Is Kinesiology A Good Major For Physical Therapy

Kinesiology

The next most common undergraduate major among aspiring DPTs is kinesiology – 21% of physical therapy program applicants hold a kinesiology degree. Being that kinesiology is the broader field encompassing exercise science, it makes sense why this too is a common major amongst DPT applicants. Kinesiology looks at the way physical activity and exercise influence society, health, and quality of life. Because of the science and other curricular requirements of many kinesiology degrees, these degrees are likely to prepare students to meet many of the DPT prerequisite requirements.

Biology

Biology majors make up about 10% of DPT applicants. Given that biology studies living organisms, it broadly relates to what students will eventually study in physical therapy school. Biology programs will be heavy in science coursework, which will help students meet prerequisite requirements, particularly those in the area of biology.

Common Biology Coursework

• General Biology
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Marine Biology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Invertebrate Biology
• Plant Anatomy
• Zoology
• Microbiology

Health Science

Nine percent of DPT applicants were health science majors in college, which is a degree that looks at a combination of health disciplines, often appealing to students who want to continue on to a variety of graduate programs in the healthcare field. The major develops leadership and problem solving in addition to educating students on a variety of sciences. Health science, like the above majors, gives students a chance to complete many of the common prerequisites required for DPT school

Common Coursework for Health Science Majors

• Chemistry
• Biology
• Genetics
• Physics
• Anatomy
• Economics
• Psychology
• Sociology

Psychology

Psychology studies the mind and behavior. This may be surprising given that this does not directly relate to physical activity, but 4% of DPT applicants were psychology majors in undergrad, making psychology the 5th most common major among DPT applicants. Psychology in itself is often a required prerequisite course for DPT applicants, but psychology students may find that they need to create opportunities for themselves to meet more of the prerequisites for going to physical therapy school.

Common Psychology Coursework

• General Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Statistical methods in psychology
• Social Psychology
• Personality
• Learning
• Research Methods
• Developmental Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Neuroscience

Common DPT Prerequisite Courses

There is no standardization of what courses you must complete before applying to physical therapy school- every program is different. Therefore, you should always check the requirements of each school you want to apply to, as well as what coursework you will complete in your undergraduate program, to determine if you will need to complete additional coursework to meet prerequisite requirements. Though these differences in requirements exist, here are some of the most common requirements for reference:

• Biology 1 and 2
• Anatomy and Physiology ( requirement may be separate course or 2 courses combining both)
• General Chemistry 1 and 2
• General Physics 1 and 2
• Statistics
• Psychology

Kinesiology Degree Requirements

Complete these Kinesiology major classes.

Required 120 credits (36 of which must be numbered 300 or above), including:

I. Essential Studies Requirements (see University ES listing).

II. The College of Education and Human Development Requirements.

III. Prerequisite courses and requirements, 18 credits, including: (some of these courses may be used to satisfy the Essential Studies requirements).

1. Criminal Background Check
2. Coursework:
3. CodeTitleCreditsBIOL 150General Biology I3BIOL 150LGeneral Biology I Laboratory1BIMD 220Human Anatomy & Physiology I3BIMD 220LHuman Anatomy & Physiology I Lab1BIMD 221Human Anatomy & Physiology II3BIMD 221LHuman Anatomy & Physiology II Lab1MATH 103College Algebra3PHE 102Epidemiology in Public Health3Total Credits18

KIN pre-majors should see the KIN undergraduate advisor for requirements and application for KIN major status.

IV. KIN core requirements, 47 credits including:

V. One of the following options:

A. Teacher Education/Certification (120 credits)

Students seeking certification to teach physical education must be admitted to the Teacher Education program which requires a minimum of 2.75 GPA, adequate test scores, and at least 30 credits before applying for admission to Teacher Education. Students must also complete the KIN core requirements (listed above) plus additional courses specific to the preparation for teaching in physical education, including the following courses: