Kinesiology and Sport Studies
Office: Ammi Hyde Office 108
Mail Code: 2450 South Vine St. Denver CO 80210
Phone: 303-871-2908
Web Site: https://psychology.du.edu/academics/kinesiology
The Kinesiology and Sport Sports (KINE) undergraduate program delivers a comprehensive, flexible, and progressive curriculum with challenging teaching and learning strategies to a community of diverse learners, alumni, and networks. We aim for our graduates to be well-prepared, curious, and ethical scholar-practitioners and leaders who integrate diverse ways of knowing to solve personal problems, address social issues, and live meaningful lives.
With a progressive and innovative curriculum, we introduce students to a variety of knowledge and skills, professional organizations, graduate school opportunities, and careers spanning kinesiology, sport, exercise, fitness, wellness, and more. Our intentionally multidisciplinary program focuses on the psychological, sociological, historical, and applied physiological and biomechanical aspects of sport, human movement and the human body, and physical activity.
We offer a major and minor in KINE. All students are eligible for the major and minor. There is no application process.
Kinesiology and sport careers vary greatly. Therefore, so do corresponding job requirements and preferences, and career development pathways into these varied positions. Designed with this in mind, the KINE major and minor are flexible and prepare students for a wide range of careers, such as: collegiate, professional, or national-team sport coaches, scouts, managers, and administrators; certified mental skills consultants; strength and conditioning coaches, personal trainers, health and wellness coaches, group fitness instructors, exercise or sport scientists; and coaches in k-12 settings, for-profit businesses, or non-profit and government settings including community recreation centers and military (e.g., tactical strength and conditioning facilitator), and graduate or professional schools (e.g., athletic training, physical therapy, sport psychology, sports medicine).
With an emphasis on experiential learning and the integration of knowing and doing, the major develops students to be scholar-practitioners in diverse kinesiology and sport fields and contexts. Our curriculum was designed in alignment with the American Kinesiology Association’s (AKA) standards for university undergraduate degree programs and we maintain active membership with AKA. Also, the major prepares students for nationally recognized, needed, and leading certifications, such as the National Strength & Conditioning Association’s Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Certified Performance & Sport Scientist (CPSS), and Tactical Strength & Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F).
The Kinesiology and Sport Sports undergraduate program focuses on the psychological, sociological, historical, and applied physiological and biomechanical aspects of sport, human movement and the human body, and physical activity. The major prepares students for varying careers (e.g., athletic leadership, coaching, health and wellness, sport science, strength and conditioning) and graduate or professional schools (e.g., athletic training, physical therapy, sport psychology, sports medicine). With an emphasis on experiential learning and the integration of knowing and doing, the major develops students to be scholar-practitioners in diverse kinesiology and sport fields and contexts. A member of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA), the major also prepares students for nationally recognized, leading certifications.
Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology & Sport Studies
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Sport Studies Requirements | ||
Required Courses | ||
| KINE 1005 | Resistance Training and Strength and Conditioning Methods | 4 |
| or KINE 1015 | Foundations of Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting | |
| KINE 2000 | Foundations of Kinesiology and Sport Studies | 4 |
| KINE 3005 | Research in Kinesiology and Sport | 4 |
| KINE 3000 | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Kinesiology & Sport | 4 |
| KINE 3010 | Ethics and Leadership in Kinesiology and Sport | 4 |
Internship | ||
Required 0 - 4 hours | ||
| KINE 3980 | Internship in Kinesiology and Sport | 1-8 |
| Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | 20 | |
| Sport Psychology | ||
| Motor Learning for Skill Acquisition | ||
| Sociology of Kinesiology and Sport Performance | ||
| Administration of Sport, Fitness, and Wellness | ||
| Anatomical Kinesiology | ||
| Athletic Nutrition | ||
| Special Topics in Kinesiology and Sport Studies | ||
| Sport Science | ||
| Biomechanics of Kinesiology and Sport | ||
| Biomechanics of Kinesiology and Sport Lab | ||
| Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries I | ||
| Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries II | ||
| Strength and Conditioning Coaching | ||
| Theoretical Aspects of Strength and Conditioning | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Total Credits | 41-48 | |
The minor is open to all University of Denver students. The minor in KINE requires 20 credits in KINE, including the required KINE 2020 Foundations of Kinesiology and Sport Studies. Most students will complete the minor by taking five, 4-credit hours courses in KINE. The KINE minor is an excellent fit for students with majors in biology or pre-health, business, or tourism and hospitality management who are considering careers in sport and related fields. The KINE minor is also an excellent choice for students who major in the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology) or School of Engineering & Computer Science seeking greater sport-specific knowledge, context, and culture or who are completing applied research, projects, internships, or community-service in kinesiology or sport settings.
