You’re ready to accelerate your life — your learning, your career, and your impact on others. At the heart of your interest in the study of human movement and well-being is a passion to serve others in body, mind, and spirit.

Earn your Master of Science in Kinesiology (MS-KIN) through PLNU’s accelerated program in just one year. The program offers a flexible course load suited to your professional and academic goals, giving you the tools you need to pursue your calling in the dynamic and growing fields of applied exercise physiology, human performance, and health interventions in clinical and non-clinical populations.

Relevant Experience

Take courses that pair a functional, applied learning approach with the latest industry research, trends, and technology, giving you the real-world experience today to fulfill your potential tomorrow.

PLNU Kinesiology Graduate Assistant and Teaching Assistant Positions

Each year, the program selects a small number of highly motivated students for various graduate assistant and teaching assistant positions. The positions range from 5-20 hours per week and compensate students with a benefit comparable to 25% - 50% of their tuition.  

Professional Preparedness

Foster relationships with industry leaders, gain exposure to internship and job opportunities, and learn from faculty and professional colleagues through a robust, flexible, and customizable curriculum.

Pursue Your Purpose

Develop a deeper understanding of how to faithfully apply your work to the wellness of the whole person — body, mind, and spirit — in the context of your particular concentration.

PLNU's MS-KIN program is designed to prepare knowledgeable and career-focused professionals for the dynamic and growing fields of clinical exercise physiology, strength and conditioning, biomechanics, sport science, and sport management. Through a robust curriculum, collaborative group work, and direct professional experiences, you’ll be equipped to integrate the current best research evidence with your professional practice to solve relevant problems for clients, athletes, patients, or businesses related to the healthcare, sport, and fitness industries.

Our 12-month hybrid program brings together some of the best experts in the areas of human physiology, biomechanics, and sport science to guide our students and help them achieve excellence in various domains of sport and human performance, from strength and conditioning and sport science to wellness and exercise physiology. Our students are exposed to first-hand on-field experience during well-structured and rigorous internships with some of Southern California's best collegiate and professional sports teams, premiere research facilities, and large health organizations. We take pride in developing some of the brightest practitioners with a well-balanced background in scholarly and practical knowledge. 

The accelerated 12-month program offers flexibility, speed, and quality, making it ideal for working professionals and recent graduates with a four-year baccalaureate degree looking to advance quickly in their career. Graduates of undergraduate kinesiology programs such as exercise science, strength and conditioning, athletic training, physical education, sport management, exercise physiology, and pre-allied health are well-situated to pursue this master’s program.

The MS-KIN curriculum includes 30-33 total units. All students in the program will complete 18 units of core courses. Upon completion, students are required to follow a 12-unit concentration in either exercise science, strength and conditioning, biomechanics, sport science, or sport management.

Program Concentrations

The curriculum for each of the concentrations within the MS-KIN intentionally aligns with national guild standards of industry-leading organizations. The Clinical Exercise Physiology curriculum is aligned with the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The Strength and Conditioning concentration is aligned with the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NCSA) standards in preparing students to sit for the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification. The Sport Science concentration aligns with the NSCA’s standards for the growing field of sport and prepares students to sit for the Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS) credential. The Biomechanics concentration aligns with the knowledge, skills, and aims of the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports (ISBS) as well as prepares students to sit for the NCSA’s CPSS credential. The sport management concentration is aligned with the standards of the North American Society for Sport Management.

Integrative Wellness

Designed to equip professionals to improve health in the U.S. through interventions in behavior change, nutrition, and physical activity. This concentration will prepare you to:

• Facilitate meaningful lifestyle changes and improved health outcomes for individuals.
• Effectively provide an integrative and holistic approach to healthcare, health education, and health promotion.
• Evaluate the influence of biopsychosocial factors on health, healing, and well-being to design lifestyle interventions to prevent and manage chronic diseases.

This program focuses on courses that pair an applied learning approach with the latest industry research and trends to give you the real-world experience today to be successful tomorrow.

Clinical Exercise Physiology

Designed for careers in exercise physiology, cardiac rehabilitation, and fitness assessment and exercise prescription, this concentration will prepare you to:

• Incorporate current best evidence and practices to make effective clinical decisions and advance scholarship in exercise science
• Collaborate with colleagues to determine health, fitness, and disease states in clients and patients to enhance care
• Create exercise interventions to prevent and treat chronic diseases

The program will prepare students as clinical exercise physiologists and cardiac rehabilitation specialists to receive the highest level of certification by the ACSM, which requires the completion of a master’s degree.

