1. School of Kinesiology
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  3. Career Opportunities

Career Opportunities

Explore kinesiology careers in exercise science, teaching, health promotion, athletic training, and sport management, plus internships at UL Lafayette.

A kinesiology degree opens doors in health care, fitness, education, and sports. Our graduates work in Acadiana's regional hospitals, physical therapy and occupational therapy clinics, fitness and wellness centers, Miles Perret Cancer Services, and more. Many go on to graduate programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, and athletic training.

What Can I Do With a Kinesiology Degree?

  • Become an athletic trainer
  • Work in corporate wellness
  • Teach health and physical education
  • Manage and market sport and recreation facilities
  • Become a strength and conditioning coach
  • Work in pharmaceutical or medical device sales
  • Apply to graduate programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, and more

Whichever concentration you choose, our faculty will help you develop critical thinking skills, market yourself to employers and graduate programs, and become a leader.

Careers by Program

Prepare for careers in strength and conditioning, hospital-based wellness, and corporate and commercial fitness.

Build the science foundation for graduate and professional programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, physician assistant studies, chiropractic, and medicine.

Graduates who complete all requirements are certified to teach health and physical education in grades K-12 at public and private schools in Louisiana, and many also coach. Other states set their own teaching requirements, but our graduates will have passed the Praxis, the national teacher examination, which can help them meet certification requirements in many states.

Work in health education departments, health and wellness centers, and community health. Graduates are prepared to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam. Roles include:

  • Health educator
  • Community health worker
  • Program coordinator
  • Anti-tobacco advocate
  • Early childhood educator
  • Safety manager
  • Fitness trainer

Graduate with the prerequisites for a CAATE-accredited Master of Science in Athletic Training program. After earning that master's degree and Board of Certification (BOC) certification, athletic trainers work in collegiate athletics, professional sports, middle and high school athletics, hospitals and clinics, industrial settings, performing arts, public safety, the military, and occupational health.

Sport management specialists manage recreation and sport facilities, plan indoor and outdoor recreation activities, and develop recreation and sport programs for youth and adults in for-profit, nonprofit, and health care settings. Graduates manage collegiate sport and recreation, professional sport, and sport media.

Every sport management job involves the business side of sport. Depending on the organization and your level, you might work on special event promotions and sponsorships, ticketing and financial operations, risk management and legal issues in sport, facility and event management, sport broadcasting and media relations, or sales of sporting goods and licensed products. Many roles include night and weekend hours.

Roles include:

  • Athletic director
  • Athletic business manager
  • Compliance director
  • Corporate partnership coordinator
  • Corporate sales director
  • Director of ticketing and finance
  • Event coordinator or sports event planner
  • Facilities coordinator or manager
  • Fitness manager
  • Guest experience coordinator
  • Intramural director of campus recreation
  • Marketing and promotions director
  • Program director for community sport programs
  • Sporting goods sales representative
  • Sports marketing specialist
  • Student-athlete academic services

Employers include sports marketing agencies, sport media, governing bodies such as the NCAA and national sport federations, the Olympic movement, sports equipment companies, stadiums and arenas, facility planning firms, and government agencies. UL Lafayette is also the official higher education partner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.

  • M.S. in Athletic Training: Prepare for the BOC exam and a career as a certified athletic trainer in schools, clinics, colleges, professional sports, and industry.
  • M.S. in Kinesiology, Exercise and Sport Science: Corporate health and wellness counseling, clinical and hospital-based wellness, commercial fitness, strength and conditioning or sport coaching, and biomedical or sport science research.
  • M.S. in Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Wellness: Nonprofit organization management and corporate health management.
  • M.S. in Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Management: Public recreation management, sport and event management, and athletic department management.

Explore Graduate Programs

Internships

Your internship is the capstone of your kinesiology degree: a professional, directly supervised, hands-on experience where you apply what you've learned in classes and labs.

  • Exercise science, pre-athletic training, and sport management: Complete at least a 3-credit-hour internship in your last semester.
  • Health promotion and wellness: Complete a 6-credit-hour internship, or a 9-credit-hour internship or capstone project, in your last semester.
  • Health and PE Grades K-12: Complete a yearlong teacher residency in area schools instead.

You choose where to complete your internship, and we encourage you to look for sites throughout the state. Talk with your advisor early, and contact the School of Kinesiology office at 337-482-6615 with internship questions.

Kinesiology students have gained experience with partners including:

  • 232 HELP
  • Acadiana Cane Cutters
  • Acadiana Cares
  • Acadiana Companies
  • Acadiana Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine
  • American Cancer Society
  • American Heart Association
  • Anytime Fitness
  • Athletic Lab (North Carolina)
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters
  • Boulet Physical Therapy and Wellness Institute
  • Cardiovascular Institute of the South
  • Catalyst Recovery of Louisiana
  • City Club at River Ranch
  • Crouch Foundation
  • Daly Chiropractic and Wellness Center
  • Faith House
  • Family Violence Intervention Program
  • Focus Safety
  • Girls on the Run South Louisiana
  • Gladiators Academy of Lafayette
  • Gulf Regional Occupational Medicine Center
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Healing House
  • Hearts of Hope
  • Helping Hands Therapy Inc.
  • In Balance Pilates Studio
  • J. Caswell Enterprises, LLC
  • Komen Acadiana
  • LaBorde Occupational and Physical Therapy Center
  • Lafayette Christian Academy
  • Lafayette Community Care Clinic
  • Lafayette General Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation
  • Lafayette Physical Rehabilitation Hospital
  • LGMC Wellness Center
  • Louisiana Ice Gators
  • Louisiana Orthopaedic Specialists
  • March of Dimes
  • McLeod Trahan and Sheffield Physical Therapy Services
  • Miles Perret Cancer Services
  • Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy
  • Our Lady of Lourdes
  • Our Lady of Wisdom
  • Pediatric Therapy and Learning Center
  • Physical Therapy Advantage
  • Physical Therapy South
  • Physical Therapy Works
  • Picard Center
  • Pro-Fit Training
  • Ragin' CrossFit
  • Red Lerille's Health and Racquet Club
  • Rosewood Rehabilitation
  • Safety Management Systems
  • Saint Joseph Hospice of Acadiana
  • Snap Fitness
  • Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center (SWLAHEC)
  • Special Olympics
  • St. Thomas More High School
  • Sterling Wellness
  • Stone Energy
  • Stuller Settings
  • Teurlings Catholic High School
  • The Family Tree
  • The Fontana Center
  • The Little Gym
  • UL Lafayette Athletics
  • UL Lafayette Rec Sports and Fitness Center
  • United Way of Acadiana
  • Westminster Christian Academy
  • Women and Children's Hospital
  • Women's Foundation Community Education Department
  • Women's Foundation Continuing Medical Education Department

Get Career-Ready