What is kinesiology and why should you study it?

Motivation is an essential element of a successful academic and professional career. So, before beginning their journey through higher education, young people should take a step back and ask themselves what's the destination they long for.

In other words, they should contemplate what they want to achieve and the type of mark they want to leave in the world. By pursuing the profession of their dreams, youngsters will be able to make a difference and help shape a better future for everyone.

In today’s academic and professional world, there are many different ways to help our fellow man through science. By studying a medicine-related degree, for instance, one can devote their expertise and hard work to offering people relief from pain and disease.

If that’s what inspires you most, then why not pursue a kinesiology degree and become an expert in the science behind human body movement. What is kinesiology, you ask?

What is kinesiology

Kinesiology is the study of the movement of the human body. Its main scientific purpose is to understand how movement affects our health and well-being and use it as a therapeutic agent in many different instances.

The name Kinesiology was first coined by a Swedish medical gymnast in 1854, and it's Greek for "the study of movement." A century-old sidekick to physical therapy, kinesiology has advanced through the ages to become a full-fledged academic field and a sought-after specialization within the broader health and sports sectors.

As an academic field, kinesiology combines the study of different scientific areas, like anatomy; physiology; biomechanics; neuroscience; and neuropsychology. In brief, kinesiology degree graduates learn how to use scientific evidence-based research for treating and preventing injury and disease through exercise-based therapy and prevention techniques.

Thanks to its human-centric nature, a kinesiology degree allows you to pursue a career in many different areas, like health and wellness, fitness and sports, or education and research. It’s also a stepping stone to esteemed academic fields like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and medicine.

Take the career test for free and explore your personality and your career interests! Find your talents, discover recommended study programs, and learn about the professional fields that suit you the most.

Kinesiology vs. applied kinesiology

Now that you know what it is, it’s important to clarify that kinesiology is something entirely different from the alternative medicine technique known as “applied kinesiology”. Kinesiology is the purely scientific study of the human movement. To the contrary, applied kinesiology is a pseudo-scientific diagnostic tool (also known as muscle testing) used by alternative medicine professionals.

When you study the science of kinesiology, you learn how to use scientific evidence to dissect and analyze how the human body moves. You don’t become a medical doctor or a healer. But you become a certified specialist in how body movement works and what we can do to reverse (fully or partially) some of the conditions that obstruct its function.

After school, kinesiology graduates offer their expertise to either help treat individual patients or devise policies that promote healthier practices and conditions for everybody.

A kinesiology degree is a great entry point to the complex world of science and the intricacies of human health. Hence, those who study it eventually become legitimate advocates for a healthier lifestyle through many different roles and positions.

What can you do with a kinesiology degree

When youngsters pick their studies nowadays, they are eager to know beforehand their professional prospects after graduation. Compared to more established disciplines, kinesiology may not be an obvious choice for those seeking multiple career opportunities across different sectors.

However, there’s more to a kinesiology degree than meets the eye. Kinesiology studies offer graduates a diverse skillset that makes them qualified for long and prosperous careers in several professional fields.

More specifically, as bona fide experts on the performance and function of the human body, kinesiology graduates may become:

Fitness instructors

To reach their wellness goals, most people need expert guidance and a bespoke fitness approach. How would you like to help others improve their health and lifestyle through your optimized tailor-made exercise programs and close supervision?

Rehabilitation counselors

People with disabling conditions and serious injuries need all the professional help they can get to reclaim their life and optimal body function. Kinesiology graduates work hand in hand with physical and occupational therapists to provide rehabilitation and a better quality of life.

Exercise physiologists

Each medical condition and patient need a different therapeutic approach. Wouldn’t it be exciting to help people recover from chronic diseases by analyzing their medical history and devising personalized exercise-based treatments?

Strength and conditioning coaches

Athletes and sports teams constantly strive to raise their own bar and exceed their performance limits. What if you were responsible for pushing an athlete or a team to their best possible form through scientific analysis and exercise prescription?

Corporate wellness coordinators

Modern corporations need their employees to bring their best game every day and, at the same time, lead a healthy, fulfilling life. So, they hire kinesiology experts to organize and implement wellness programs and promote healthy lifestyle choices to their personnel.

Biomechanics researchers

In today’s sports, an advanced technological feature can turn an accessory (a shoe, for example) into a competitive advantage. Wouldn’t it be cool to collaborate with researchers and industrial designers to invent equipment that help athletes perform better?

Exciting, isn’t it?

As you can see, kinesiology careers come in many shapes and sizes. When it’s time to join the workforce, kinesiology graduates are presented with several options. They can use their expertise to be consultants, managers, educators, and researchers, or they can work directly with patients or athletes.

They can even prolong their academic track and study for a post-graduate (Master's in Kinesiology) or a doctorate degree. For example, they can go on to study sports medicine or pursue a more technology-oriented goal, like becoming a prosthetics engineer.

Why study a kinesiology degree

By definition, kinesiology deals with human health. Kinesiology experts aim at facilitating a higher quality of life for everyone — especially those with life-altering injuries or chronic conditions. In that light, a kinesiology degree can potentially lead to a rewarding professional life as well as a lucrative career in the health, sports, and wellness industries.

If you’re considering applying for a bachelor of science in kinesiology, take a look at three strong points in favor of your potential decision:

• On a personal level, kinesiology is a perfect match for those who seek the opportunity to become a positive force in people’s lives. Put your heart into it, and you will be able to help others in more ways than you can imagine.

• Academically, you will enjoy a diverse undergraduate curriculum and earn a diploma that provides a strong basis for further academic development. Most importantly, it serves as a pre-med qualification for specific medical degrees.

• Future-wise, a kinesiology degree prepares you for many different professional paths. It’s up to you to explore your options and choose how to make the most of your acquired knowledge of the science of body movement.

When you have made up your mind, it’s time to pick one out of the best kinesiology programs available. To give you a hand with your choice, here are three kinesiology courses recommended by our experts:

A few last words about kinesiology

When the time comes for a young person to decide what they want to study, it’s easy to lose track of every degree and specialization out there. Especially, when it’s a scientific field they have never heard of before.

Kinesiology sounds like an intriguing field of study but few know what it’s all about. However, when you see the kinesiology definition and realize it’s about the science behind body movement you can’t help but search for more information on kinesiology schools.

To sum up kinesiology, we could say that it’s a cutting-edge scientific field with many exciting applications in both healthcare and the sports industry. Kinesiology graduates, as experts in body mechanics, can help achieve things like:

• Research, devise, and apply exercise techniques to prevent injuries and other conditions that affect body movement.
• Provide the right exercise prescriptions to athletes and common patients to speed up their recovery from all types of injuries.
• Optimize rehabilitation plans for patients recovering from serious injuries that prevent them from reclaiming their previous life.
• Promote and facilitate better body function and performance regardless of age or medical condition, leading to a better quality of life for all.

So, what do you say? Does a career devoted to helping people lead better and healthier lives sounds accelerating and fulfilling? Then, a kinesiology degree looks like a great start. Just do your research on the best kinesiology schools and the available kinesiology graduate programs and pick the one that best suits you.

Have questions about studying kinesiology abroad? Schedule a session with a certified consultant!

Your future is Brive! #BeBrive

Read more articles:

Βusiness degree: What to study and how to find a job

Why study a Sports Management degree

What is an MBA degree and why you should pursue it

What is Computer Engineering and why you should study it

Career test: Free aptitude test to explore your career paths