Minor Requirements
20 credits
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| KINE 2000 | Foundations of Kinesiology and Sport Studies | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Choose 16 credits from the following: Any KINE course or CPSY 2010 Sport Psychology | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 20 | |
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| FSEM 1111 | 4 | WRIT 1122 | 4 | WRIT 1133 | 4 |
| Scientific Inquiry: Society & Culture or Analytical Inquiry: Society & Culture | 4 | Scientific Inquiry: Society & Culture or Analytical Inquiry: Society & Culture | 4 | Scientific Inquiry: Society & Culture or Analytical Inquiry: Society & Culture | 4 |
| Foreign Language or Scientific Inquiry: The Natural and & Physical World | 4 | Foreign Language or Scientific Inquiry: The Natural and & Physical World | 4 | Foreign Language or Scientific Inquiry: The Natural and & Physical World | 4 |
| KINE 1005 or 1015 | 4 | Analytical Inquiry: Natural and Physical World & Culture | 4 | KINE 2000 | 4 |
| 16 | 16 | 16 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Scientific Inquiry: The Natural & Physical World or Foreign Language | 4 | Scientific Inquiry: The Natural & Physical World or Foreign Language | 4 | Scientific Inquiry: The Natural & Physical World or Foreign Language | 4 |
| Analytical Inquiry: Society & Culture or Scientific Inquiry: Society & Culture | 4 | KINE 3000 | 4 | KINE 3005 | 4 |
| KINE major elective | 4 | Major, minor or elective | 4 | Major, Minor, or Elective | 4 |
| Minor or elective | 4 | Minor or elective | 4 | Minor or Elective | 4 |
| INTZ 2501 | 2 | ||||
| 16 | 18 | 16 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Study abroad | 17 | KINE major elective | 4 | KINE major elective | 4 |
| INTZ 2502 | 1 | KINE 3010 | 4 | KINE major elective | 4 |
| INTZ 2503 | 2 | Minor or elective | 4 | ||
| Minor or elective | 4 | Minor or elective | 4 | ||
| 18 | 14 | 16 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| KINE major elective | 4 | Major, minor or elective | 4 | KINE 3980 | 4 |
| KINE 3980 | 4 | Major, minor or elective | 4 | Major, minor or elective | 4 |
| Advanced Seminar | 4 | Major, minor or elective | 4 | Major, minor or elective | 4 |
| Major, minor or elective | 2 | ||||
| 12 | 14 | 12 | |||
| Total Credits: 184 | |||||
KINE 1005 Resistance Training and Strength and Conditioning Methods (4 Credits)
Resistance training is an overarching term for human physical activities performed against a force at a given velocity. Examples of resistance training include the use of free weights, dumbbells, flywheel and pneumatic machines, bodyweight, bands, chains, and more. Strength and conditioning methods is an overarching term for modes of physical activity commonly used in sport and fitness settings. In this foundational course, students will develop an introductory-to-intermediate scientific and practical understanding of resistance training and strength and conditioning methods.
KINE 1015 Foundations of Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting (4 Credits)
Powerlifting and weightlifting (Olympic lifts and their derivations) are two widely popular strength- and power-based sports and these movements offer numerous physiological, psychological, and social benefits. The primary movements, including the deadlift, bench press, squat, clean and jerk, and snatch are also nearly universally applied to sports performance training. From recreational to world champion athletes, understanding the rules, equipment, and training practices of powerlifting and weightlifting is essential to developing mastery as a lifter and instructor. Students in this course will learn by doing and acquiring foundational content knowledge in these lifts and the organization of the sports. Students will also learn about powerlifting and weightlifting national governing bodies and how the sport is administered.
KINE 2000 Foundations of Kinesiology and Sport Studies (4 Credits)
This course explores the historical development of kinesiology, sport, and physical cultural studies from ancient societies to the present. By exploring the historical, political, social, cultural, economic, and religious underpinnings of kinesiology, students will understand how they, the field, and various stakeholders have been shaped to their present form. Students will use this understanding to identify and make critical judgments about the common issues, problems, and limitations in kinesiology today. This course will also examine varying national governing bodies, career opportunities, graduate and professional school options in the field, and prepare students to navigate advanced courses and topics.
