Careers

The demand for exercise and fitness specialists is growing at twice the rate than the US average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to Burning Glass, a jobs and labor database, exercise physiologists, coaches, and trainers who have a master’s degree earn a mean salary that is 11% higher than those who have a bachelor’s degree.

Employers are looking for job applicants who can step into a lab or training department and be ready to plan assessments, run evaluations, and create training plans. They need employees who are comfortable working with data and, for many positions, can effectively relay that information to nonspecialists.

Throughout their courses, applied physiology and kinesiology students work with real data, apply programs to real people, and read scientific studies right from the sources. They don’t just create a training program on paper⁠ — they go out and put those plans into practice. Graduates of the Applied Physiology and Kinesiology program will become comfortable with the technologies that sport and exercise professionals need to know, such as eye tracking, heart-rate monitors, motion capture, virtual-reality integration, apps and wearables, and more.

Applied Physiology and Kinesiology Career Opportunities

The Gator Network

APK degree seekers have access to the Gator CareerLink, an online career resource and job portal exclusive to UF students and alumni. They also join a worldwide network of nearly half a million University of Florida alumni, which includes employers who participate in the Gators Hiring Gators (GHG) initiative.

“I went on to become a corrective exercise specialist (CES), and that has led to a huge decrease in the injury rate of the athletes I work with.”

—⁠ Joseph Hale, M.S. in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology

Florida State College at Jacksonville, Head Cross Country Coach