Kinesiology (BSc)

For Secondary/High School applicants refer to the Faculty of Education admission requirements

For Post-Secondary applicants, admission to year 2 of the Kinesiology program is listed in the UVic Calendar under Admission Requirements. A note about the Math and the Academic Writing Requirement is below.

MATH 100 or MATH 102 or 109:

• Students with a minimum grade of 73% in Principles of Mathematics 12 or Pre-calculus 12 can take MATH 100.
• Students with a Principles of Mathematics 12 or Pre-calculus 12 can take MATH 102.
• Student with a minimum grade of 73% in Principles of Mathematics 12 or Pre-calculus 12 can take MATH 109.
• Students with only Mathematics 11 or Pre-calculus 11 must take MATH 120 before taking MATH 100 or MATH 102 or MATH 109. Students must obtain a minimum grade of C+ in MATH 120 to take MATH 100, or a minimum grade of C in MATH 120 to take MATH 102, or a minimum grade of C+ in MATH 120 to take MATH 109.

Academic Writing Requirement:

• Any 1.5 unit course that meets the Academic Writing Requirement may be used in place of ATWP 135.

Refer to our electives section for details of the approved elective structure in the Kinesiology program.

About the Kinesiology Honours program

Honours is an optional addition to an undergraduate major in Kinesiology.

The Kinesiology Honours program is intended for motivated, self-directed students who wish to engage in research during their undergraduate program. Students accepted into the program will develop competencies in reading and implementing relevant research findings, as well as, in conducting action research to enhance their knowledge of the field of kinesiology.

You can apply for admission to the Kinesiology Honours program in the third or fourth year of your Kinesiology program.

As part of the Kinesiology Honours program, you must complete an approved research methods course and a supervised research project or thesis. These requirements involve a higher standard of study than your bachelor’s degree.

If you enter the Kinesiology Honours program, Honours appears as your program type on your degree parchment and in your final transcript.

Competing the Honours program expands your inquiry, analysis and problem solving skills and enhances the impression you make on prospective employers. Completing Honours may strengthen an application to graduate school.

Eligibility for admission to Honours

To be eligible for admission to the Kinesiology Honours program:

• You must have completed or be registered in EPHE 357 or PSYC 201.
• You must have 3rd Year standing (i.e., have completed 27 or more units).
• You must have a minimum 6.5 grade point average on a minimum of 9.0 units of EPHE courses (excluding EPHE 104-137).

How to apply for admission to Honours

To apply for admission to Honours you need to email the EPHE academic adviser requesting an Honours eligibility check and Honours application form.

If you are eligible for admission to Honours (see eligibility criteria above), the EPHE academic adviser will email you an endorsed Honours application form (i.e., the EPHE academic adviser will complete Section 1 of the form).

Once you have been advised that you are eligible for admission to Honours and have received an endorsed Honours application form, you need to find an EPHE faculty member who is offering an Honours project/thesis opportunity of interest to you.

You can view a summary of the research interests of various EPHE faculty members on the school's website (NB, more detail is available by clicking on the faculty member's name).

If an EPHE faculty member agrees to supervise your Honours project/thesis, your potential supervisor needs to complete Section 2 of your Honours application form indicating their agreement to supervise you. The completed from should be returned to the EPHE academic adviser. The EPHE academic adviser will add Honours to your degree program and notify you by email that your program has been amended.

Once the EPHE academic adviser has notified you that you have been admitted to the Honours program, you and your supervisor should complete an EPHE 499 Undergraduate Pro Forma Course Registration Form. This form is used to manually register you in your EPHE 499 Honours project/thesis (NB, you cannot register in EPHE 499 yourself using the registration system).

Your completed EPHE 499 pro forma needs to be returned to the EPHE program assistant.

Your completed EPHE 499 pro forma will indicate the assessment requirements of your Honours project/thesis, as well as their respective weightings as determined by your supervisor. In most instances, the assessment requirements of a Kinesiology Honours project/thesis will include, collection of data, analysis of collected data, as well as the reporting of research findings either in written and/or presentation forms (NB, the assessment requirements of a project/thesis are determined by the supervisor and may vary depending on the project/thesis).

The EPHE program assistant will arrange for your completed EPHE 499 pro forma to be approved by the director of the School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, the dean of the faculty, and then be processed by Student Records. It can take 3-4 weeks for EPHE 499 to appear on your record as an active registration.

Non-EPHE faculty honours project/thesis supervision

In some instances, it may be possible to have a faculty member from outside of the School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education supervise your Kinesiology Honours project/thesis. In these circumstances, you still require an EPHE faculty member to act as an administrative supervisor of your project/thesis (NB, only an EPHE faculty member can submit your EPHE 499 grade).

