Health and Human Kinetics Majors

About the Majors

The three Health and Human Kinetics majors prepare you for careers in a growing field promoting individual and public health.

To become a health and human kinetics expert, it's essential that learning takes place in the field. The real-world application of knowledge that defines The OWU Connection is vital to preparing you for a flourishing HHK career. At OWU, you master the theories of your field when you apply them to your life and to the lives of others. Opportunities such as hands-on coursework, field experience, travel-learning, and internships are built into the curriculum, and they start from your very first semester.

Students in Health and Human Kinetics select from three options:

  • Health and Human Kinetics, General: The General major prepares you for a variety of options within the field and allows for an integrative approach to building a course of study. More Information
  • Exercise Science: This major prepares you for advanced study in the fields of health and fitness training, exercise physiology, athletic training, biomechanics, sport psychology, and allied health professions like physical therapy, occupational therapy, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant. More Information
  • Sports and Exercise Management: With courses in business and economics, this major prepares you for opportunities in a variety of fields that combine physical/sport activity with areas such as sport management, marketing, and retail fitness. More Information

Related Minors

Think Big

Undergraduate research, performed under the mentorship of expert faculty, is a central component of The OWU Connection.

A Theory-to-Practice Grant could fund your original research, internship, or creative project throughout the world.

Theory-to-Practice Grants Research & Independent Study

Shoulder Strength Research Published

Three 2020 graduates and member of the varsity swim team–Morgan Barnard, Tyler Mansfield (pictured), and Liz Mayio–with Professor Andrew Busch, researched gender differences in shoulder strength and range of motion. In July 2020, their research was published in peer-reviewed Sport Journal, published by the U.S. Sports Academy in Alabama.

Yoga & Youth Anxiety

Exercise Science major Emily Sheridan '21 worked with two faculty members on a research project to examine the effectiveness of yoga in reducing anxiety in children and adolescents.

Do athletes slump at season's end?

Exercise Science major Jacqueline Feliciano '18 studied muscle imbalances and performance changes over the course of a field hockey season. She worked with faculty member Andrew Bush on the project. After graduating, Jacqueline moved on to the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Ohio University.

Examining ACL Timetables

Working with faculty mentor Andrew Busch, Cassandra Oberle '18 conducted a research project testing leg strength and power in athletes with and without ACL reconstruction to better determine when athletes should return to training and competition.

Go Global

From your first year on campus, you can get off campus with Travel-Learning Courses, a key part of The OWU Connection. Journey to a distant land and immerse yourself in another culture. Learn how classroom theory truly connects with real-world experience.

The most recent Travel-Learning Courses in the department have taken students to Italy for studies of obesity, food philosophies, and traditions.

Travel-Learning Courses

Labeling Allergens in the U.K.

HHK major Sarah Sewell-Conley '23 (right), with fellow students Karli Walsh '24 and Kolby Brock '23, traveled to London to research and compare food allergen regulations in the United Kingdom and the United States. The travel-learning experience was led by Professor Franchesca Nestor using an OWU Connection grant that grew out of her fall 2021 Food Politics and Policy class.

Food in Italy

Ohio Wesleyan University professor Chris Fink and Professor Lix Nix and their students during a travel-learning experience in Italy.

Australian Sports

A group of five OWU students and faculty member Richard Hawes used an OWU Connection Grant to travel to the Australian Institute of Sport, renowned for its research to enhance athletic performance, fitness, and health.

Get Real

Build your experience and connections to the professional world with internships with health and exercise centers, professional sports teams, community agencies, and businesses.

Every HHK major completes a 120-hour internship during their junior or senior year.

Internships

NYU Sports Information Internship

During an internship in the Athletic Communications Office at New York University, Sports Management and Communication major Michaela Alfano '25 wrote post-game stories and did other communications work at NYU women's volleyball, women's and men's soccer, and women's and men's basketball events. She plans to pursue a career in the professional sports sector.

Columbus Clippers Promo Team Intern

Will Cousino '19, Sports and Exercise Management major, completed a nine-month internship with the Columbus Clippers.

On the Rise

Sports & Exercise Management and Business Administration major Zack Katona '17 used his experience completing a summer internship in New York City to help develop a new product called Rise for the dietary supplement market.

