Assessment of Doctoral Programs in Physical Education: Reports, Rankings, and Recommendations

Abstract

Drawing upon five recent studies, this essay provides a summary analysis of the assessment of academic quality of doctoral programs in physical education. Specifically, the analysis focuses on 12 rankings of doctoral programs and examines them in terms of three methodological issues: subjective versus objective measures, measures of quantity versus measures of quality, and single versus multiple measures. In conclusion, two composite rankings of the academic quality of doctoral programs are given, and recommendations are made for future quality assessment studies in physical education.