KINE 2010 Motor Learning for Skill Acquisition (4 Credits)
This course will provide students with an understanding of how individuals (e.g., athletes, performers, recreationalists) learn, perform, and retain motor skills. The course will explore how individual psychology, dynamic environments, and varying group and cultural practices affect skill acquisition. Students will develop foundational skills to develop and implement instructional strategies (e.g., practice plans, activities, feedback, affordances) to facilitate skill learning and performance enhancement, skill modifications for injury prevention, and rehabilitation of injury. This course will cover a variety of theoretical and scientific concepts pertaining to skill acquisition and learning across a variety of settings.
KINE 2020 Sociology of Kinesiology and Sport Performance (4 Credits)
An applied approach to the sociology of kinesiology and sport performance integrates theory and practice, also called praxis, to help students become critical thinkers and problem solvers. Students will be exposed to traditional sociological frameworks such as functionalism, interpretivism, and critical theory; themes such as gender, race, class, and ablism; and topics such as identity, deviance, coaching, performance, health, exercise, and sport. The applied focus will prepare students to see sociologically in everyday kinesiology and sport contexts in order to enhance performance and other outcomes, inclusive of ethical considerations.
KINE 2030 Administration of Sport, Fitness, and Wellness (4 Credits)
Organization and administration of sport, fitness, and wellness prepares students to manage and lead in diverse contexts. Course topics introduce students to relevant theoretical and practical aspects of administration, such as managerial functions, human resource management, marketing, budgeting, risk management, and finance. The breadth of the course will set a foundation for students to expand and specialize their skills, while pursuing specific career opportunities.
KINE 2035 Anatomical Kinesiology (4 Credits)
Anatomical kinesiology is the study of muscles, bones, and joints and how they function to produce human movement. This course covers major bodily structures of the human body, from head to toe. A foundational understanding of human anatomy is beneficial or needed for advanced study of many kinesiology topics and careers, such as biomechanics, strength and conditioning, sport science, athletic training, sport psychology, and allied health. By design, this course focuses on anatomical kinesiology to prepare students for application in a variety of kinesiology and sport contexts.
KINE 2040 Athletic Nutrition (4 Credits)
From the youth to high-performing athletes on to master’s athletes and weekend warriors, nutrition effects recovery, performance, and a host of other processes This course provides students with an understanding of the physiological, psychological, and cultural aspects of athletic and fitness nutrition. Students will learn how to prepare athletes and clients for practice, competition, transitions, and everyday life. Additional course topics include disordered eating, ergogenic aids and supplements, professional nutrition organizations and career development, and sport-specific nutrition strategies.
KINE 2050 Sport Psychology (4 Credits)
Sports psychology aims to improve athlete well-being and performance. In this class, students learn about the key concepts and theories from sport psychology such as motivation, anxiety, goal setting, imagery, and team cohesion. A key component of the course requires students to not only apply these concepts through cornhole tournaments throughout the semester, but to also interrogate taken-for-granted assumptions embedded in the field of sport psychology.
KINE 2701 Special Topics in Kinesiology and Sport Studies (4 Credits)
Kinesiology and sport studies topics of special interest to faculty and students as needed to complement and expand existing curriculum and test innovative subject matter or teaching and learning practices. May be taken more than once. Prerequisite may vary based on specific special topic.
KINE 3000 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Kinesiology & Sport (4 Credits)
This course exposes students to diversity, equity, and inclusion in kinesiology and sport. Related terminologies and frameworks such as social justice, critical studies, and power, privilege, and oppression will also be explored and in relation to the often more palpable term DEI. Students will develop a shrewd understanding of how inequalities, identities, and forms of hate and discrimination were created and how they manifest in sport contexts (e.g., ownership, labor, leadership, science). Students will also develop practical skills to advance a praxis (theory and practice) of DEI that embraces continuous development and inclusive excellence.
KINE 3005 Research in Kinesiology and Sport (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the wide variety of research in kinesiology and sport to prepare students to become critical consumers of scholarship. Students will understand the ethics, values, and other assumptions underpinning kinesiology research. Issues to be explored in relation to research include diversity, equity, and inclusion, marginalized ways of knowing, and how in the name of science people have been harmed. Course topics will include framing a research problem, designing a research study, and doing research, including writing and dissemination. Students will appreciate a wide understanding of qualitative and quantitative, descriptive and explanatory, laboratory and naturalistic approaches to scholarship. Prerequisites: KINE 2000.
KINE 3010 Ethics and Leadership in Kinesiology and Sport (4 Credits)
This course examines moral issues, reasoning, and theories in kinesiology and sport. Students will develop a deep understanding of sport ethics and embody a profound sense of integrity as a leader and citizen. The course will approach ethics from the leader’s role on topics such as equality, diversity, equity, and inclusion, science and research, violence, capitalism, government regulation. Kinesiology and sport-specific ethical issues will be covered, such as drugs and performance enhancing substances, technology and genetic testing, deviance, violence, and fair play.
