Our Mission

The Department of Kinesiology and Community Health is an interdisciplinary unit dedicated to the study of health, rehabilitation, and human movement. The advancement and dissemination of knowledge related to health, rehabilitation, and human movement is central to the Department’s mission. Faculty in the Department utilize a broad variety of approaches in the integrative study of health, rehabilitation, and human movement, including research themes such as lifespan physical activity, community health, rehabilitation counseling, disability, well-being and inclusion, physical culture and education, pedagogy, human factors, and human performance.

The Department of Kinesiology and Community Health is organized around four concentrations:

1. Bio-Behavioral Kinesiology:  Faculty in the Bio-Behavioral Kinesiology concentration examine the antecedents and consequences of involvement in physical activity and sport and the impact that physical activity and sport have upon individuals.  This area includes Exercise and Sport Psychology, Biomechanics, Motor Control, and Kinesmetrics.
2. Community Health and Rehabilitation:  Faculty with specializations in health policy, health education, health behavior, and epidemiology examine a variety of dynamic interactions that impact the overall health of communities.  Faculty in rehabilitation examine the impact of disability in the population and the emotional, environmental, vocational, and educational issues surrounding adjustment to disability.
3. Cultural, Pedagogical, & Interpretive Studies:  Faculty in the CP&I concentration examine the interaction between physical activity and the individual from a variety of cultural, sociological and pedagogical perspectives.  Several faculty study the impact of movement on cultural and social relations, whereas others examine issues related to pedagogy and physical education.
4. Exercise Physiology and Athletic Training:  Exercise physiology is the study of work output, energy transfer, and movement efficiency. Research in this area is conducted in order to better understand the consequences of exercise stress on body systems.  The athletic training program focuses on the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries incurred in physical activity and sport.