The Physical Education College of Jilin University is authorized to provide a first-level discipline master’s program in Sports Science (academic) and a first-leveled discipline master’s program in Sports (professional).
AcademicMaster Degree of Sport Sciences (3-yearprogram)
The First-level Discipline of Sport Sciences includes four Second-level Disciplines, which are Humanistic SociologyofSports,Human Sports Science, Physical Education and Sports Training, andEthnicTraditionalSports.
(1 )Humanistic SociologyofSports
OurCollege was approved bythe Ministry of Education in 2003 to confer master's degrees in HumanisticSociology of Sportsand began its first admissions in 2004. Currently, this program involves four research pathways with their distinctive features and advantages, including SportsManagement, SportsSociology, Curriculum and Teaching Methodology of Sports,and SportsPsychology.
1 Distinctive Feature
1.1 Theory
Fundamental sport theoryis one of our key teaching points, and analyses on hot-spot social issues of sports haveprovided high-quality research outcomes for the establishment and regulations of macro-level national sportspolicies and implementation of Olympics strategies and nationwide fitness programs and havefurther deepened researches in this area.Among all the research,the work fromProfessor Yuan Lei has not only focusedon macroscopic researches, but has alsobeenclosely connected to the reform and development reality of sports in China.He has presided over research projects of various levels, including Scientific Research of Sports Development intheHarmonious Society (National Social and Scientific Fund Program), Study of the Development of Mass Sports in China in Post 2008 Olympics Era (grant from the General Administration of Sport of China), and Research on the Innovative System of Fostering Outstanding Athletes in Universities (grant from the National Office of Education Science Planning).
1.2Practices
One of the major features of this program is the interaction and interdependence between theory and practice. For example, the major project from the National Office of Education Science Planning presided over by Professor Yang Ting, Research on the Mode of Interaction and Operational Mechanism between School Sports and Community Sports, has contributedto the promotion and spread of the nationwide fitness programs and Olympicawareness. Also, the National Social and Scientific Fund Program, Research on Scientific Fitness, presided over byDr.Yang Jie, has offered detailed propositionsto the concepts and measures of theimplementation of themass sports campaign, and academic papers relevant to this project were well received by sports researchers in Chinaafter publication.
2 Advantages
The faculty for this program is properly structured withsixprofessors,twelveassociate professors, sixlecturers, and oneteaching assistant,among whom five have acquired doctor’sdegreesand oneis currently a doctoral candidate.This programis an interdisciplinary second-level discipline combing sport sciences, management, sociology, and psychology, andcultivateshigh-end interdisciplinary talents in sport from various pathways under Humanistic Sociology ofSports, thanks to faculty advantagebenefited from the comprehensive nature of Jilin University.
(2)Human Sports Science
OurCollege was approved bythe Ministry of Education in 2006 to confer master's degrees in Human SportScience and began its first admissions in 2007. Currently, this program involves four research pathways with their distinctive features and advantages, including Theory andApplication ofSports Science, Sports Fitnessand Health Management, TechnicalDiagnoses and Evaluations of Body Movement and Theory andApplication of Exercise and Health-related PhysicalFitness.
1 Distinctive Feature
1.1Theory
1.1.1Deepening and Broadening Theoretical Researches from International Communications
As one of the research talents recruited by the College, Professor Liu Zhongmin, who had acquired aPh.D.inHealth Sciencesfrom theFaculty of Medicineof Tohoku University of Japan, has been conducting comparative studies on the physique and health of young children in China and Japan, and is jointly presiding over a projectnamed Research of Microelements in Diet and Physical Strength of Children in Japan, China, and ROK (120,000words)with his foreign colleagues,funded by theMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan. Hehasalso published 6 relevant academic articles.
1.1.2Enhancing Interdisciplinary Studies in Natural Science and Achieving Theoretical Innovation of the Discipline
The research team led by Professor Sun Ru, who has acquired a doctorate in Cellular Biology in 2009, has made great breakthroughs in inflammatory reactions of musculoskeletalinjury and muscle regeneration in the pastfiveyears, thanks to the resource sharing platformsof theFaculty of Medical Sciencesand the School of Life Sciences of Jilin University.The team first proposed theories of musculoskeletalinjuryin sports, inflammatory reactions andmyosatellitecellregeneration, and has publishedtworelevantSCIarticlesininternationaljournals, which formed the foundation of their 2010 Natural Science Fund Project of Jilin Province (40,000yuan grant).