Strength and Conditioning

Point Loma Nazarene University is committed to offering the most comprehensive Graduate Program in Strength and Conditioning for students dedicated to excellence in the field of sport and human performance. The Strength and Conditioning curriculum is designed to meet the standard for accreditation under the Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education as approved by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Designed for professionals in the fields of strength and conditioning working with collegiate and professional athletes, as well as practitioners in tactical strength and conditioning, this concentration will prepare you to:

• Understand the scientific principles that underpin acute and chronic adaptations to strength training and conditioning, with a multidisciplinary approach that spans from sports biomechanics to exercise physiology
• Apply evidence-based practice in program design and periodization, including resistance training, endurance training, plyometric training, speed, power, and agility.
• Develop an interdisciplinary,  structured, and well-integrated approach for athlete testing and monitoring to manage fatigue, decrease the risk of injury,  and optimize performance

In addition to your professors, you will be instructed by industry-leading professionals in the San Diego region and have access to state-of-the-art strength and conditioning facilities to enhance their practical experience. The program will prepare students to work with college and professional athletes through a collaborative, interprofessional curriculum. Additionally, all students are trained in advanced sport testing and athlete monitoring techniques that modern performance practitioners rely on as part of their evidence-based approach to training.

Historically, our students have fared very well on the globally recognized Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam, with industry-leading pass rates. 

Sport Science

The Sport Science curriculum is designed to launch students into the field of high performance as a sport science practitioner and prepares them to pass the rigorous Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS) exam, which is a new requirement by many national and professional sporting organizations. Students will build upon their knowledge of coaching, training, and strength and conditioning skills by learning the advanced athlete monitoring and performance testing techniques that modern teams rely on. This concentration will prepare you to:

• Apply both laboratory and field-based assessment techniques in collegiate sport, professional sport, and tactical settings using the latest sport science technology.
• Integrate the latest research with a nuanced understanding of training theory to translate evidence into action in a high-performance setting.
• Learn the foundations of data science such as data handling and processing, data visualization, athlete dashboard creation, and basic coding techniques.

Students will have opportunities to learn from and work with sport scientists in the San Diego region and have access to state-of-the-art athlete testing and monitoring facilities to enhance their practical experience. The program will prepare students to work with college and professional athletes through a collaborative, interdisciplinary curriculum. Additionally, all students are trained in training theory and applied coaching techniques that the modern sport scientist must know to integrate into the high-performance environment.

Biomechanics

Designed for careers in human movement science, athlete development, and sports medicine. The curriculum will prepare students to:

• Integrate the fundamental principles of physics, mathematics, anatomy, and physiology in the comprehensive analyses of human movement in sports and clinical settings
• Apply knowledge of the ability to capture, reduce, and analyze biomechanical data to establish key kinematic, kinetic, and muscle-activation indicators of athletic performance and injury risk
• Incorporate scientific methods and data-driven outcomes to inform best practices within the context of athletic performance and injury risk
• Develop interdisciplinary approaches for performing common laboratory and field assessments to evaluate and employ emerging technologies for gathering biomechanical data that operationally define key performance indicators

Students will have the opportunity to have hands-on experience in biomechanically evaluating collegiate, amateur, and professional athletes from the local and national sports organizations. A select group of graduate students from the PLNU x Padres Biomechanics Laboratory will also participate in mobile lab studies at spring training facilities.

Sport Management

Designed for professionals in sport management, sport leadership, and sport education settings, this concentration will prepare you to:

• Master key management and leadership principles to direct sports organizations and athletic programs effectively

• Develop strategic decision-making skills while gaining at least 100 hours of relevant professional experience in the San Diego sports industry

• Effectively serve the sport and sport-education industries through faith-based ethical management principles and practices

The curriculum will highlight key management, leadership, and entrepreneurial strategies, offering courses in kinesiology and PLNU’s MBA program. The program will allow for upward mobility to teachers, athletic directors, coaches, and sport managers in their various fields.

Program Start Date(s):

• Fall 2025 — September 2, 2025

Application Deadline(s):

• Fall 2025 — August 15, 2025

If you are interested in applying to any of our Graduate Assistant (GA) or Teaching Assistant (TA) positions, please scroll to the Financial Aid & Student Support section for more information.

Start Application

The Selection Process

The educational context at PLNU will challenge you to live a full life that integrates the pursuit of knowledge with beliefs, values, and actions. While honoring diverse perspectives and beliefs, Christian values and principles are woven into the educational experience. We understand your application is not only a reflection of you as a student; it reflects you as a person. At PLNU, we holistically evaluate your academic history, work and life experience, background, and circumstances to determine admission into a graduate program. Your undergraduate GPA is an important piece of your application, but if you do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of a 3.0, you may still be eligible for admission based on your application package as well as the exceptions policy per your particular program.* Therefore, we strongly encourage you to contact your enrollment counselor, who will advise you regarding your qualifications and provide specific information about the admission-under-exceptions process.

To be admitted into PLNU's MS-KIN, you must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution, as evidenced by an official transcript from that institution indicating the completion of an undergraduate degree.

If you have any questions about your qualifications or the program in general, we encourage you to contact your enrollment counselor.

*Exceptions Policy: If you have a GPA below 3.0 in your baccalaureate degree, you will need to speak with your enrollment counselor for more information on the exceptions materials needed for your particular program.

Program Prerequisites

Please refer to the program prerequisite course descriptions below for any concentration within the MS-KIN program you may be interested in. During the application process be prepared to submit a syllabus for the each of the listed prerequisites along with your transcripts.

Application Checklist

Note: The application is completed entirely online with the exception of transcripts, which can be submitted electronically or directly to PLNU, and test scores, which should be submitted electronically.

