School of Kinesiology

 Message from the Director

 Welcome to the Bachelor of Kinesiology program! I hope you will feel  at home here. Our knowledgeable, dedicated, and personable faculty  and staff take pride in their work and are ready to provide you with  excellent opportunities for learning and personal growth. When combined with your enthusiasm for learning, curiosity, and effort, I am  confident that your undergraduate experience will be transformative and will prepare you for what lies ahead after you graduate.

As you make your way through your BKIN degree you will have many academic choices, this handbook is here to help you navigate your journey, as are our staff and your faculty advisor if you require greater clarification. The BKIN degree has very limited flexibility in course selection in the first and second years as you need a solid foundation, but in the third and fourth years you have a lot of flexibility to branch off into specific areas of kinesiology.

You can explore an academic option, including the Honours option (for students interested in gaining research experience), the CATA Accredited Athletic Therapy option, the Exercise Science & Training option, the Biology option, the Psychology option, or the Nutrition & Dietetics option. You could choose groupings of recommended courses in a particular area of the profession such as a) Teaching, Leadership & Coaching, b) Health Promotion, Wellness & Health Behaviour Change, and c) Adapted Physical Activity, which you can sample.

You are also free to select courses according to your own unique interests and goals.

As you will come to appreciate, community engagement is a core value within the School of Kinesiology. There are opportunities for experiential learning in programs led by faculty members such as S.M.I.L.E., Kinderskills, Acadia Active Aging [AAA], Acadia Cardiac Maintenance [ACM] and the Hannah Miller Memorial Hockey tournament as well as in programs offered through the Center of Lifestyle Studies (COLS) (e.g., Exercise is Medicine, Walk and Roll, Active for Life). Be sure to take advantage of one or more of these experiences during your time with us.

We aim to nurture the leaders of tomorrow by offering a rigorous and personalized educational experience that is both inclusive and supportive. I’m not going to lie, the program is going to be hard and you will be challenged, but that’s how it is for anything worthwhile. As a result, along the way you may encounter academic or personal difficulties. The School of Kinesiology and the university have supports in place to help you through—do not be too proud to use them. I encourage you to reach out to your AKS mentor, your faculty advisor, our administrative staff, me, or a university counsellor with your concerns so that we can help you find solutions to the any daunting problems that may come your way.  

The Acadia Kinesiology experience is second to none; this is a place to grow. I wish you every success, I hope you will forge fond memories of your time at Acadia University and in our program, and I hope you will be proud of the BKIN degree you came here for.

Yours in health and movement,

Darren Darren Kruisselbrink,

Ph.D. Director, School of Kinesiology