1.2Practice
1.2.1 Facilitating the Development of the University and Nationwide Fitness Program with High-level Theoretical Research
Since its establishment in 2002, the Laboratoryof Human Sports Sciencehas carried out tests and evaluations on the physical health andbodyfunctionsofthe students and provided them with scientific guidanceonphysical exercise.Graduates of this College are now working in the fields of exercise and fitness guidance in various big fitness centers and clubsin the country.
1.2.2Improving Performancein Competitive Sports with High-level Theoretical Research
Members of the Lab often perform instructive experimental researchwithnational and provincial winter sports teams.Anacademic project,Research on the Physical Fitness Test and Monitoring of Figure Skaters Preparing for the 20thWinter Olympics,ledby Professor Sun Ru,hascontributedimportant reference data and suggestions to the scientific training of the Chinese national figure skating team, especially to pair skating athletes.
2 Advantages
Thisprogramis well structured withfiveprofessors,twelveassociate professors,sixlecturers, andoneteaching assistant,among whomfourhave doctor’sdegrees. Ithasworld-class experiment equipmentandthe teamhasbenefitedfrom the sound and comprehensive resources of Jilin University, including multiple major national or provincial level laboratories from theFaculty of Medical Sciences, School of Life Sciences, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.The establishment of these relevant platforms hasprovidednecessary supports to the research of thisprogram.
(3)Physical Education and Sports Training
This master program wasestablished in 2011 with the approval of the Ministry of Education of China and began its first admissions in 2012. Currently,itinvolves three research pathways with their distinctive features and advantages, including Principles and Methods of Sports Training, Theories and Methods of Physical Training, Principles and Methods of Sports Pedagogy.
1 Distinctive Feature
1.1Theory
Ourresearch team has gradually formed its unique sport-specific theories and practice systems through constant efforts and has undertakentwenty-twonational and provincial level projects, among which one project, Research on the Theory and Practice of Running Track and Field Clubs for Teenagers by Non-governmental Sectors, was granted by the Social Science Fund of the General Administration of Sport of China.The outcomes of the research haveprovided feasible solutions to the scientific training of national and university-level sports teams.Ourresearch team has also publishedtwenty-sevenacademic papers on core sports journals,sixofwhichwere included in Olympic and other international symposiums, including the New Characteristics and Prospects of Training Theories of Track and Field Sports in China.These papershaveprovidedacademicsupport to China in winning gold medals in track-and-fieldeventsand archery, and the theories proposed in the articles were of great instructive significance to sport-specific training and technique diagnosis.
1.2Practice
The team has adopted methods fromSportsTraining,PhysicalTraining andCompetitionStudies to research on how tooptimizethe physical strength and techniques of various sports including track and field, volleyball, and archery, and some athletesthanks tothese researcheshave reached world-class levels andtwoof them were granted the status of elite athlete of China. For example,Zhang Shujing has won the championship oftheSeoul International Marathon and has finished 13thin the recent Olympic Games. Another Student, Han Yucheng, has won the gold medal of the 50-kilometer race walk of thepreviousAsian Game. Research on the theories and methods of sports events has also made great breakthroughs witheightstudentswhograduated from this College have now become international-level referees in track and field, basketball, skiing, etc.. This isbecausethe College has participated in the organization and referee work in many sports competitions including track and field-friendly matches for teenagers from China, Japan, and ROK, which helpthe students acquire the ability to organize and hold major sports events.
2 Advantages
The faculty of thisprogramis highly recognized in the academic circle in China and is well structured withfiveprofessors,twelveassociate professors, andsixlecturers withonedoctor andthreedoctoral candidates.Members of this team have asound theoreticalbackground, organizational capabilities of research,and interpersonal skills, whose research outcomes have reached leading positions in the country. Meanwhile, as a collegeofphysical educationin a comprehensive university, this College is the cradle of sports talents for China and Jilin Province and is also one of the training bases of top-tier national sports teams. Currently, teams of track and field, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and football are training here and theirneedsfor scientific research and trainingare well supplementedby the stadiums and laboratories of this university.The resource advantage of comprehensive universities isalsohelpful in integrating various research fields related toteachingand trainingin sports, thus giving this Collegeaspecial advantage in training students in this field.
