Kinesiology

Kinesiology is a human service major that trains individuals to help others enhance the quality of their lives through a balance of physical activity and other areas of wellness. Professionals in the field are able to design and implement physical activity programs that are safe, effective, developmentally appropriate, enjoyable, and inclusive of people of varied interests and physical characteristics. The curriculum in kinesiology can be tailored to individual student interests, although in general, it prepares students for careers related to physical activity, fitness, and sport, and provides a broad exposure to the liberal arts. Graduates pursue careers as physical education teachers, health-fitness instructors, personal trainers and exercise leaders, recreation directors, athletic coaches, and athletic administrators or cross over into areas related to sport and recreation management. Kinesiology also is excellent preparation for professional certification programs in fields such as athletic training, massage therapy, personal training, and strength and conditioning.

Learning Outcomes

With regard to physical activity, fitness and healthy living, graduates of the Kinesiology Program will:

• Understand the fundamental concepts and theories of human movement from a variety of scientific, social, and cultural perspectives.
• Demonstrate practical skills related to the fundamental concepts of human movement.
• Demonstrate the capacity to identify, access, analyze, synthesize and integrate information and concepts related to human movement.
• Apply critical thinking to solve problems from personal, scholarly, and professional perspectives.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in a variety of settings, using a variety of formats and for a variety of purposes.
• Accept an ethical responsibility to improve quality of life for others and ensure equitable access to opportunities to participate in physical activity for diverse groups.

Experiential Learning Component

The Kinesiology major includes numerous experiential components, which are purposely and developmentally built across the curriculum. These components begin in the first year introductory courses and continue through the hierarchy of courses culminating with the Senior Seminar course. After the first year, each student will experience a field placement in a kinesiology related setting. Ideally, each major would enroll in the Field Experience in the sophomore year. During the junior or senior years, a student who meets the designated criteria could opt to apply to complete an Internship in Kinesiology.

KI 3850 - Field Experience in Kinesiology  will serve as a foundational experience in which the student begins to contextualize those fundamental concepts of the discipline. The experiences in this course will provide for more knowledgeable consideration of future professional aspirations.

Typical Field Experience and/or Internship placement sites/organizations would include privately owned fitness centers, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics, youth sports leagues, city/town recreation centers, local and regional ski areas, public school physical education and after school programs, and the recreation and tourism components operated by NH State government agencies.

Programs

• Kinesiology, BA

• Coaching Minor

Courses

All undergraduate courses are 4 credits unless otherwise noted.

• KI 1110 - Introduction to Kinesiology
• KI 1170 - Positive Coaching of Youth Sports
• KI 1510 (SM 1510) - Introduction to Sport and Recreation Management
• KI 2010 - First Aid/CPR/AED
• KI 2020 - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for the Professional Rescuer
• KI 2110 - Care and Prevention of Injuries
• KI 2112 - Movement Instruction: Creative Movement
• KI 2114 - Movement Instruction: Team Sports
• KI 2116 - Movement Instruction: Fitness Activities
• KI 2118 - Movement Instruction: Individual and Lifetime Activities
• KI 2130 (PS 2230) (SM 2130) - Psychology of Sport and Movement
• KI 2140 - Motor Behavior
• KI 2150 - Wellness Concepts
• KI 2420 - Women in Sport: Historical and Contemporary Issues
• KI 3120 (SM 3120) - Sport in the Global Society
• KI 3140 - Sports Nutrition
• KI 3150 - Fitness Programming and Assessment
• KI 3180 - Biomechanics
• KI 3190 - Adapted Physical Activity
• KI 3390 (SM 3390) - Advanced Coaching Seminar: Management and Leadership
• KI 3720 - Coaching Education Seminar
• KI 3850 - Field Experience in Kinesiology
• KI 3990 - Topics in Kinesiology
• KI 4000 - Senior Seminar in Kinesiology
• KI 4410 - Exercise Physiology
• KI 4710 (SM 4710) - Legal Issues in Sport and Recreation
• KI 4810 - Directed Study in Kinesiology
• KI 4830 - Independent Study in Kinesiology
• KI 4910 - Internship in Kinesiology