Students selecting this major will earn a B.S. in kinesiology and complete a concentration in either exercise science, sport studies or coaching.

Exercise science is concerned with how and why the human body responds to physical activity. There are two primary areas of inquiry where exercise scientists focus their attention: health-related aspects of physical activity and sports performance.

In regard to health-related aspects of physical activity, exercise scientists have studied how exercise benefits health. The study of sports performance by exercise scientists involves diverse areas, which can include the growth and development of athletes, nutritional needs of athletes and movement analysis.

Sport studies is the liberal arts and sciences approach to studying human movement through the humanities and social science subdisciplines of the field. The humanities subdisciplines include sport history and sport philosophy and can be expanded to include sport art, sport communication and journalism, sport literature and sport law. The social science subdisciplines include sport psychology and sport sociology.

The Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in coaching provides the academic preparation for those students wanting a career in the coaching profession. Academic content includes study in key sports science disciplines described by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s (NASPE) domains of coaching effectiveness. This 39 credit hour concentration contains a unique sequence of subjects that focus on theory and practice of coaching. It also provides students with an experiential learning component with a coaching internship.

Program objectives are established to make students aware of the multiplicity of the demands involved in coaching and the important role that coaches have in society. Through this program, students will gain the knowledge and expertise to become successful coaches on several levels including sports programs in junior high or high school, college and at the international level.