Concentrations

Students in our Kinesiology and Physical Education major can choose from four concentrations or specialized pathways: Exercise Science, Exercise Science (Pre-Athletic Training), Health and Physical Education, and Outdoor Leadership. No matter what track they choose, students in the Kinesiology and Physical Education major enjoy a combination of classroom and hands-on learning through laboratories, internships or student-teaching experience.

Exercise Science

The Exercise Science concentration focuses on the science of human movement, preparing graduates for a variety of careers in settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, sports medicine and business. Students use state-of-the-art metabolic and bio-mechanical analysis systems to develop their understanding of human capacity for movement and work. They practice with the latest applications and modalities for injury evaluation and rehabilitation. In a number of applied settings, students work a wide variety of age groups and physical abilities gaining valuable hands-on experience. We also offer a minor in Exercise Science.

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Allie Hull:

My name is Allie Hull. I’m from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I am majoring in kinesiology, specifically concentrating in exercise science, and I also have a minor in business administration. I chose this major because I really love the health science aspect of kinesiology, dealing with the medical physiology and anatomy of the human body. But I also love the communication of business, and I hope to marry both of those.

I knew I was never going to work a 9-to-5 desk job. I just loved being social and being able to have two areas of life that I really love come together, such as kinesiology and business was something really important to me.

My major feels like a family. I’ve had the same professors since freshman year, and they’ve been nothing but supportive and welcoming for me and all of my questions. I was a little confused when I first came into my scheduling and I learned that I had to take chemistry and physics. And to myself originally, I may have thought, “Oh, this might be not as important.” Really, it’s the underlying concept of the entire human body, which is something you need to know when you’re getting into professions like these. I want to marry the concepts of business and kinesiology with the medical and pharmaceutical sales because I want people to have a higher understanding of what the medical device is actually doing within the body.

We are here at the Rec Center which is a spot on campus that you can enjoy a ton of workouts and as well as fitness classes. You take what you learn from class and you bring it into facilities such as the gym and people are able to become personal trainers and they’re able to use what they learn in class on actual clients and get full-time experience in the real world. I do fitness classes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. And it’s a great way to take what you learn about exercise and how the muscle reacts to exercise and use it in your day-to-day life to create a healthy balance. And as you can see, this is actually my adviser that we’ve just run into in the gym.

This is our pool area, which you’ll take a couple of your classes, but specifically adapted physical education, where you’ll work with clients on motor skills dealing with pool and land use. This is our home base, Lentil Hall. Let’s go take a look inside.

This is one of our gyms we have in our Lentil Hall building. We use this for methods of physical teaching and working on motor skills and how to build lesson plans. Another facility that we have in Lentil Hall, this is where your first KPE class will be, KPE23. You have all the materials that you need here to build lesson plans and learn how the body works with exercise.

I hope you guys enjoyed my view on the exercise science major. I really love it here. It gives so many possibilities for you to do things with an internship included. Everyone in this university and specifically this major wants you to excel.is, ullamcorper non urna eu, convallis dapibus purus.

Pre-Athletic Training

The Exercise Science (Pre-Athletic Training) concentration is a pathway for students interested in the growing allied health field of athletic training, which requires a master’s degree. Athletic trainers are certified medical professionals who specialize in the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of emergent, acute or chronic injuries and medical conditions. Students who choose this track earn both their undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education and their Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT) from UMaine. This innovative 3+2 program allows students to start taking graduate level courses during their senior year, and become certified athletic trainers in just five years. For more information, check out our Accelerated MSAT page.

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Alysen Rieth:

I’m Allison Rereath. I am a master’s of athletic training student and I’m from Lake Havsu City, Arizona. 

The program is a lot of fun. It’s a two-year program, so you learn a lot in a really quick amount of time.

Currently, I’m in a clinical evaluation class, so I’m learning how to evaluate injuries for athletes and how to help come up with a diagnosis. So, when we send them to the doctor, there’s an idea of what’s going on. 

I learned how to do ultrasound, STEM, and all that type of stuff that’s treatments. 

So, I’ve been an athlete my whole life. I currently play softball at the University of Maine, and I really wanted to stay involved in athletics when I’m done. I love getting to help people. I love being hands-on with what I do. And I knew that an office job really wasn’t for me. 

So, you do your three years of bachelor’s in kinesiology and then you complete your two years of masters of athletic training. And then when you’re done, you’ll have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. 

We’re currently walking into the West Jordan athletic training center. This is where we do a lot of our classes. 

This is our rehab lab over here. And then as we walk through this building, it is our actual lab, athletic training. It’s a full operational athletic training center. 

We learn how to treat patients, eval patients, emergency care. So, we do splinting. We learn how to tape and do all those types of stuff in here. 

It’s definitely helpful with the DI athletic program. You’re never going to know what you’re going to see. Having access to those athletes really helps us get that hands-on experience that you don’t get in a classroom until you have someone with a torn ACL. You don’t know what it looks like or what it’s going to feel like. And we’re really blessed that the athletics here allow us to work with them. 

I would love to be a Division 1 athletic trainer or something in Division 1 athletics, maybe PT school down the road. We’ll see where life takes me. 

Throughout my career, our athletic trainers have been huge. They’ve helped me rehab so many injuries and I just want to continue to give back to that community. 

The athletic training program here is great. All the faculty is great. They work with you if you’re an athlete. I mean, I’m an athlete in a master’s program. It’s not easy and they’ve worked with me the whole time. They really do want us to learn and they really do want us to get that experience. So, in two years when you graduate with your master’s degree and pass your boards, you’re ready to go to get go get a full-time job. 

