The University of Texas at Tyler

Department of Health and Kinesiology

Undergraduate Student FAQs

1. Q. What majors are possible in the Department of Health and Kinesiology?

A. Three different majors are offered by the Department: (a) B.S.—Health Studies; (b) B.S. Kinesiology; and (c) B.A.—Health and Kinesiology. In addition, there are two specializations within the B.S.—Kinesiology major: Teaching (leading to all-level physical education certification) and Nonteaching.

2. Q. What is a “professional degree” and a “nonprofessional degree”?

A. A professional degree program leads to a specific job, usually one that requires passing a licensing or certification exam. Examples of professional degree programs at the undergraduate level are education (teacher certification), nursing and engineering. Nonprofessional degrees do not lead to a specific job, but rather prepare in an area that includes various possible jobs, usually not requiring passing of a licensing or certification exam. Most undergraduate majors lead to nonprofessional degrees. In the Department of Health and Kinesiology, the only professional degree program is the B.S.—Kinesiology, Teacher Specialization, which leads to certification to teach physical education.

3. Q. What is the difference between the “bachelor of science” and a “bachelor of arts” degree?

A. In the Department of Health and Kinesiology, the B.S. degrees force a more focused study of either health or kinesiology (exercise science), and the B.A. forces a broader study (of both health and kinesiology), as well as allowing more flexibility than the B.S. curricula in terms of elective hours. In practice, the curricula of the B.A. degree and either of the two B.S. degrees can be nearly identical or they can be very different, depending on choices of elective courses.

4. Q. Is the name of the degree important?

A. No, with very few exceptions. Nearly all employers and graduate and professional schools care first of all that you have a bachelor’s degree. Then, if they care about what you studied as an undergraduate, they will be interested in the specific courses you completed (and your grades in those courses) rather than in the name of the degree or perhaps even the major. 

5. Q. What will I be able to do with the B.S.—Health Studies Degree after graduation?

A. This degree program develops knowledge, skills and abilities related to a wide range of health-related topics, including: diseases and their causes, distributions, risk factors, and prevention; the system of health care delivery in the United States; and health promotion and health education in the broadest sense. This program prepares for graduate or professional studies in areas such as public health, medicine, and physical therapy. It also prepares for careers related to health care and health promotion in various public and private, clinical and non-clinical settings (e.g., health education in the broadest sense, personal and community health promotion).

6. Q. What will I be able to do with the B.S.—Kinesiology Degree after graduation?

A. This degree program develops knowledge, skills and abilities related to the study of movement, with emphasis on exercise science. The teaching specialization program prepares for teaching physical education in schools (grades pre-K through 12). The nonteaching specialization prepares for graduate or professional studies in areas such as physical therapy, medicine, clinical exercise physiology and exercise sciences. It also prepares for careers in exercise-related professions, including positions in clinical (e.g., health and fitness promotion, cardiac rehabilitation) and business (e.g., health and fitness clubs, corporate fitness facilities, sport instruction and coaching) settings.

7. Q. What will I be able to do with the B.A.—Health and Kinesiology Degree after graduation?

A. This degree program provides knowledge, skills and abilities in key areas within both health and kinesiology and provides flexibility with elective courses to align the curriculum with career goals. The student may use electives for more in-depth study of health and/or kinesiology, or may choose electives from other academic areas (e.g., natural sciences, behavioral sciences, business), either as a concentrated minor field of study or in interdisciplinary fashion. Depending on electives, this degree prepares for graduate or professional studies (e.g., medicine, physical therapy, clinical exercise physiology, exercise science), or for entry positions related to exercise and fitness, health promotion, and other areas.

8. Q. I want to coach in high school; what should I major in?

A. You should major in the area in which you want to gain Texas teaching certification. And you should select a teaching area that you would enjoy teaching, and be good at teaching. The kinesiology major (i.e., B.S.-Kinesiology Degree with Teaching Specialization) leads to “all-level” certification to teach physical education. If you want to teach history, for example, you should major in history; to teach math, you should major in math; and so on. In Texas, there are no specific academic requirements to be a high school (or middle school) coach, although many Health and Kinesiology courses would enhance knowledge, skills and abilities related to coaching.

9. Q. If I want to be certified in two teaching fields, can I gain certification with a minor in another area?

A. This depends on the minor area, but generally no. To pursue two teaching fields while completing the bachelor’s degree usually requires having two majors (“double major”). And the second major usually requires 30-45 hours more, in addition to the requirements of the first major. Therefore, pursuing two teaching fields as part of the bachelor’s degree usually requires 2-3 additional semesters of study. An attractive alternative to this is to complete the single major with certification in one area and then pursue the second certification after completing the degree. This usually is relatively easier than double majoring.

