Exercise Science/Pre-Occupational Therapy

BS in Kinesiology

Want to become an occupational therapist, someone who helps people develop, regain, or maintain the skills needed to perform activities for daily living? TWU’s BS in Kinesiology focusing on Exercise Science/Pre-Occupational Therapy will prepare you for this exciting and rewarding career path. This track includes a unique blend of coursework in exercise science and health promotion providing you with a well-rounded preparation for occupational therapy programs. As a culminating experience, you will complete an internship focused on cardiac rehabilitation or corporate fitness.

In addition to your kinesiology and health promotion courses, you will take a specific set of prerequisite courses designed for those who want to enter the occupational therapy profession. Completion of this degree qualifies you for Alumni Advantage applicant status with the TWU Doctor of Occupational Therapy (entry-level) program.   

Careers & Salaries

You will need to earn at least a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy and obtain state licensure to become a practicing occupational therapist. TWU offers the entry-level Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree. TWU is consistently ranked in the top 5% of all occupational therapy programs.

As an occupational therapist, you can improve the lives of your clients by helping them to develop, restore, and improve the skills necessary to complete activities of daily living. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a median annual income for occupational therapists is $96,370.

Why Exercise Science at TWU?

This program highlights experiential learning — or learning by doing. In this program, which is offered on our Denton campus, you’ll use state-of-the-art equipment in on-campus labs. Plus, you will gain hands-on experience assessing and teaching motor skills in children with disabilities, analyzing motion in a biomechanics lab, measuring oxygen consumption during exercise, and reading electrocardiograms in the exercise physiology lab.

You will gain real-world experience that will set you apart from your peers once you graduate with this degree from Texas Woman’s, preparing you to apply for graduate programs to further your education.

Program Requirements

This program requires 120 hours of coursework. Upper-level courses focus on exercise physiology, motor behavior, biomechanics, health promotion, and adapted physical activity. As a student in this program, you will complete an internship of 350 hours or more in a professional setting.

A minimum GPA of 2.75 is required to be placed in an internship and to graduate.

See full program requirements in the Undergraduate Catalog.

As a full-time student, you can complete the coursework for this degree within four years with careful planning and completing a few courses during summer school.