If you are considering having a faculty member from outside of EPHE supervise your Honours project/thesis, you should discuss your intentions with the BSc (Kinesiology) program lead before approaching potential supervisors.

Changes made to your program when Honours is added

The following changes are automatically made to your degree program when Honours is added:

• EPHE 357 (1.5 units) or PSYC 201 (1.5 units) is added as a required course.
• EPHE 499 (3.0 units) is added as a required course (NB, registration in this course requires completion of an Undergraduate Pro Forma Course Registration form by you and your supervisor).
• 300- or 400-level EPHE electives are reduced by 1.5 units.
• 300- or 400-level discipline related electives are reduced by 1.5 units.

Please note that if you are using PSYC 201 in lieu of EPHE 357 in your Honours program and you are also completing the Minor in Psychology, you will need to take an additional 200-level PSYC course in place of PSYC 201 in the minor.

Graduating with a BSc (Kinesiology) Honours degree

All requirements of the BSc (Kinesiology) Honours degree should be completed within five academic years.

A Kinesiology Honours degree will be awarded to students who obtain:

• a graduating grade point average of at least 6.5;
• a grade point average of at least 5.5 for 300- and 400-level EPHE courses; and
• a grade of at least B+ in EPHE 499.

A student who achieves a grade lower than B+ in EPHE 499 will graduate under the major program, providing all other requirements for the degree are fulfilled.

Co-op provides you access to the University of Victoria's vast network of employers and job opportunities where you will alternate between academic and work-terms throughout your University career with the opportunity to try many different jobs with many different organizations. Co-op is an opportunity to start building your career while you are still a student, without significantly extending the duration of your program. You will graduate with relevant work experience, amazing contacts and strong, transferrable skills. For more detailed information visit the co-op website

Examples of Co-op testimonials are:

Michelle Cox: Co-op helps affirm physiotherapy career goals

It was a combination of things that first brought Michelle Cox to UVic. “I grew up in Port Alberni, so I chose UVic because it was a good school and fairly close to home,” she says. “I was drawn to kinesiology because I've always been involved in sports and I’m interested in human biology.”

Cox, now 23, learned about co-op during her first year when some students spoke to her class about the program. She found her first placement the summer after second year, as an outdoor recreation leader at Atlantic College in Wales. “During my first work term, I learned how to climb, belay and mountain-board and gained valuable experience working with youth with intellectual, physical and emotional disadvantages,” she says. “I also gained a lot of confidence in leading and directing groups.”

Throughout the work term, Cox put her coursework to practical use in areas like anatomy, motor learning and program planning. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience, although there were adjustments to make living overseas. “It was the longest I've ever been away from home, so I missed people, and sharing a tiny room with three other girls for three months had its challenges,” she says. “But it was worth it, for sure!”

Next, Cox worked as a physiotherapy assistant at the Canadian Back Institute in Victoria. She learned about the inner workings of a clinic while she prepped clients for treatment, helped them with exercises and administered ultrasounds and electrical stimulation.

This relevant work experience helped Cox land her most recent co-op position as a research assistant with the Institute of Applied Physical Activity and Health Research at UVic. She worked on a project called Inclusion Works! and received a Canadian Institute for Health Research grant of over $4,000. “My main project was to research, write, pilot and evaluate the first module of a physical activity and nutrition intervention program for youth with intellectual and physical disabilities,” she says.

Currently living in Bristol, England, Cox plans to have some fun before taking her next steps towards a career in physiotherapy. “I'm going to travel as much as I can before applying to do my master’s degree in physiotherapy in 2013,” says Cox. “Someday, I hope to open my own wellness centre on Vancouver Island.”

Read these additional students' experience with Co-op:

Camilla Briggs - BSc Kinesiology Co-op student.

Erik Van Waes - BSc Kinesiology Co-op student.

The overall elective structure described below applies to the most recent Kinesiology curriculum. Students following older Kinesiology curriculums should refer to their Degree Evaluation to determine their elective requirements. However, students following older Kinesiology curriculums can use elective approvals as they are listed below, even if they don't appear in the same way on their Degree Evaluation (NB, this only applies to elective courses).

If you want to use an elective course in a way that is different to how it is shown on your Degree Evaluation you need to notify the EPHE academic advisor so that they can confirm its use and ensure that it appears in the appropriate area of your Degree Evaluation (NB, manual adjustments to a Degree Evaluation are often required in these circumstances).