It takes a lot of hard work, but it’s really really worth it. And at the end you were helping people. And if you enjoy helping people then I think it’s kind of like continue to work hard and continue to push yourself.

Health & Physical Education

The Health and Physical Education concentration builds on strong partnerships with school districts locally, statewide and beyond, allowing students to apply the knowledge, expertise and skill developed in the classroom to field experiences in a variety of schools and settings. After graduation, students are certified to teach either health or physical education in K-12 schools in Maine, and can easily apply for teaching certification in other states. Our graduates gain the knowledge and skills needed for a rich and rewarding career of engaging students, schools and communities in physical activity and healthy practices that span all ages, from young children to older adults. We are proud to say that hundreds of our former students have gone on to become longtime role models in their schools and communities. We also offer a minor in Educational Studies.

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Jeremy Miller:

Hey guys, I’m Jeremy Miller. I’m at UMaine and I am in the kinesiology program for teaching and coaching. 

I went the military track and uh found out it wasn’t quite for me. Started teaching at a YMCA and just fell in love with it.

One of the main things I would bring up when talking about the kinesiology program are the professors that you’re going to meet. We have some awesome people that really care and they’ve been really great to get me to where I am where I feel comfortable to go to a school. 

Jesse is phenomenal. Um, he will be your advisor if you are in the teaching and coaching program and he has every single one of the kids in the program and knows everyone by their full name and knows everything about you. I don’t know how he does it. And he will keep you on track. If you’re not exactly sure what classes you’ll take or what you need to take or how to stay on track, this man has got your back. 

And the ball has to go behind your head. Okay. 

When I have a kid who may be struggling and I can teach them something or I can excite them or get them into a sport or activity that they just are finding a love in that really excites me. You know, it’s trying to develop this lifelong like love for health and fitness. I think it’s just really rewarding. 

Having a little humility and understanding that I don’t know and that I can learn from these teachers really kind of opened my eyes to be able to grasp as much as I can from UMaine. 

A lot of the classes are actually a lot of fun cuz you’re going to have to learn these sports or these games so that you can bring to your PE class. So if you want to snowshoe or if you want to build snow forts or whatever it is you want to bring, especially living in Maine, that would be awesome to bring to your school. 

I think it’s a lot of this. 

This program is definitely going to take you out of your element. It did for me cuz I am definitely not a dancer, but every person you talk about for like certain classes that you are scared about typically it’s for your betterment. 

It has brought me and my classmates closer, especially this dance class to kind of just be silly and learn something new and so that we can bring more to our curriculums. 

Hopefully, I hope I can bring an environment that — at least — give kids a half an hour to an hour where they can leave their burdens at the door and know that going into Mr. Jeremy’s class and we’re going to go have some fun, learn some, and I can go to them if need be. 

So, guys, I hope this kind of gave you a look at what the kinesiology program is about. I hope it excites you and I hope it interests you. Um, please check it out. Um, come try it out and uh see what we’re all about. Thank you guys. Bye.

Outdoor Leadership

The Outdoor Leadership concentration provides students with the knowledge and tools necessary to safely and successfully lead outdoor adventures for groups of all ages in different environments and conditions. Maine’s outdoor resources serve as both classroom and teacher,  preparing those who are passionate about the outdoors for a variety of rewarding careers connecting individuals to the natural environment. Students are prepared to become licensed Registered Maine Guides, and the curriculum includes the coursework required to earn no less than four national certifications, including Wilderness First Responder and Swift Water Rescue. We also offer a minor in Outdoor Leadership [add link]. For more information about this concentration or the minor, contact Senior Lecturer and Outdoor Leadership Coordinator Lauren Jacobs.

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Carina Gatti:

Hi, my name is Karina Gaddy.

My major is kinesiology and physical education with a focus in outdoor leadership and I am from St. Paul, Minnesota. 

I am really interested in how nature affects the body and that’s specifically why I’m in outdoor leadership. I’m really interested in how outdoor education can affect you like physically and psychologically. 

I was also interested in general health and wellness, specifically kids health and wellness. 

I love that I can specialize in what I like, but also have a really broad understanding of health and wellness as a whole. 

In outdoor recreation, I’ve watched my campers grow more confident and grow into who they’re meant to be. I’ve seen them like take initiative and handle responsibility really well. And I really appreciate about that about outdoor recreation. It lets them try something new and challenge themselves. I feel like sometimes we don’t get enough of that.

The facilities that are specific to KPE that you can take advantage of are the awesome trail system behind the Rec Center. Also, there’s the incredible Stillwater River right on campus. You have the opportunity to like canoe, kayak, like paddle board like right from campus which is really special. 

Maine Bound Adventure Center is [music] the University of Maine’s Adventure Center. So, it’s a big white barn and inside that white barn is like the climbing gym and then within that center we rent out canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, climbing gear, snowshoes, skis, everything. It’s a really great resource that we have on campus. 

I would tell a 16-17 year-old that’s thinking about going to college is to pick something that makes them want to work hard and that just like lights up their brain. 

In college, I would say I know on average like 200, 300 people, which like which is like an average amount of people to know. I know one of those people from a class I took. The rest of those people I know from joining clubs and from getting involved in Maine Bound and from joining choir. Get involved and you’ll meet like-minded people. 

Kinesiology gives you the platform to become more a healthier person in every definition of the word, but to also encourage others to grow more. UMaine definitely taught me that. So, I really appreciate it and I love UMaine. Go Bears. Woo!