Do Good

Students across OWU care deeply about making the world a better place. Through the OWU Connection, students participate in community service projects in central Ohio and around the world. Spring break service teams take on projects across the country, and other groups and individuals use OWU Connection Grants to connect their classroom learning with hands-on service.

OWU's Health & Human Kinetics Department operates the Cooking Matters program, where students learn about preparing nutritious meals on a budget, and then teach classes on the topic in the community.

Community Service Learning Spring Break Service Week

Fighting Food Insecurity

OWU's Cooking Matters program works to address community food insecurity issues. In the photo, Carlos Jackson '17 helps teach a class on preparing nutritious meals on a budget.

Healthy Meals, Healthy Communities

Lauren Mussenden '22 and Leigh Stavar '22 interned with the Cooking Matters program that shows people how to make healthy meals on a budget. Their work included making Foodie Friday videos.

Watch the Video

Inspired Teaching

OWU faculty are outstanding scholars and researchers—and passionate teachers. They will push you, challenge you, inspire you, and work with you on your own research and creative projects.

They can even pack a 3-minute lecture with ideas, insight, and imagination. Check out our unique I³ lectures.

i³ Lectures

Dr. Andrew Busch

Movement = Medicine

Watch the Video

Hands-On Learning

Hands-On Learning

In classes like Cardiovascular and Flexibility Training, you'll apply fundamental theories to your own fitness level as you fully learn about techniques that you'll soon be teaching.

Classroom Learning

Internships

As a junior or senior you will complete a 120-hour internship in your chosen area of concentration. You will experience the effort and responsibility that comes with your potential career.

Field Experience

In courses like Motor Learning and Exercise Prescription, you'll learn to prescribe exercise regimens and nutritional plans for adults. You will go through the same process you would in your professional career — plan, teach, observe, and make decisions to positively impact the health of each individual.

Graduate Outcomes

Dr. Emily Sheridan '21

Emily majored in HHK Exercise Science at OWU. Emily was accepted into the Doctorate Program at The Ohio State University Division of Occupational Therapy in the fall of 2021 where her journey started. Emily has completed her dissertation titled "A Mindful Moment: Effects of Mindfulness on Preschooler Executive Function Skills" and is now officially Dr. Emily Sheridan!

Physical Therapy

Many of our graduates pursue careers in physical therapy. Jenna Bialik '09 earned her doctorate from Duke University and is now a licensed physical therapist in San Francisco. Josh Gardner '11 is an LPT in Westerville, OH. Jessie Huschart '13 is a physical therapy doctoral student at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Education Career

Graduate Patrick Trenor, physical education teacher and coach at Urbana High School, says: "I was lucky to have a great group of professors who really cared about my individual success and were mentors to me throughout my four years at OWU."

Graduate Study

Recent Health Promotion graduates have earned graduate degrees in areas such as Public Health, Exercise Physiology, and Nutritional Sciences at schools such as American University, Ohio University, and the University of Connecticut. Exercise Science graduate Grant Geib '09 earned his master's in kinesiology from the University of Tennessee and is now Director of Strength and Conditioning for Western Michigan University Football. He says: "When I got to graduate school and started coaching, I already had years of practice leading up to it. The real-world application of the OWU program gave me a head start."

Sports Management

Recent graduates have begun careers in sport management and coaching with the Cleveland Indians, George Washington University Athletic Department, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduating in 2014 Cassie Fowler joined the famed Durham Bulls Baseball Club in Durham, N.C., and is now assistant manager of group sales.

Headlines

More News Headlines

A Look at Health & Human Kinetics

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Student Athlete Jerry Harper

Student Athlete Jerry Harper

Hands-on learning

Hands-on learning

Enjoy small classes in HHK.

Enjoy small classes in HHK.

Sarah Fowler— Exercise Science major Sarah Fowler '17 talks about her OWU experience in the classroom and as an All-American in Cross Country and Track.

Sarah Fowler

Exercise Science major Sarah Fowler '17 talks about her OWU experience in the classroom and as an All-American in Cross Country and Track.

Department Contact Info

Location

Edwards Gymnasium
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH 43015
P 740-368-3725

HHK Department Contact

Department Chair: Andrew Busch
Assistant Professor of Health and Human Kinetics
Edwards Gymnasium 107-C
614-783-6917
ambusch@owu.edu

Academic Assistant: Wendi Kay
Edwards Gymnasium #107-A
740-368-3982
wwkay@owu.edu