Graduate Students | Kinesiology | Applied Health Sciences

The Kinesiology program at the University of Waterloo is a fully accredited Kinesiology program.

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Kinesiology Graduate Student Association

The Department of Kinesiology is the first and now one of the most established departments of its kind in North America. Our mission statement is, "to optimize health, to prevent injury and illness, and to extend the years of high quality life through understanding cellular to societal implications of physical activity, nutrition and lifestyle". The Department offers an undergraduate program leading to an Honours Bachelor of Science degree and a graduate program leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science.

Our graduate program, recognized and respected nationally and internationally, gives you the opportunity to conduct original research, complemented by teaching experience, and helps prepare you for interesting movement science careers in a wide range of fields. Your course work and research is focused in one of three areas of Kinesiology: biomechanics, neuroscience or physiology. Not only will you become an expert in your particular area, you will gain an understanding of how your particular area of research impacts other aspects of human movement.

Kinesiology is the Scientific Study of Human Movement: The study of human movement, from basic issues to applied aspects, is carried out from a variety of perspectives. The research ranges from cellular work, examining systems that support and cause movements, to exploring movement behaviour in society. Our Department is broadly organized into four groups: biomechanics, neuroscience, work and health, and physiology, with extensive collaboration among faculty members on many research issues that require interdisciplinary effort. Students from diverse backgrounds apply their knowledge to the study of human movement. If you have training in the physical or biological sciences, engineering, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, psychology or related field, you can apply your background to the scientific study of human movement. Our program will advance your knowledge in the field of human movement and develop your expertise to address issues and solve human movement problems using an interdisciplinary approach.

Research and Graduate Student Research is Conducted in Established Lab Facilities: Established laboratories with the Department of Kinesiology house the ongoing research programs. These laboratories are among the finest in North America and contain state of the art equipment for graduate student and faculty research. Annually, our Professors are awarded in excess of $2.5 million for their research programs, from different agencies including NSERC, CIHR, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Diabetes Association, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and The Canadian Space Agency. In addition, contracts with various corporations (e.g., GM, Woodbridge Group) have also provided research support. As a graduate student you are assured of having access to the best Kinesiology laboratories and research funding to support your research expenses.

Access to Cadaveric Materials in the School of Human Anatomy Can Enhance and Guide Your Research: We are one of the only non-medical programs in Canada with a School of Human Anatomy. If your research requires a thorough understanding of human anatomy you can access dissected cadaveric materials, prepared specimens and skeletons through the school. Technical experts and an up-to-date workshop facility can help you design and fabricate research equipment in-house. Technical experts are available to help you understand how equipment functions and how it can help you with your research. They utilize an in-house 50 square meter (450 square feet) workshop facility to service existing equipment, build new equipment or modify and adapt equipment to suit your specific research needs.