All students should note that while a course may be listed below as an approved elective, this does not guarantee that the course will be offered in the current or a future session. You should refer to the university timetable to identify courses that are currently being offered. The university timetable for a previous session also provides a reasonable indication of which courses, and when courses, might be offered in the future. Nonetheless, the School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education reserves the right to change the scheduling of courses based on student demand, staffing, and the availability of appropriate teaching spaces.

Electives that must be completed by BSc (Kinesiology) students include:

4.5 units of 300- or 400-level EPHE electives

Any 300- or 400-level EPHE course (excluding program requirements) for which you have the necessary prerequisites and for which there are no program restrictions, except EPHE 340, 348 and 447.

Potential selections include: EPHE 342, 346, 347, 351, 357, 358, 359, 361, 362, 442, 445, 449, 450, 451, 455, 456, 480, 482, 487 (NB, may be taken more than once for credit in different topics), 494 (NB, can be taken twice).

7.5 units of 300- or 400-level science and science designated electives

Any 300- or 400-level course offered in the following departments: Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Astronomy, except BIOL 334, 351, 359, 400, CHEM 300A, PHYS 303, PHYS 330, and courses designated for non-science students.

As well as: 

• ANTH 250, 312, 352, 358, 394, 410, 452, 484
• EPHE 357, 442, 449, 450, 455, 480, 482, 487 (Depending on the topic—see below), 494 (Depending on the topic)
• MEDS 301, 410, 433, 470, 487 (NB, Depending on the topic), 490 (NB, Depending on the topic)
• PSYC 201, 251, 300A, 300B, 317, 345A, 351A, 351B, 351C, 351D, 400A, 451B, 451C, 451D, 490 (NB, Depending on the topic)

The following EPHE 487 courses are currently approved as 300- or 400-level science electvies:

• EPHE 487 (Laboratory Techniques in Exercise Physiology)
• EPHE 487 (Issues in Nutrition for Sport)

The following EPHE 487 courses are currently NOT approved as 300- or 400-level science electvies:

• EPHE 487 (Applied Conditioning Training for Coaches)
• EPHE 487 (Yoga: In these bodies, on these lands)
• EPHE 487 (Rhythmic Movement Activities)

4.5 units of 300- or 400-level discipline-related electives

Any 300- or 400-level course offered in the Faculty of Science, except BIOL 334, 351, 359, 400, CHEM 300A, PHYS 303, PHYS 330, and courses designated for non-science students.

• Any 300- or 400-level ANTH course
• Any 300- or 400-level CSC course
• Any 300- or 400-level BME course
• Any 300- or 400-level EPHE course (excluding EPHE 340, 341, 344, 348, 355, 380, 441, 444, 447, 499)
• Any 300- or 400-level HINF course
• Any 300- or 400-level HLTH course
• Any 300- or 400-level INTS course
• Any 300- or 400-level MEDS course
• Any 300- or 400-level PSYC course
• ED-D 417
• PHIL 331
• Additional courses may be approved by the BSc (Kinesiology) Program Co-ordinator

6.0 units of 100 or above science electives

Any 100 or higher level course offered in the following departments: Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Physics and Astronomy, except BIOL 334, 351, 359, 400, CHEM 300A, PHYS 303, PHYS 330, and courses designated for non-science students.

As well as:

• ANTH 250, 312, 352, 358, 394, 410, 452, 484
• EPHE 357, 442, 449, 450, 455, 480, 482, 487 (Depending on the topic—see below), 494 (Depending on the topic)
• MEDS 301, 410, 433, 470, 487 (NB, Depending on the topic), 490 (NB, Depending on the topic)
• PSYC 201, 251, 300A, 300B, 317, 345A, 351A, 351B, 351C, 351D, 400A, 451B, 451C, 451D, 490 (NB, Depending on the topic)

The following EPHE 487 courses are currently approved as 100 or above science electvies:

• EPHE 487 (Laboratory Techniques in Exercise Physiology)
• EPHE 487 (Issues in Nutrition for Sport)

The following EPHE 487 courses are currently NOT approved as 100 or above science electvies:

• EPHE 487 (Applied Conditioning Training for Coaches)
• EPHE 487 (Yoga: In these bodies, on these lands)
• EPHE 487 (Rhythmic Movement Activities)

3.0 units of 100 or above electives

Any 100 or higher level course for which you have the necessary prerequisites and for which there are no program restrictions (NB, No more than 1.5 units of the 3.0 units of 100 or above electives can be EPHE activity courses).

Note: Students will often select their 100 or above electives with a view to meeting the prerequisites associated with their preferred 300- or 400-level science electives and/or their preferred 300- or 400-level discipline related electives.

Check the current UVic course offerings in the Academic Calendar.