1. Submit online application for admissions (including $50 non-refundable application fee, which is waived for PLNU alums, current or former military and their dependents, and PLNU employees).

2. Submit official transcripts with proof of earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution.* (If you are a PLNU alumnus, please notify your counselor to have your transcripts retrieved. You do not need to request transcripts from the PLNU Office of Records.)
   
   Official transcripts must be sent to:
   Point Loma Nazarene University
   Office of Graduate Admissions
   3900 Lomaland Dr.
   San Diego, CA 92106
   
   Official electronic transcripts must be emailed to:
   gradprocessing@pointloma.edu
   
   *Please note, official transcripts must be sent directly from the regionally accredited institution.

3. Submit personal essay. Specifically state how you would like to use your master’s degree from PLNU to further your career. Make sure you clearly touch on these three points:

   • Clarify what job setting you see yourself pursuing upon completing the MS-KIN and specify how this degree program will help you in that setting.

   • Describe how you will appraise, use, and integrate current evidence in kinesiology into your professional practice.

   • State how your previous education and work experiences have uniquely prepared you for success in this program.

4. Submit a resume/vita.

5. Once you have submitted your admissions application, your three selected professional recommenders will automatically be sent the auto-generated document to complete on your behalf. If you'd like to include a written letter in addition to this required document, you may do so, but it's unnecessary.

6. Ensure undergraduate course prerequisites are met:

   • Clinical Exercise Physiology Concentration: Human Anatomy and Physiology, Exercise Physiology

   • Strength and Conditioning Concentration: Human Anatomy and Physiology, Structural Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology

   • Sport Science Concentration:
   • Biomechanics Concentration: Human Anatomy and Physiology, Statistics, Physics

   • Sport Management Concentration: No prerequisite other than those required for courses offered in the Fermanian School of Business

Start Application

Graduate Assistantships and Teaching Assistant Positions:

We offer a variety of paid Graduate Assistant and Teaching Assistant positions within our Kinesiology programs.

View Available Positions

You can indicate your interest in any of the positions during the application. If you have any questions, please contact your enrollment counselor.

Admission into a distance education program offered by Point Loma Nazarene University is granted at the time of initial acceptance into the program and is dependent on authorized program availability in the state where the student is physically located at the time of admission. If a student moves to another state after admission to the program, continuation within the program will depend on whether Point Loma Nazarene University is authorized to offer distance education courses in that state and/or whether Point Loma Nazarene University meets the professional licensure requirements for a specific program in that state. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the institution of a change in his or her physical presence.

State Authorization

State authorization is a formal determination by a state that PLNU is approved to conduct activities regulated by that state. PLNU is not required to obtain state authorization in every state, and the university has opted at this time not to seek authorization in some states. Additionally, PLNU meets the criteria for exemption from authorization in certain states.

At this time, PLNU does not have authorization in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, which means residents of these states cannot enroll in any PLNU online program or course. For more information refer to our disclosures page.

Authorizations in specific states may change periodically. PLNU recommends individuals contact PLNU admissions at (800) 733-7770 for the latest information.

PLNU’s MS-KIN will prepare you for careers in education, athletics, healthcare, sports administration, business, and many other specialized fields.

Some careers that MS-KIN alumni pursue include:

Clinical Exercise Physiology

• Cardiac Rehabilitation
• Exercise Physiologist
• Physical Therapist
• Community College Professor

Strength and Conditioning

• Strength and Conditioning Coach (sport, tactical, and general populations)
• Applied Sport Scientist
• Fitness Professional
• Personal Trainer
• Gym owner or fitness entrepreneur
• Rehabilitation Specialist
• Researcher
• University Professor

Sport Science

• Strength and Conditioning Coach (sport, tactical, and general populations)
• Applied Sport Scientist
• Biomechanist
• Performance Analyst
• Ergonomist
• Researcher
• University Professor

Biomechanics

• Sport Biomechanist
• Sport Scientist
• Human Performance Lead
• Research Scientist
• Applied Data Scientist
• Gait Analysis Biomechanist
• University Professor

Sport Management

• Corporate Wellness Professional
• Athletic Director
• Sports Administrator
• Physical Education Teacher
• Head Coach
• Community College Professor

Scholarships

Scholarships ranging from $500-2500 are available to those who qualify. Please contact your Enrollment Counselor for further information.

Kinesiology Graduate Assistant and Teaching Assistant Positions are available.
 

Each year the M.S. Kinesiology program seeks highly motivated students for various graduate assistant (GA) and teaching assistant (TA) positions. Compensation for these positions is based on experience, work hours, and hourly rates. The positions range from 5-20 hours per week at a benefit comparable to 25% - 50% of tuition. 

Learn More

Questions About Financial Aid? Meet Your Advisor

If you have any questions about your student account balance, payments, financial aid, or just need to talk about all of your options, please feel free to contact your assigned student financial services advisor:

Office of Student Financial Services

For information about the courses required for the Kinesiology, M.S. program, view the PLNU Catalog. 

Course Information

Students can enroll in this online course to meet the anatomy prerequisites requirement.

Anatomy Prerequisite