Master of Science in Kinesiology
BEGINNING SPRING 2025
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Earn your Master of Science in Kinesiology
MKIN – Current Curriculum beginning Spring 2025
| Course | Suggested Term |
| EXER 510 – Human Performance and Nutrition | Spring |
| EXER 515 – Exercise, Disease, and Aging | Spring |
| EXER 520 – Advanced Laboratory Techniques | Summer |
| EXER 525 – Advanced Strength and Conditioning | Summer |
| EXER 530 – Stress, Health, and Human Performance | Summer |
| EXER 535 – Neurophysiology of Human Movement | Fall |
| EXER 540 – Research Design and Data Analysis in Exercise Science | Fall |
| EXER 545 – Environmental Exercise Physiology | Fall |
| EXER 590 – Internship | Spring II |
| EXER 599 – Thesis | Spring II |
MKIN – Course Descriptions
EXER 510. HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND NUTRITION. A lecture and laboratory class in which the principles of nutrition are applied to sports performance and exercise. The course will explore the synergy between nutrition and athletic performance according to the latest scientific findings. The course will focus primarily on the nutritional needs of athletes. The major subject areas covered in this course include: evidence-based dietary guidelines and recommendations for health and physical performance, metabolism and bioenergetics, energy release and substrate utilization, energy metabolism during exercise, fluid intake and athletic performance, nutrition for training and competition, sports specific considerations, fitness and nutrition assessment in athletes, implications of carbohydrate, protein, and fat on health and physical performance, safety and efficacy of low and high carbohydrate diets, ergogenic aids and dietary supplements and impact of macronutrient composition on body composition and weight control. On campus-Spring. 3 credits.
EXER 515. EXERCISE, DISEASE, AND AGING. This course will cover the physiological effects of exercise on a variety of conditions and diseases. Pathophysiology and therapeutic interventions of physiological and psychological diseases will be covered, in addition to, changes that accompany aging. On campus-Spring. 3 credits.
EXER 520. ADVANCED LABORATORY TECHNIQUES. This course is intended to provide a framework that will aid the graduate student in acquiring knowledge and technical laboratory skills relevant to both the exercise physiology and research profession. In satisfactorily completing this course the student is expected to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the theoretical basis and laboratory skills associated with: (1) The measurement of oxygen uptake, ventilatory threshold, blood lactate threshold, blood pressure, ratings of perceived exertion, affect, body composition (2) instrument calibration (3) maximal and submaximal exercise testing utilizing various modalities. On campus lab-Summer. 3 credits.
EXER 525. ADVANCED STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING. This course will use applied and basic approaches to focus on the muscle physiology of resistance training and both physiological and performance responses to different forms of exercise. Specifically, this class will cover bioenergetics, program design, advanced resistance training technique and analysis, as well as concepts related to physiological overload and demand. On campus lab-Summer. 3 credits.
EXER 530. STRESS, HEALTH AND HUMAN PERFOMANCE. This course will provide a deeper understanding of human biology and specifically how various forms of hormetic stress can be leveraged to optimize our health and human performance potential. These include carbon dioxide tolerance, altitude, temperature, light exposure, caloric restriction and others. Students will gain a greater understanding of how these stressors affect our biology and how we can harness these to improve health and performance outcomes through classroom lecture as well as hands-on experiential learning. On campus lab-Summer. 3 credits.
EXER 535. NEUROPHYSIOLOGY OF HUMAN MOVEMENT. This course will examine initiation and control of movement from the nervous system to skeletal muscles. Special emphasis will focus on the role of the nervous system in controlling movement throughout the lifespan. Topics that will be covered include anatomy of the nervous system, physiology of movement, and neurological movement disorders. In addition, the effects of central nervous and muscular fatigue on movement and performance will be discussed. On campus-Fall. 3 credits.
EXER 540. RESEARCH DESIGN AND DATA ANALYSIS IN EXERCISE SCIENCE. This course will teach the student how to design, evaluate, and produce research in kinesiology and will develop the student’s capacity to think critically and analyze research problems. The purpose of the course is for the students to acquire knowledge and skills to analyze and understand research data within the field of exercise science. As a result, students should be able to: (1) differentiate among the diverse types of research, (2) read and understand published research, (3) choose an appropriate research design to answer specific questions, (4) develop a research proposal, and (5) accurately analyze data with appropriate statistical techniques. Course content includes introduction to research, experimental research design, measurement issues in research, introduction to statistics, and common statistical analysis procedures. On campus-Fall. 3 credits.
EXER 545. ENVIRONMENTAL EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY. This course will focus on the physiological adaptations of humans in extreme environments, both at rest and during exercise. Specifically, this class will cover heat/humidity, cool water and air environments, and altitude exposure in addition to pre- and post-exercise environmental exposure effects on sports performance recovery. Additionally, methods of altering physiological predisposition to tolerance under environmental stress will be examined. On campus-Fall. 3 credits.
EXER 590. INTERNSHIP. This course is designed to provide students with practical experience within public or private organizations. Students will coordinate their course work acquired at Grove City College with exercise science-specific field experience. The internship experience will be supervised by a member of the Exercise Science Department. Spring II. 9 credits.
EXER 599. THESIS. This course will require students to complete an independent research project. Students will be required to submit a written and oral defense of their project. This course will require students to collect data on their proposed project, perform data analysis, and compose a manuscript that can be utilized for presentation at a national scientific conference and/or journal publication. Students choosing the thesis option will be required to submit a final thesis on a topic of their choice that must be approved by a faculty advisor. Students will be advised to work with a faculty advisor whose area of expertise aligns with their thesis/research interest by the time they have completed 18 credits in the program. The thesis must be a study of publishable quality; students in this option will be encouraged and provided with appropriate support to submit their project for publication in a refereed journal. The final thesis will be read by the faculty advisor and a second approved reader. Students will submit two copies of the thesis approved by the faculty advisor—one in electronic format and one in print. Spring II. 9 credits.
The MKIN curriculum was developed with the career-focused, adult learner in mind. It offers full-time options and personalized attention. For more information on the MKIN, email GraduatePrograms@gcc.edu.
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