Serving over 700 students within the College of Education, the Department of Kinesiology hosts four undergraduate and two graduate degree programs each with multiple sub-discipline areas of specialization. The department provides comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degree programs that incorporate scientific and professional methods of inquiry to study physical activity, exercise, sport, and health-related issues; advances the body of knowledge through scholarly inquiry; and offers a wide-range of fitness and sport activities that help promote lifelong well-being.
The Master of Science (MS) and Master of Kinesiology (MK) in Kinesiology programs offer three different areas of emphasis: behavioral studies, biophysical studies and socio-historical studies. The MK program is designed to be practitioner oriented, while the MS is research oriented. These programs share a similar curriculum with the main difference found in the culminating activity (capstone course and thesis, respectively). Those students interested in pursuing a doctorate in the future should complete MS program. With respect to the differences between the three areas of emphasis: behavioral, biophysical and socio-historical studies, please first note that all three programs share a common curriculum. Students selecting biophysical studies are primarily interested in what is more traditionally known as exercise science – the physiological, anatomical, biomechanical aspects of human movement. Behavioral studies focuses on the cognitive and psychological aspects of movement, while the socio-historical emphasis examines the social, historical and philosophical aspects of sport and physical activity in society. Students serving as the Human Performance Laboratory (HPL) Graduate Assistant (GA) are required to pursue an MS in Biophysical Studies.
The Kinesiology department seeks to foster physical activity, optimum health, and extraordinary performances through science, teaching, and promotion.
The Exercise Physiology Laboratory GA investigates the protective effects in the treatment and prevention of Disease.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Treadmill training
- Demographic data collection
- Performance tests
- Muscle coordination
- Muscle strength
- Muscle memory
- Histology and biochemical tests
- Skeletal muscle cross sectional area
- Western blots
- ELISAs
- Statistical data analysis
- Manuscript preparation
- Literature reviews