KINE 3015 Sport Science (4 Credits)
Sport science is often defined as the scientific study and application of science for sport and performance enhancement. Sport scientists often possess a range of industry titles and roles, but share commonalities in engaging in scientific research, using scientific thinking to enhance outcomes and dispel myths, and instill best practices in the use of performance technology and evidence-informed training practices. Foundational areas of sport science tend to include: physiology, biochemistry, biomechanics, nutrition, skill acquisition, psychology, statistics, analytics, and technology management. Prominent course topics include theoretical and conceptual knowledge of sport training theory, athlete monitoring and assessment, managing data and analytics, and educating and disseminating information. Students will also consider ethical and interdisciplinary aspects of sport science, including psychology of optimal performance, surveillance technology, and informed consent. Prerequisite: (KINE 2035 or BIOL 2450) & (KINE 1015 or KINE 1005).
KINE 3020 Biomechanics of Kinesiology and Sport (4 Credits)
Biomechanics of kinesiology and sport entails the study of mechanics applied to the biological systems of the body, with a focus on athletic and human movement performance. Students learn foundational knowledge of biomechanical principles and laws to explain how the body functions to produce movement, which can be used to analyze and enhance movement and quality of life in a variety of settings (e.g., athletics, wellness, sports science, coaching). Prerequisite: BIOL 2450.
KINE 3021 Biomechanics of Kinesiology and Sport Lab (1 Credit)
Biomechanics of kinesiology and sport lab facilitates students applied skills in the kinematics and kinetics of human movement, with a focus on sport, wellness, and clinical settings. Students collect and analyze data generated from movement analysis technology and make recommendations for how to improve function and reduce dysfunction. A variety of human and athletic movements are explored, and students learn to improve movement performance and reduce injury. Prerequisite: BIOL 2450.
KINE 3025 Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries I (4 Credits)
This course introduces students to the principles and practices of sports medicine, athletic training, and the sports performance team. In this first course in a two-course series, students learn about the professional development and responsibilities of health care providers and juxtapose this to sport, fitness, and wellness providers who often have different goals and environmental pressures. Course topics also include risk management, pathology of sports and movement injury, management skills, musculoskeletal conditions, and general medical conditions. Prerequisite: BIOL 2450.
KINE 3026 Prevention and Care of Athletic Injuries II (4 Credits)
In this second course, in a two-course series, students learn about the professional development and responsibilities of health care providers and juxtapose this to sport, fitness, and wellness providers who often have different goals and environmental pressures. This course introduces students to the principles and practices of sports medicine, athletic training, and the sports performance team. Course topics also include risk management, pathology of sports and movement injury, management skills, musculoskeletal conditions, and general medical conditions. Prerequisite: BIOL 2450.
KINE 3030 Strength and Conditioning Coaching (4 Credits)
This course focuses on developing students’ applied leadership, management, and instruction skills, and professional judgment in kinesiology and sport fields, with an emphasis on strength and conditioning and fitness contexts. Students learn to instruct a variety of strength and conditioning methods, such as speed, plyometrics, agilities, resistance training, and strength athletics (e.g., Atlas Stones, Highland Games). Students also learn about the associated ethical, psychological, sociocultural, pedagogical, andragogical, and political aspects and issues with the practice of being a strength and conditioning and health and wellness practitioner. The course will also help students seeking certification with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and related organizations. Prerequisite: BIOL 2450 & KINE 1015.
KINE 3031 Theoretical Aspects of Strength and Conditioning (4 Credits)
Theoretical Aspects of S&C prepares students to understand the scientific research areas informing strength and conditioning practices. Students will learn about foundational scientific ways of understanding the human and athletic body, particularly the varying systems of the human body, endocrine responses, and anaerobic and aerobic adaptations to training. Additional, rudimentary consideration will be given to psychological, nutritional, and organizational aspects of strength and conditioning. The course will also help students seeking certification with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and related organizations. Prerequisite: BIOL 2450 & KINE 1015.
KINE 3980 Internship in Kinesiology and Sport (1-8 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students in the kinesiology and sport studies major an experience for gaining knowledge, skills, and attitudes in related career fields through experiential learning and reflective practice. Through real-world experience, students will develop a more accurate and nuanced understanding of the realities of everyday practice in kinesiology and sport. These experiences are essential for students in the major to test out, integrate, negotiate, and transform their newly acquired theoretical and evidence-based academic subject knowledge within the realities of everyday practice. During internship, students will complete additional course assignments via distance technologies.
KINE 3991 Independent Study (1-10 Credits)
Independent research/study.