As a kinesiology major with a pre-physical therapy/occupational therapy emphasis at Fresno Pacific University, you will be equipped with the foundation to pursue a professional career in physical or occupational therapy. As part of this major, you’ll start working closely with graduate program advisors to gain the pre-professional preparation for graduate school. In class, you’ll learn about humans from several unique perspectives—physiological, biomechanical and motor behavioral—all through the underlying lens of fitness so that you can gain the broad foundation of knowledge required for higher coursework.
Highlights
- Start working with graduate program advisors your sophomore year and tailor your studies to that specific institution
- Gain a broad foundation for physical or occupational therapy
- Small class sizes allow for more personalized instruction and mentoring
Career opportunities
This major will prepare you to obtain the master’s in occupational therapy or doctoral degree in pre-physical therapy required to obtain licensure and practice in the field. Potential career paths include home health care services, private physical therapy, nursing care facilities, offices of physicians or related medical fields and medical/surgical hospitals.
Transferring to Fresno Pacific
FPU is a partner school with Transferology, a web-based tool that allows you to match the courses you’ve already taken with FPU programs. Visit Transferology.com to create an account and get started.
Course listing
Note: Emphasis courses are additional courses that are to be completed alongside the general education and parent program requirements as dictated by the Fresno Pacific University catalog. Please review the course requirements for baccalaureate programs and the general education summary in the Undergraduate Academic Catalog.
Emphasis Courses (16-18 Units)
Select courses with advisor approval from the following list (other courses not listed are possibilities with approval)
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
BIOL 121 | General Biology: Diversity and Ecology | 4 |
BIOL 121L | General Biology: Diversity and Ecology Lab | 0 |
BIOL 340 | Microbiology | 4 |
BIOL 340L | Microbiology Lab | 0 |
CHEM 104 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
CHEM 104L | General Chemistry II Lab | 0 |
CHEM 310 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
CHEM 311 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
CHEM 312L | Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
KIN 270 | Nutrition | 3 |
KIN 395 | Sport and Exercise Psychology | 3 |
KIN 441 | Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription | 4 |
KIN 441L | Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription Lab | 0 |
KIN 451 | Exercise Programming for Fitness and Performance | 3 |
KIN 451L | Exercise Programming for Fitness and Performance Lab | 0 |
PHYS 121 | General Physics II | 4 |
PHYS 121L | General Physics II Lab | 0 |
PSY 350 | Child Development | 3 |
PSY 360 | Life-Span Development | 3 |
PSY 375 | Biopsychology | 4 |
PSY 410 | Abnormal Psychology | 4 |
Program director

Don Diboll, Ph.D.
Faculty

Fay Nielsen, Ph.D.