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What does the job field look like for kinesiology majors if they are not going to grad school right after their undergrad ? #Spring2025

I am a high school senior looking to enter the athletic training or physical therapy field after college. My passion for injury prevention and health stems from being around sports my entire life.

physical-therapy athletic-training kinesiology
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Danielle’s Answer

Hi there! I would absolutely suggest pursuing exercise science, exercise physiology, or strength and conditioning as a major as opposed to the broader kinesiology major (as Grace mentioned above) if you don’t plan on going to grad school but want to work in exercise in a capacity more than group exercise, working at a fitness facility, or personal training. Our field is working on becoming more “streamlined” in the US, like nursing, PT, AT. The American College of Sports Medicine is working with the American Medical Association and other official governing bodies to ensure there is an official curriculum all accredited programs follow, and you have to go to an accredited program in order to take the exam for the various certifications through ACSM so that employers are able to be certain anyone with the certification has learned the same concepts and skills.

That being said, if you don’t want to go into an AT or PT program immediately after undergrad, you have lots of options, you should just do your research now. Visit ACSM.org and look at their certifications, and even look into a certified strength and conditioning coach (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association if you want to work with athletes and injury prevention. Look for accredited programs (I may be biased, but MA and CT are ahead of the game with this, Springfield College, both Southern and Central CT State Universities, UConn, UMass Amherst, UHart etc.) so you have more options after graduation and in the future. If you’re really serious about PT or AT, research prerequisites for those programs so you can make sure you take those classes during undergrad and can apply in the future without having to take post-baccalaureate courses. Good Luck! You got this!

Danielle recommends the following next steps:

Explore certifications through ACSM and NSCA
Research accredited exercise science, exercise physiology, strength and conditioning programs
Research AT & PT prerequisites to make sure you will take appropriate prerequisites
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Grace’s Answer

As a kinesiology major myself, the next step is to attend PT school because there are not many jobs with only a major in kinesiology. The best thing to do is look at the college you are attending to find other branches of exercise science such as clinical or something with health fitness and performance. If you are interested in athletic training, something involving health fitness or performance or exercise physiology can be encouraging for companies to hire you.

Any type of specialization can be beneficial for the careers you listed and will look excellent on any resumes or applications. Some other majors to look at with athletic training could be biology, any type of science, or even food and nutrition. With kinesiology, it is a broader major and will most likely require some type of specialization if you are not planning on attending any graduate programs. Looking at your involvement in sports, athletic training would be a great field for you!
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