in the form of research assistantships and teaching assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis from among applications received by February 1; assistantships are usually not available at any other time of the year. Research assistants are required to assist their sponsoring faculty to perform research. Teaching assistants are required to assist with undergraduate/graduate instruction and work on research projects. Recipients of these assistantships receive a stipend in addition to a tuition scholarship.

Syracuse University fellowships are awarded competitively from applications received by January 1 on an all-University basis. Doctoral fellows receive a stipend, plus a tuition scholarship of 30 credits for the academic year. Fellows are devoted full time to their studies and are not assigned duties.

To apply for University fellowships or college assistantships, students are asked to indicate their interest in the designated area on the application for admission.

Facilities

Graduate students are uniquely advantaged by the Falk College facilities where they learn and study

Falk College’s Milton Conrad Sport Technology Lab doubles as a student classroom and computer lab that meets the latest programming trends in sport analytics as well as event and sport venue operations. Students train to operate live events using Daktronics equipment identical to what is found at major sport venues, such as ribbon boards and a scoreboard systems controller. Undergraduate and graduate programs integrate learning with activities at the JMA Wireless Dome as Syracuse University is the only institution in the nation with a sport facility of its size on the main campus.

The Department of Exercise Science houses integrative research laboratories at the Syracuse University Women’s Building, including the Human Performance Laboratory that explores the impact of exercise on emerging markers of cardiovascular disease risk. In the Clinical Research Lab, researchers study cardio-metabolic risk factors, such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, in obese populations. The Kinesmetrics Laboratory helps researchers understand the impact of behaviors such as sleep, sedentary behavior and physical activity on health. The Hypoxia Lab features a full-scale normobaric hypoxia chamber for simulated altitude training, investigations of the human physiological response to low oxygen, and for the staging and testing of protocols that are used during field research conducted in the Andes and Himalayas. The Neuromuscular Physiology Lab uses noninvasive brain stimulation and assessment of motor unit behavior to investigate changes that occur in the brain and spinal cord that impact skeletal muscle function throughout the lifespan. In the System Motor Control and Biomechanics Lab, researchers utilize biomechanics equipment and neuro-stimulation techniques to examine how the musculoskeletal and nervous systems produce functional movements, as well as how these systems’ functions change due to aging or diseases.

The Nutrition Assessment, Consultation and Education (ACE) Center, and its expanded location ACE Center II, offers a hands-on learning laboratory to prepare students with traditional and emerging professional competencies critical to nutrition practice.  Falk College also houses modern food laboratories in the Susan R. Klenk Learning Café and Kitchens, which includes an experimental food lab kitchen, commercial kitchen, baking nook and café. A video camera system allows faculty and chef instructors to broadcast classes, food demonstrations, and seminars from Falk College to anywhere on campus and across the country. 

The Department of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) is purposefully located in Peck Hall in the Syracuse community at 601 East Genesee Street, allowing students a unique opportunity for education in real time within and among a diverse and professionally trained mental health work force. This site includes the Couple and Family Therapy Center, a clinical training and research facility equipped for live and video recorded supervision that provides mental health counseling services to the surrounding community. The MFT program works cooperatively with numerous well-established local human service agencies that provide training and research opportunities for MFT students.

Research Centers & Institutes

Aging Studies Institute

The Syracuse University Aging Studies Institute (ASI) is a collaborative initiative of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the David B. Falk School of Sport and Human Dynamics.  Its mission is to coordinate and promote aging-related research, training, and outreach at Syracuse University. With 40 faculty affiliates from more than a dozen departments, ASI provides multi-disciplinary research and education that is relevant to almost every academic discipline on campus.

Bernice M. Wright Child Development Laboratory School

The Bernice M. Wright Child Development Laboratory School provides opportunities for research, teacher training, and community service. Located on Syracuse University’s South Campus, the Bernice M. Wright School and its programs embrace inclusion, celebrating cultural and developmental diversity, and recognizing the similarities and differences that make the world an exciting place. Through collaboration with Syracuse University’s Office of Human Resources and community-based service providers, the school enrolls children with varying developmental abilities, adding greatly to the overall classroom experience. The site serves as a teacher and student training facility and supports research in early childhood education and development.

Sport and Human Development Institute

The Sport and Human Development Institute explores the intersection of sport with human development, social change, and social inclusion. Created in partnership with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, the institute aims to provide professional education and learning opportunities for students while supporting interdisciplinary, sport-focused research to advance understanding and application of sport in this developing discipline.

The institute collects and disseminates important research findings and shares best practices among leaders, researchers, policy makers, and practitioners who influence sport-for-development initiatives. It also provides exposure, experience, and networking for our students interested in professions and non-profit entities that incorporate sport as a tool for engagement.