The Department of Kinesiology offers six Bachelor of Science degree concentrations: Clinical Exercise Physiology, Neuromechanics, Strength and Conditioning, Physical Education and Coaching, Physical Activity and Coaching, and Sport Administration.
Clinical Exercise Physiology (CLEP)
This concentration is designed as a professional preparation program of study that enables students to work in clinical settings as exercise physiologists in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, or other clinical rehabilitation settings, such as those for individuals with diabetes, orthopedic limitations, arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, renal failure, obesity, and in programs dealing with issues of aging. The clinical exercise physiology concentration also provides students with the necessary background to pursue graduate health professions, such as physical or occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, medicine, or other graduate level educational programs.
Neuromechanics (NM)
This concentration combines the disciplines of "neuroscience" and "biomechanics" and deals with study of human movements accomplished by the interaction of the nervous, muscular and skeletal systems of the human body. Students learn concepts of neuromechanical basis of kinesiology in the development, learning, control and production of human movement. The neuromechanical concentration curriculum focuses on a comprehensive biomechanical, neuromuscular, motor learning and performance analysis of human movement. This enhances the knowledge and understanding of neural, biomechanical, cognitive and behavioral mechanisms underlying human movements, to help improve performance and prevent injuries in a variety of populations ranging from recreational, athletic, occupational, geriatric and special populations such as Downs' syndrome, autism and Parkinson's' disease. The curriculum provides students a foundation in the mechanisms underlying human movement to prepare students for careers in physical therapy, occupational therapy, medicine/physician assistance, neuromechanics, human factors ergonomics, sport science, disability and rehabilitation science.
Strength and Conditioning (STCN)
This concentration provides students with the necessary knowledge to incorporate exercise physiology concepts into activities that enhance fitness and performance. This concentration covers everything from the development of plans to enhance fitness in apparently health populations to improving performance in elite athletes. Strength and Conditioning takes into consideration a combination of the physiological, biomechanical, and psychological aspects of training in the development of individual and team needs for customized programming. The concentration serves as the foundation for students to become sport scientists, strength and conditioning coaches, personal trainers, and specialists within corporate fitness/wellness programs.
Physical Education and Coaching (PECO)
This concentration requires 124 semester hours of prescribed courses to complete the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. The curriculum is designed to meet the need of students interested in becoming physical education teachers in public and private schools. The teaching block of courses must be included in the on-campus requirement of 32 semester hours of junior and senior courses. Students who complete the program will be eligible for teacher licensure by the Mississippi Department of Education.
Physical Activity and Coaching (PACO)
The Physical Activity and Coaching concentration integrates coaching and recreation courses to prepare students with careers in Coaching in Non-Traditional settings along with Recreation management settings in the sport industry. Upon graduation, students will have many opportunities to select their careers that include, but are not limited to, park and tourism, recreation camp organizations, YMCA and YWCA facilities, parks at the local, state, and national levels, youth sports coaching (AAU, Club teams, etc.), and intercollegiate sports coaching.
Sport Administration (SPAD)
This concentration provides students with knowledge and skills necessary for careers in the sport industry. A concentration in Sport Administration helps prepare students to work in such fields as sport marketing & promotions, sporting event and/or facility management & operations, sports communication & media relations, and other administrative areas at the professional, collegiate, and recreational levels of the industry. The program seeks to combine classroom education with hands-on experience, as all students will complete an internship in the sport industry prior to graduation. Students choosing a concentration in Sport Administration choose either the Business, Communication, or Foreign Language cognate field.