10. Q. If I complete requirements for a bachelor’s degree in the Department of Health and Kinesiology but don’t complete the education courses required for teacher certification, can I still graduate and then do something after graduation to get certified?

A. Yes, you may graduate. In this case, there would be several alternatives for gaining teacher certification after graduation. To learn about the alternatives that would be available to you in this case, you should talk to an advisor in the Department about this, or to a certification advisor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

11. Q. I want to teach health in elementary, middle or high school; what should I major in?

A. It is possible to gain Texas teacher certification in health via the B.S.—Health Studies major, but we strongly recommend against pursuing health as the first or only area of certification. The reason for this is that very few schools in Texas hire someone just to teach health. Therefore, you would very likely not get a teaching job upon graduation. Our recommendation is to major in another area that is consistent with your interests and abilities and the first certification in that area. Then it is relatively easier to get the health (or other) certification after you have the first one.

12. Q. I want to coach in college; what should I major in?

A. Coaching in college requires that you have at least a master’s degree, and preferably with at least 18 graduate hours in an academic area. (This will qualify you for faculty status and for teaching in that area.) If you think you will be able to get a coaching position at a college immediately after graduation, without coaching at the high school level first, then you should simply select the undergraduate major that best prepares you for subsequent master’s degree study. On the other hand, if you think you will need to coach at the high school level first and later move to a college position, then you should select a major that leads to teaching certification in your area of interest and expertise.

13. Q. I want to go to physical therapy (PT) school; what should I major in?

A. All physical therapy programs are graduate programs; most are two-year master’s degree programs, although some are changing to entry-level doctoral programs. Nearly all of these require entrants to have a bachelor’s degree; a few admit students who have not completed the bachelor’s degree, but they must have completed a certain number of undergraduate hours. You may major in anything you want and be a pre-PT student. PT schools don’t require any particular majors, but they do have prerequisite courses that you must have completed to be eligible for admission. So, regardless of what you major in as a pre-PT student, you must complete all prerequisite courses of the PT school(s) you hope to attend. Almost certainly you will have to take some extra courses that do not fit into the specific undergraduate degree plan. If you are thinking about PT school, as early as possible you should check the prerequisites of at least two or three PT schools you might like to attend, to be sure you include these in your curriculum. Any of the three bachelor’s degrees in the Department of Health and Kinesiology are suitable for a pre-PT student. The B.A. – Health and Kinesiology is best in terms of accommodating the extra courses required for admission to PT school.

14. Q. I want to go to medical school; what should I major in?

A. You may major in anything you want and be a pre-med student. Medical schools don’t require any particular majors, but they do have prerequisite courses that you must have completed to be eligible for admission. So, regardless of what you major in as a pre-med student, you must complete all prerequisite courses of the medical school(s) you hope to attend. Almost certainly you will have to take some extra courses that do not fit into the specific undergraduate degree plan. If you are thinking about medical school, as early as possible you should check the prerequisites of at least two or three med schools you might like to attend, to be sure you include these in your curriculum. Any of the three bachelor’s degrees in the Department of Health and Kinesiology are suitable for a pre-med student. The B.A. – Health and Kinesiology is best in terms of accommodating the extra courses required for admission to med school.

15. Q. If I start a degree program as a freshman, can I finish the program in 4 years?

A. It is possible to finish an entire major curriculum in the Department of Health and Kinesiology in eight “long” semesters (i.e., fall and spring semesters), but to do so requires heavy loads (e.g., 16-18 hours) every semester. For many students this is not advisable. A more advisable strategy for finishing in 4 years would be to take courses during the summer. Just one or two courses each summer would make the academic load during the long semesters much more manageable.

16. Q. How can I get a degree in the Department of Health and Kinesiology the fastest?

A. We don’t like to hear this question, since it seems to detract from emphasis on learning. Nevertheless, we hear it quite often, and realize that there can be legitimate reasons for needing to graduate as quickly as possible. For a student just starting college, with no previous college credit, the three majors in the Department of Health and Kinesiology take almost identical times to complete (i.e., they require similar total hours of credit). For students with significant numbers of transfer hours, and especially with upper-division transfer hours, generally the B.A.—Health and Kinesiology major can be completed most quickly.