With graduates in more than 30 career paths, three pathways to tailor students’ education, and four professional certifications students can earn within program courses before graduation, Azusa Pacific University's undergraduate kinesiology program equips students to have practical knowledge and applicable field skills to succeed after graduation. Through supportive professor and peer relationships, each faculty, staff, and student in the program becomes a part of APU’s “Kin Fam,” an approach to holistic care that extends outside of the classroom and into the professional world.
Individually Tailored Hands-On Curriculum
Traditional undergraduate students begin the program in the fall semester. Almost all courses are offered in person, and students take them in a sequential order to continuously build upon their knowledge and skills as they progress through the program. The major includes three pathways that students can choose from to achieve their career goals. The applied exercise science pathway is recommended for students who are interested in the health and fitness industry, personal training, athletics, or club, hospital, and corporate wellness programs. The health professions pathway is designed for students who plan to go into healthcare professions such as physical therapy (PT), athletic training, occupational therapy (OT), nursing, or chiropractic care. These professions require licensure and graduate school completion, so the pathway is designed to help students prepare for graduate school. Finally, the accelerated doctoral physical therapy pathway allows students to meet the entrance requirements for APU’s DPT program in just three-and-a-half years.
Kinesiology is a hands-on profession since it deals with movement and activity, and APU equips students to enter their careers with plenty of hands-on field experience and guidance from professionals. All faculty in APU’s program are experts in their academic areas and in professional settings from their own work experience. “Our students use high tech equipment alongside professionals to conduct assessments and measurements in the program because kinesiology is more than a text book major,” said William “Jody” Wilkinson, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Kinesiology .
Jo Rivas ’26 is a kinesiology major with an applied exercise science concentration and an honors humanities minor. She is also a learning assistant and peer mentor in the Department of Kinesiology. Rivas said that her professors’ passion and knowledge inspired her to take advantage of the ability to learn as much as possible in her courses. “Every faculty member is so passionate about what they’re teaching and teaches it in a variety of ways,” she said. “I had a professor demonstrate the importance of the feet by standing on a table so that we could all see, and this really helped me as a visual learner. Their outside experience in the field makes a world of difference in how they teach and connect with us.”
Having professionals serve as professors in the classroom makes an impact in students’ preparedness for upper division courses. “It prepares them for their required 100-hour internship class which is dedicated to placing students in hands-on positions alongside professionals,” Wilkinson said. The internship class is equivalent to a senior capstone project in other programs, allowing students to put everything they’ve learned into practice under expert supervision within their area of interest ranging from OT, PT, or rehabilitation to athletics and strength conditioning.
By the end of their four years in the program, students also have the ability to earn up to four certifications in various interest areas. APU offers four courses each tied to a different certification including personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist, strength and conditioning coach, and exercise physiologist certifications. Seniors are also prepared for post-graduation success through a prep course where they learn more about themselves as professionals, reflect on what they’ve learned, and explore career pathways. The Department of Kinesiology also invites its students on a summer Global Engagement trip to Uganda each year. Students are able to practice and apply what they’ve learned in their classes during field work while learning about cultural competency and global health.
Faith and Creation in Kinesiology
When studying the human body, it is easy to see God’s greatness through His creation.
“Psalm 139 says that we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made,’ and that’s something
all of our faculty members emphasize,” Wilkinson said. “If we laid our blood vessels
out, they’d stretch around the world three times. It’s easy to find little faith fits
that show how amazing creation is. There are some things about the body we can’t explain
any other way than God made us in amazing ways.” When students learn how to see God
in the human body, they are able to make their career a ministry by bringing health
and healing into people’s lives. “Jesus was a healer and He did similar work,” Wilkinson
said.
Jacky Huang ’22, BSN ’24, graduated from the kinesiology program and is attending graduate nursing school. He is now working in the cardiothoracic unit, and the faith integration from the program has allowed him to connect with his patients. “When I’m doing care plans, I ask my patients if they’re religious or spiritual, and one patient who was preparing to go for surgery and was very anxious said that she was,” he said. “I prayed with her and she immediately sighed with relief. She felt calm and allowed God into her heart to help manage her anxious feelings.”
The Kin Fam Cultivates a Holistic Approach to Care
Although kinesiology majors specialize in learning about the body and how it works, APU’s program also emphasises the importance of whole-patient wellness by cultivating a community of caring and supportive faculty-student and student-student relationships. Faculty and students have deemed the community within the program the Kin Fam. “We’re not a cohort, but there’s definitely a community within the major,” Rivas said. “Kinesiololgy is challenging, but rewarding, and that leads to a close, supportive community.”
Faculty members are intentional about getting to know their students as scholars, professionals, Christ-followers, and individuals. “Each student is important to us and to the program, so we want to know what they’re doing and what they want to pursue,” said Madeline Cheaney, PhD, assistant professor and program director . “There’s a relational component that is especially important for this field that we try to model for our students personally and professionally.”
Huang talks to his patients every day about the importance of exercise for more than just their physical needs. “In the kinesiology program, I created a professional manual that was more than 90 pages long for a project that has continued to help me provide a holistic approach to my work,” he said. The program teaches students about the benefits and collaboration of physical, mental, spiritual, and social factors so that they can implement healthy habits in their own lives and pass that information onto their patients.
Cheaney personally meets with each student for academic advising to make sure that they’re on track to reach their goals. Faculty members also provide opportunities for mentorship that students can use in their careers. “Our faculty go out of their way to help students find in-field opportunities and prepare for life after graduation,” Cheaney said. She and another professor even hold study sessions outside of class that continue into the summer for two of the certification courses because they want their students to be successful. “These are lifelong mentorships,” Cheaney said. “We want to continue these relationships with our students after graduation whether they have questions about graduate school, career opportunities, or anything else they may need.” Alumni of the program often reach back out to professors to catch up personally and professionally. “I have a mentorship with Dr. Wilkinson, and I’ve continued that relationship into my nursing program,” Huang said.
Although kinesiology is the study of the human body, kinesiology at APU is also about teaching students to see God in their patients and in each other. Having a supportive Kin Fam community uplifts students and sets them up for success on campus and post-graduation. From pathways and concentrations that allow students to tailor their education to their own career goals and plenty of hands-on experiences guided by professionals in the field, students can go into the work force or on to graduate programs well equipped in knowledge and application.