About Us
Recognizing that physical activity is vital for all people, the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Georgia State University seeks to:
- Discover new knowledge and advance the understanding of the role of physical activity in attaining optimal health and well-being
- Educate members of society and prepare future professionals
- Promote healthy lifestyles through life-long activity and learning
The department serves over 1000 graduate and undergraduate students annually and has a reputation for excellent teaching with a diverse student body. The department supports state-of-the-art research and teaching laboratories in applied physiology, muscle biology, musculoskeletal injury, biomechanics and ergonomics, sport business and physical education pedagogy. In addition, many faculty are influential members of their respective national and international organizations.
Students interested in careers in public school teaching should refer to the programs in health and physical education. If you are interested in a career in fitness, wellness or cardiac rehabilitation refer to the programs in exercise science. Students interested in a career in the sports industry, should refer to the sports administration program.
Doctoral programs are available for future students who already hold a master’s degree or equivalent and are interested in advanced training for teaching and research in sport science, Physical Education Teacher Education, or Sport Administration.
Explore Our Department
NOTE FROM THE CHAIR
This year has been different from other years in that the Department of Kinesiology and Health has faced numerous new challenges and opportunities due to the coronavirus pandemic, social disturbances related to ethnic and racial injustice, a leadership change and the presidential election. These changes altered lifestyles and the physical and mental health of many of our students, staff and faculty. We spent considerable time and effort adapting our methods of course delivery and had research projects temporarily halted while dealing with the uncertainty
of whether our modes of operation would be the same the next week.
Faced with these obstacles, our department has moved forward, been productive with scholarship and research initiatives and made itself available for our students. Many of
our research activities have provided guidance for our students preparing to be teachers and for teachers currently in the field. Assistant Professor Chad Killian provided timely expert advice in an interview with the American Kinesiology Association’s Kinesiology Today journal about virtual physical education. This is an important process as social distancing does
not allow students to get physically close.
We can be proud of how our students and faculty have responded during this difficult time. With minimal complaining, everyone has recognized that we are working with a “new normal”
and have become team players. The Department of Kinesiology and Health has come to realize that “success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no less enthusiasm.” Our
students are still learning, our staff is still working and our faculty is still performing at a high level. We have learned “to let our hopes and not our
hurts determine who we are and our future.” We have come to understand that “broken crayons still color.”
We appreciate our alumni and we ask for your continued support as we go through this pandemic crisis. Also, special thanks to Clinical Instructor Courtney Strosnider for her
excellent work with our newsletter.
Jerry Brandon, Ph.D.,
Professor and Chair