Specializations
Specializations are small clusters of classes designed to enhance your expertise in a particular professional area. Currently, these specializations offered are only available to Kinesiology and Health majors. Once you complete all of the courses within a specialization, you will apply to receive a letter from the Department verifying their completion of the specialization. This letter is a great addition to a resume for future employers!
Click on any of the specializations below to view additional information.
Coaching (19 hours)
This specialization benefits those who plan to pursue coaching as a profession at various levels such as youth sports, middle school, and high school athletics, collegiate, and professional sports.
You will gain the knowledge and understanding of the growth and development of athletes. It also exposes you to the legal, psychological, social, biological, physical, theoretical, and technical parameters in coaching. You will develop comprehension of advanced leadership principles and educational theories and practices. This specialization prepares content with an emphasis on sports ethics and human performance training and development. This will NOT certify you to be a coach, however, it may prepare you to sit for some certification exams.
- KIN 119 Conditioning or PED 106C Weight Training
- KIN 310 Physiological Basis of Conditioning or KIN 425K Physiology of Exercise
- KIN 311K Sport Psychology (Spring)
- KIN 312 Care & Prevention of Athletic Injuries
- KIN 312 Fundamentals of Coaching or KIN 335C Motor Learning
- KIN 361 Coaching Theory & Principles I (Summer, Fall) (Ethics and Leadership)
- KIN 362 Coaching Theory & Principles II (Spring) (Independent Inquiry)
Prerequisite: KIN 361 Coaching Theory & Principles I
Community Health and Wellness (15 hours)
This specialization benefits those who want to pursue a career in public health, community health, government organizations, non-profit organizations, and worksite wellness programs.
You will be exposed to courses that focus on key public health topics and issues. In addition, you will gain practical skills and applied experience in a semester-long internship, which is selected to match health interests and career goals. You will be prepared to pursue graduate studies in health promotion or public health and related allied health fields.
- KIN 348 Psychological Aspects of Exercise (Spring)
- HED 329K Child & Adolescent Health
- HED 335 Theories of Substance Abuse Prevention (Writing)
- HED 352K Psychosocial Issues in Adult Development & Health
- HED 360 Adolescent Health Risk Behavior
- HED 361 Psychosocial Issues in Women’s Health (Writing)
- HED 364 Strategic Health Communication (Fall)
- HED 365 Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities (Cultural Diversity)
- HED 366 Human Sexuality
- HED 370K Public Health Challenges along the US-Mexico Border (Global Culture)
- HED 378D 1–Healthyhorns
- HED 378D 2–Mental Health Promotion
- HED 627L Internship in Community & Organizational Health
Lara Latimer, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, Health Behavior and Health Education
Health Fitness Instructor (18 hours)
This specialization benefits those wanting to pursue a career in personal and small-group training. It also provides practical experience in preparation for graduate school in applied fields.
This specialization will prepare you for a career in fitness and for a variety of national certifications. Fieldwork and internships provide practical experience as you develop and apply programming and exercise techniques for both general and special populations. You also will be prepared to go on to graduate school, including medical, physical therapy, physician’s assistant, chiropractic, and other forms of allied health studies. Many of our alumni are successful in the personal training field and many own and operate their own facilities. Other alumni work with athletes in a sports conditioning setting.
- KIN 322 Diagnosis
- KIN 332 Tech of Fit Leadership (WR)
- KIN 327T (Topic 2) – Personal Training
- KIN 330E Sport Ntr or NTR 306 Intro to NTR
- KIN 627F (Topic 1) – Health Fitness Internship
Medical Fitness and Rehabilitation (18 hours)
This specialization benefits those who want to pursue a career in the medical field, such as cardiac rehabilitation or physical therapy, and will provide experience in a variety of clinical settings.Through fieldwork and internship experiences, you will learn different methods of training and treatment.
You will work with clients from “pre-hab” (preventive exercise programming) to post-rehabilitation. This specialization will prepare you to work in a number of medical settings or to pursue a graduate degree in many fields of allied health, such as physical/occupational therapy, or medical school.
- KIN 322 Diagnosis
- KIN 332 Tech of Fit Leadership (WR)
- KIN 327T (Topic 1) – Clinical Exercise Testing or 352K Advance Assessment for Health & Sport
- KIN 327T (Topic 2) – Personal Training
- KIN 627F (Topic 2) – Medical Fitness Internship
Contact Rachel Watson, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
Strength and Conditioning Coaching (18 hours)
This specialization benefits those who are interested in designing and implementing strength and conditioning programs. It also as provides guidance on safe training techniques and nutritional advice.
You will learn how to coach, train, and oversee exercise and weight training for various levels of fitness. At the end of the program, you will be ready to participate in a graduate program in Exercise Physiology and become certified as a strength and conditioning specialist. For more information on certifications in this area review the requirements set in place by The National Strength and Conditioning Association.
- KIN 330E Sport Nutrition or 3 hours of approved Nutrition
- KIN 310 Physiological Basis of Conditioning
- KIN 312 Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries
- KIN 119 Conditioning or PED 106C Weight Training
- KIN 226 Advanced Weight Training
- KIN 363 Theory & Practice in Strength Conditioning (Fall)
Prerequisite: KIN 310 Physiological Basis of Conditioning or KIN 424K Applied Human Anatomy
- KIN 327T 4–Internship in Strength & Conditioning
Kim Beckwith, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
