Kinesiology Advising FAQs
Do I have to make an appointment to meet with the advisor?
It is recommended that you make an appointment to see the Academic Advisor. You may be able to drop in during less busy times of the semester, but this is not guaranteed. Peer Advisors also hold open office hours Monday to Friday and can provide assistance for most questions/concerns.
What can the peer advisors help with?
Peer advisors can help with a wide variety of questions, including, but not limited to:
- Kinesiology major requirements
- Tracks for health professions (OT, PT, PA, nursing, pre-med, etc.)
- Kinesiology elective classes
- Internships
- Study abroad
- General education requirements
- Understanding your ARR
Am I required to meet with my advisor?
You are not required to meet with the Academic Advisor before registration unless there is an academic hold on your SPIRE account. If there is an academic hold on your SPIRE account, you should make an appointment with the Academic Advisor as soon as possible so that the Academic Advisor can remove the hold. Even if you do not have an academic hold on your SPIRE account, it is recommended that you meet with an advisor at least once a year to ensure that you are on track to completing your major and any other requirements.
I would like to talk with someone about what I can do with the kinesiology degree.
There is a lot that you can do with the kinesiology degree, especially in the fields of allied health and fitness. Many kinesiology majors are interested in strength and conditioning, athletic training, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical school, and becoming a physician assistant. Other students are interested in going into research or related fields, like public health and policy. If you would like to talk to someone about one of these topics you can look at the peer advising bios on our website to see who would be a good match for you!
I am not a kinesiology major and I would like to become one. How do I do that?
The kinesiology department hosts Declaring the Major meetings throughout the semester which you may attend. The meeting times and dates will be posted on our website as well as at the advising office. You will also need to complete the Declaring the Kinesiology Major form.
I would like to attend graduate school, study abroad, or pursue a career in strength and conditioning and am looking for recommendations on classes to take. Where can I find these?
On the kKinesiology Advising website, there is a list of course sequencing for the most popular graduate school tracks and study abroad programs. You may also want to meet with a peer advisor if you have any further questions about the classes. The classes listed on the sheet are recommendations, so it is important that you look at prerequisite courses required for graduate schools that you are interested in.
What can I do to best stay on track with the kinesiology major requirements (and the extra classes that I am taking as prerequisites for graduate school)?
The best thing to do is to make sure that you are looking over the course sequencing recommendations and checking your ARR in SPIRE. Your ARR will let you know which classes you still need to take. You should also plan your classes out as far ahead as possible, and not register for classes semester-by-semester. Some classes are only offered in the Fall or Spring semesters and other classes occur at the same time within a semester, so it is good to have an idea of how you will need to organize your classes so that you can complete everything on time.
I am receiving an error message when I try to enroll in a class on SPIRE. What do I do?
KIN courses use SPIRE waitlists. Students who meet eligibility and prerequisites should be able to place themselves on the waitlists. Waitlists are processed through registration and up until the start of classes.
Students who do not meet prerequisites must obtain instructor permission via the course override form that is available on our advising website or outside the kinesiology main office in Totman. These forms are given to the faculty member who is teaching the class you are interested in. Overrides in these cases are rare and extenuating circumstances must be present.
Students wishing to enroll in courses outside of the kinesiology department must speak directly to someone in the department offering the course. Some departments use waitlists (e.g., physics) but every department handles overrides differently.
What do I do if I need to enroll in more than 19 credits?
In order to enroll in more than 19 credits, you need to be in good academic standing. There is a credit overload form that needs to be filled out and submitted to the academic advisor and it can be found on our advising website or outside the kinesiology main office in Totman.
The number of credits approved is directly related to your overall GPA (e.g., 20 credits requires a GPA of 3.0+).
I am worried about graduating on time and am wondering what my options are.
An option that many students choose is enrolling in courses online or at a local college during their summer and winter breaks. Online classes that are available through UMass during break do cost extra and the semesters are shorter than the typical duration of the fall or spring semesters. Most kinesiology major requirements need to be taken on the UMass campus. If you choose to take a class at a local university, it is important to check with the Registrar’s Office to make sure that your credits will transfer appropriately. Additionally, if you are taking a graduate school prerequisite of any kind, it is important to check with the university you are applying to in order to ensure that it meets their requirements.
