A Matter of Degrees

And for Morgan Betker, a master’s at MSU is the latest one.

By Joe Tougas '86

In seeking out a sociology master’s degree from MSU, Morgan Betker is in a spot where her area of study overlaps with her full-time job. 

Betker is an exercise science professor at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.

“I wanted to grow professionally in a field that’s closely related to exercise science,” Betker said. “Socio-economic status is one of the biggest predictors for health discrepancies across the nation, and really across the world. So there’s a lot of really good interdisciplinary research within those two fields, between exercise science and sociology.” 

The MSU sociology master’s is not her first graduate degree; Betker already earned a Ph.D. in kinesiology from the University of Minnesota.

She’s pursuing her MSU degree online, but she came to Mankato for a research project during the spring semester of 2026, when she and other sociology students conducted research on behalf of the City of Mankato.

The city wanted to know how older residents used public transportation and preferred to receive city news and information updates. They also wanted to understand how university students used city amenities such as parks and whether or not they felt a sense of belonging in the community. Betker led a team of students who formed focus groups with residents age 65 and older.

City of Mankato Communications Director Paul David said the city intends to incorporate some of the findings into its overall communications strategy.

“For instance,” David said, “now that we know that MSU students are not aware of city park amenities such as outdoor ping pong, bags (cornhole), paved trails and hammock stands, we will look for opportunities to raise student awareness focused specifically on these activities.” 

As hoped, the experience was new and exciting for Betker.

“Even though I’ve completed a previous doctorate, I had never performed this type of research, and so it was a really great way to get in the field and partner with a community entity,” she said. “It was very eye-opening and a very cool way to expand my skill set as well.”

She also appreciates the ability to pursue her master’s online. 

“You still get those really good conversations, you still get really good interaction, and you really get the experience of being in the classroom. So that’s what I really, really liked about this opportunity.”