About the program

Students in the Kinesiology degree program offered by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will study foundational sciences such as anatomical kinesiology, biomechanics, exercise physiology, motor behavior, and the social psychology of physical activity. Successful degree candidates will complete the set of core Kinesiology courses, the UNLV general education requirements, and an area of specialization. Students can choose between two specialization areas: “Allied Health” or “Comprehensive.”

The Allied Health specialization option provides education and training for students who wish to prepare for advanced study in medicine, physical therapy, or other allied health fields. The Comprehensive specialization option provides students the opportunity to pursue basic and applied studies of the physiological, biomechanical, and social-psychological aspects of human movement and performance.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize Kinesiology career options.
• Demonstrate knowledge of functional anatomy and biomechanics.
• Describe the biological foundations of motor control, explain information processing and learning theories, and identify practical concerns relating to enhancement of motor performance.
• Explain the biomechanical principles that underlie human motor performance.
• Specify the physiological response to exercise and describe the systemic adaptations that occur at rest and during submaximal and maximal exercise following chronic aerobic, anaerobic, and strength training.
• Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to discuss the physiological basis of the major components of physical fitness, and develop individual fitness programs.
• Evaluate current concepts in nutrition in relation to health and disease, and apply guidelines for designing a healthy diet.
• Explain acute care of sport-related injury and illness, and design risk management and injury prevention strategies.
• Evaluate popular nutrition practices utilized by competitive and recreational athletes, focusing on dietary assessment, scientific validity, and efficacy.
• Explain the risk factor concept of disease and the role of physical activity in modifying risk factors.
• Analyze and evaluate research data.

Career Possibilities

The results from a survey of graduates of our undergraduate programs have highlighted the flexibility Kinesiology graduates have in choosing a career. For example, some of our graduates have gone on to have careers as:

• Executive director of recreation
• Physical therapy technician
• Director of fitness
• Personal trainer
• Activity coordinator
• Fitness instructor

Courses Included:

• Statistics for the Health Sciences
• College Algebra
• Fundamentals of Life Science
• Biomechanics
• Social Psychology of Physical Activity