In what year did Michael Israetel earn his PhD and from which university?

1. Degree and university: the consensus view

Every profile and institutional record in the provided material attributes a doctorate in Sport Physiology to Mike Israetel from East Tennessee State University (ETSU). ETSU’s electronic theses repository lists a dissertation by “Michael Alexandrovich Israetel” titled “The Interrelationships of Fitness Characteristics in Division 1 Athletes,” tied to ETSU and explicitly noting PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) Sport Physiology and Performance ^[1]. Commercial and professional bios—Renaissance Periodization’s team page and Human Kinetics author page—also state the PhD came from East Tennessee State University ^{[2] [5]}.

2. The year: dissertation record points to 2013

The ETSU thesis record shows the dissertation with an identifier and a dating of 8-2013, which is the clearest primary document in the dataset tying Israetel’s doctoral work to 2013 ^[1]. Interviews and later bios echo that he “just finished” his PhD at ETSU in a 2013-era interview and subsequent summaries repeat the same timeline ^{[3] [4]}. Thus, the most direct source here links his PhD completion to 2013 ^[1].

3. Corroborating professional profiles and media

Multiple secondary sources—RP Strength’s team page, podcast and interview pages, academic-author listings, and magazine-style bios—restate the same credential and ETSU origin for the PhD ^{[2] [4] [5]}. These profiles serve as corroboration: they are consistent with the ETSU repository entry rather than contradicting it ^{[2] [4] [5]}.

4. Name variants and record clarity

The ETSU entry appears under the fuller name “Michael Alexandrovich Israetel,” while many professional and media profiles use “Mike” or “Michael Israetel.” That difference in naming is visible in the provided sources but does not alter the institutional attribution or the dissertation date ^{[1] [6]}. The ETSU repository entry is the most formal record in the set and supplies the 8-2013 date ^[1].

5. What the sources do not address

Available sources do not mention the exact date of graduation (day/month), whether the degree was formally conferred in a fall 2013 commencement, or whether administrative delays changed the official conferral date beyond the dissertation posting (not found in current reporting). They also do not provide the full dissertation committee roster beyond listed advisors in the ETSU snippet, nor do they include a scanned diploma or registrar confirmation in these search results ^[1].

6. Alternative viewpoints or disputes: none in supplied material

Among the provided items there is no substantive dispute about the university or the general timing; every cited profile and interview repeats the ETSU PhD claim and the ETSU thesis page supplies the direct bibliographic entry ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}. If contradictory documentation exists elsewhere, it is not present in the current set of sources (not found in current reporting).

7. Practical takeaway and recommended next steps for verification

For most purposes—biographical notes, citations, or professional introductions—citing “PhD in Sport Physiology, East Tennessee State University ^[7]” is supported by the ETSU thesis record and multiple bios ^{[1] [2] [4]}. If you need formal verification (e.g., for hiring, credentialing, or academic equivalency), request an official transcript or degree verification from East Tennessee State University’s registrar; that specific administrative confirmation is not included in the supplied sources (not found in current reporting).

Sources cited in this note: ETSU dissertation record ^[1]; RP Strength team page ^[2]; 2013 interview mentioning finishing the PhD ^[3]; podcast/profile summaries and bios that restate the ETSU PhD ^{[4] [5]}.