5 Reasons to Study Kinesiology at Capilano University

Small classes, professional connections, hands-on experience, and a strong sense of service can help students build a rewarding career in health and movement.

Improving somebody's physical health and overall quality of life can be an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling career. Capilano University can make that a reality through our Kinesiology program, covering physiology, biomechanics, active health, human anatomy, human behaviour, exercise psychology, leadership, and health policy. You can graduate with a versatile skill set integrating theory, research methods, data analysis, professional ethics, and field studies. With all this, you'll graduate job-ready and able to make a positive impact on the health of your community and the world around you.

1. Small classes with experienced instructors

In the first two years, you'll learn in small classes of up to 35 students under instructors with years of professional experience. You can easily seek their mentorship and support to navigate the program confidently.

Emma Russell, coordinator for the School of Kinesiology, credits its success to the instructors' connection with their students. "Our team supports our students in the best way we can to help them reach their goals and find their own success."

For the Bachelor's program alum Samantha Doyle, "Small classes facilitate an intimate learning environment. Faculty care about you as a person and a student. They create a safe environment for students to voice their opinions and concerns and are open to feedback."

2. Develop your professional skills and contacts

By your second year, the last year for the diploma-level degree, you can develop your professional network and essential professional skills. Through a career seminar, you can meet professionals in physical performance, health, and wellness, while taking courses to develop your public speaking and presentation skills, critical for continuing education and certification.

For Indigenous alum April Newman, owner of Break the Chain Fitness, "CapU allowed me to grow and believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself."

She was able to "break past that barrier of beliefs about what an Indigenous person lives like," and she now wants "to shift the way we think about life in general, fitness and culturally diverse businesses."

3. Get your foot in the door

If you decide to continue into the bachelor's-level degree by your second year, you'll also gain work experience, preparing you for the industry. Through work-integrated learning and placement opportunities, you'll see and learn for yourself how practitioners work and the treatment methods they use.

The program prepared Doyle for her master's at UBC. "It changed the way I see learning," she shares. "If I had not had all the preparation and support, I would have felt completely lost, become severely burnt out, and I likely would not have had the success that I did."

4. Find your interest

You can also expand your knowledge through further concentrations in exercise science and health promotion, available as advanced courses where your instructors support you.

It allowed Doyle to "help individuals from a more holistic perspective," and as an "occupational therapist, I hope to help patients navigate their health issues in a way that makes life accessible and brings joy back into their lives."

As a bachelor's degree alum, Thomas Kavan now enjoys as a practitioner how "physiotherapy attempts to achieve through evidence-based practice, advocacy for movement and empowerment through education."

He aspires to "create an environment where anyone, regardless of gender, religious beliefs or ethnicity, feels safe and heard through continuing education, open-mindedness and advocacy."

5. A sense of service and community

Studying Kinesiology overall can foster your ability to make a meaningful impact on people's lives as a healthcare provider.

It instilled in Bachelor alum Reyjohn Fortaleza, "the values of humility and compassion that I carry daily as a practicing kinesiologist working within an occupational rehabilitation program with CBI Health."

Alum Nicole Elie-Rodgers, meanwhile, "gained the ability to critically assess information and apply it to real-world contexts," calling them "invaluable in my current career."

Interested? Visit the School of Kinesiology for an overview and to learn how to apply now. We also post information sessions about the offered programs on the CapU Events page, where we go into greater detail and answer any specific questions you may have.