Human Performance in Tactical, Flight, and Space Operations

With longstanding ties to aerospace, military research, and related areas, the University of Florida offers a unique opportunity to focus your M.S. on human performance under extreme conditions. The Human Performance in Tactical, Flight, and Space Operations specialization readies you to support elite performers in environments where precision and resilience are critical.

Through this micro-credential, you’ll develop expertise in the physiological, kinesiological, and psychological factors that shape performance in high-stakes settings. Learn how to equip pilots, divers, astronauts, and other tactical professionals for mission success while mastering strategies to help them overcome injury, fatigue, and challenging conditions.

This 12-credit specialization is ideal for professionals who want to support military operations, aviation and spaceflight, extreme environment research, and similar fields. Gain the skills and knowledge you need to optimize human performance when it matters most.

Through this track, you will develop your expertise in:

Body Responses to Extreme Environments
Bioenergetics and Biomechanics
Tactical Conditioning

Skeletal and Muscular Functions
Nutrition for Performance
Human Psychology in Tactical Environments

Specialization Courses (12 credits)

Fundamentals in Research

APK 5702 – Applied Sport Science (3 credits)

Examines fundamental concepts related to the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data relevant to the outcome of human performance across myriad physical and cognitive domains, including sport, exercise, tactical operations, and medical professions. Addresses the use of statistics and broader fields of data science, artificial intelligence, analytics, and technology management necessary to evaluate performance and strategically adjust training methods to enhance performance.

HLP 6535 – Research Methods (3 credits)

This course teaches the principles of designing training programs that improve muscular strength, power, speed, agility, endurance, balance, stability, and hypertrophy. These principles are applied to typical athletic populations, tactical athletic populations, and special athletic populations.

HLP 6515 – Evaluation Procedures in Health and Human Performance (3 credits)

This course equips students with the skills to evaluate and interpret tests related to health and human performance. Students will also learn to analyze research data.

Fundamentals in Assessment

PET 5936 – AI for Sport and Movement Science (3 credits)

Students will learn to apply AI technologies to the study of sport and movement sciences in both healthy and diseased human populations. This course introduces students to programming and data visualization techniques while covering classical concepts of machine learning (e.g. linear regression and classification, ensemble-based algorithm, clustering, and neural networks) and modern machine learning methods for images and video processing (e.g. convolutional neural networks and transformers).

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