The Kinesiology major prepares students for a variety of careers in health-related fitness and for graduate or professional study in various fields within kinesiology (exercise physiology, biomechanics, sport psychology, motor behavior, physical activity epidemiology, etc.), allied health professions (physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant, chiropractic, athletic training, etc.) and medicine. Incoming freshmen ("first year students") can enter the Kinesiology major when they start at UT, or during their first two years. Transfer students can enter the Kinesiology major when they start at UT.
If a chosen career path will require graduate school, a student should know that planning for that starts now. Educational preparation as an undergraduate is an essential part of success later on. Many students arrive at the university with the goal to become a physician, physical therapist, or other health professional, but they have little knowledge of what the profession is really like or of its demands. Because competition is so intense in medicine and other health professions, students should become as familiar as possible with the career they are pursuing, including the additional education requirements and the minimum GPA and grades in specific courses to be competitive for admission to graduate study.