(4)EthnicTraditional Sport
The masterprogram ofEthnicTraditional Sport was established in 2011 with the approval of the Ministry of Education of China and began its first admissions in 2012. Currently, this program involves three research pathways with their distinctive features and advantages, including Theories and Practices oftheTeaching and Training of MartialArts,EthnicTraditional Sport in Northeast Asia, Cross-cultural Communication ofEthnicTraditional Sport.
1Distinctive Feature
1.1Theory
As people’s conceptsonhealth and educationoftraditional culture renew and shift,especially as Chinese martial arts emphasizesboth mental and physical strength and competitive and mass sports proliferate,studieson the cultural attributes of ethnic sportshave become moreimportant. Research in this pathway, grounded in the mechanism of the influence of traditional culture on Chinese martial arts, aims to deeply analyze the cultural foundations of Chinese martial arts.Established theories of traditional culture and traditional ethnic sportscan be seen as the distinctive theoretical features of thisprogram.Anarticle,Research on the Combination of Chinese Martial Art Concepts and Education of Ideology and Morality for Contemporary College Students,wasincluded in the Student World Forum held in Turkey in 2005. In recent years, the research team has undertakenfifteenacademic projects of provincial levels or above and has publishedthirty-oneacademic papers on core sports journals, leading to a sound and distinctive research atmosphere in this area.
1.2Practice
Chinese martial arts have inbuilt experiential practical attributes that combine teaching and learning.The practical features of this disciplineareto guide students, through training in theoretical research,to perceivethe knowledge of the essence of Chinese martial arts, and to help them becomepractice-focusedtalents of moral education based onmastering knowledge and techniques of martial arts.As a saying goes, “what is enjoyed by a nation should also be shared by the world”, Chinese martial art, with its profound cultural foundations, should not only serve the purpose of improving people’s health in China, but shouldalsobe accepted by people of allnationalitiesin the world.The need for expeditingthe research on the international exchange and communications of Chinese martial artshas become more pronounced as this sport is becoming increasingly recognized internationally.For this purpose, Associate Professor Li Tingkui of this College started a three-year program of exchange and communications of traditional ethnic sports in Egypt in 2010 as a cultural ambassador on behalf of the Ministry of Culture of China.The international exchange and communications of traditional ethic sports can be considered as the breakthrough of thisprogramand has fullyexemplified the practical feature of thisprogram.
2Advantages
Thisprogramhas formed a sound and well-structured team in teaching and scientific research with fiveprofessors,elevenassociate professors, andsixlecturers with one doctorate holder and one doctoral candidate,yieldinggreat research outcomes.Thisprogramalso benefitsfrom the comprehensive nature of this university, which has not only provided the team with great resources for the training of talents, but also offeredplatforms for both research and practice. These advantages are unparalleled in other universities in the country and will definitely provide firm research support to the improvement of the academic status of this discipline.
Master in Sports(full-time professional master)
The full-time professional master’sdegree of this College was established in 2009 approved bythe Ministry of Education and began its first admissions in 2010. Currently, this program involves three second-level disciplines, which are Physical Education, SportsTraining, and Instructions of Social Sports.
This program providesan important way of fostering high-level, andpractice-orientedprofessional talents in sports, and is a major form of postgraduate education that fits the national and educational reality of our country based on previous experiences.The distinctive professional and practical nature of this degree is the reason why it differs from other types of masterdegree education in its training objects, training modes, and curriculum.
The full-time professional master’sdegree in sports has training objectives in fostering high-level andpractice-orientedsports talents in physical education, sports training, sports management and organization of competitions, and instructions of social sports.The potential students mainly are thosewho work in professional sportstraining, including training instructors in elementary schools, high schools and universities, management personnel of various levels of competitions, mid to high-level instructors for physical exercise, and graduate students from sports and other relevant majors. Given the source of its students, this professional degree in sports is established totrain high-end practice-orientedtalents for specific professions.Thus in comparison to academic degrees, this professional degree differs in its training objectives and knowledge structures as it focuses more on applications and is more profession-oriented in its admission requirements,educational contents, training modes, and quality and standards.This degree attaches more importance to the combination of academic research and professional practice and is more focused oncapacity building in solving actual problems with professional and theoretical knowledge for profession-specific sports practitioners, thus providing high-levelpractice-focusedtalents specialized in sports.