Student Experiences

Students in the College of Kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan benefit from a well-rounded experience that blends academics with hands-on learning. Through practicums, students gain real-world experience in sport, health, and fitness settings, while involvement in the Kinesiology Students’ Society builds leadership and community.

Many students participate in undergraduate research alongside faculty or through honours projects, and a wide range of volunteer opportunities allows them to apply classroom learning in the community. Working for USask Rec in areas such as fitness, aquatics, and intramurals further enhances professional skills and enriches campus life.

Kinesiology Student Society (KiSS)

The Kinesiology Student Society (KiSS) council are elected every year by their fellow students with representation from across all years within the program. KiSS organizes many social events for Kinesiology students and gives back to the local community through volunteering and fundraising for different organizations. They are strong advocates for students within the College, bringing forward student issues through their representation on different College of Kinesiology committees.

The students on the council are amazing ambassadors for the College of Kinesiology, the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatoon community as a whole.

Undergraduate Research

Research is a unique mission of the University.  Understanding the best practices of knowledge creation and developing the critical thinking required for research are vital life skills. The College of Kinesiology believes that these skills are important and strives to provide opportunities for undergraduate students to learn about research and participate in authentic research experiences. The College of Kinesiology faculty are actively engaged in a wide variety of research.

Often, research projects require assistants to help with participant training, data collection and analysis and these assistants are often undergraduate students. There are also a number of research experiences built into classes all across the program. For upper year students, Kinesiology also has an Honours program which offers an opportunity to complete an authentic research project under the direct supervision of a faculty member.

Student Practicums

This practicum allows successful student trainer applicants to attain 6 credit units for their commitment to working with a Huskie team for a season. Student trainers will be assigned to a varsity sports team in the fall semester. The Student Trainer Practicum I includes a pre-season orientation, education seminars, shadowing in Huskie Health/week, team involvement at practices and games, and meeting with their supervisor.

The orientation will take place at the beginning of term one in the fall to educate students on their roles and responsibilities when working with a team, Huskie Health policies and procedures, USPORT and CANWEST requirements, policies and procedures, and expectations working alongside an IST (Integrated Support Team). Students will be evaluated and will receive a grade for this practicum. This experience requires that students have already taken or are enrolled in KIN 321 Acute Sport Injury Care and Prevention (in the Fall term).

Additional perks of being a student trainer:

  • Being a part of a competitive team
  • Provided with additional paid opportunities to work community sport and first aid events.
  • Practical experience to place on resumes and graduate school applications
  • Make connections with instructors who can provide references for applications.
  • Develop life long friendships

The Student Trainer Practicum II is available for students who have completed the first student trainer practicum (KIN 350). This experience continues the learning from KIN 350 and includes a pre-season orientation, monthly education seminars, minimum of 1 hour of shadowing in Huskie Health/week, team involvement at practices and games, and meeting with their supervisor 1x/month.

The orientation will take place at the beginning of Term 1 to educate students on their roles and responsibilities when working with a team, Huskie Health policies and procedures, U SPORT and Canada West Conference requirements, policies and procedures, and expectations working alongside an IST (Integrated Support Team). Students will evaluated and receive a final grade for this practicum.

Additional perks of being a student trainer:

  • Being a part of a competitive team
  • Provided with additional paid opportunities to work community sport and first aid events.
  • Practical experience to place on resumes and graduate school applications
  • Make connections with instructors who can provide references for applications.
  • Develop life long friendships

This course is intended for 4th year Kinesiology students interested in exercise prescription for clinical populations. This course is intended to build from the student’s previous foundation over the past three years and will focus on the practical aspects of providing safe, effective, and efficient exercise for clinical populations.

Students will intern within the Saskatoon Cardiac Rehabilitation Program offered through the Saskatchewan Health Authority.  The major emphasis of this course is the role of exercise in Cardiac Rehabilitation. Practical placements will be at either the Saskatoon Field House or the Shaw Center.

This practicum is a supervised volunteer field experience working directly in the community with a partner organization. Experiences may include working in areas such as musculoskeletal rehabilitation, athlete training, clinical settings, ergonomics, and health and wellness promotion in both healthy and unhealthy populations. One unique experience that is available for some KIN 481 students is an opportunity to work as part of a clinical team at the West Winds Primary Health Centre during either the Fall/Winter or the Spring/Summer terms.

KIN 481 is an excellent opportunity to broaden your academic experience by exposure to, and responsibility for, varied practical fitness, exercise and lifestyle situations under qualified supervision. There is a time commitment of approximately 100 hours and many of the hour requirements to challenge the Clinical Exercise Physiologist designation (through CSEP) will be satisfied by the course requirements. Students must have completed KIN 381 and KIN 382 to apply for KIN 481.

Volunteer Opportunities

Kinesiology students have a wide variety of volunteer opportunities available to them through the College. Two outstanding examples are the Physical Activity for Active Living (or PAAL) program which provides quality physical activity with an emphasis on fun, skill development, and social interaction for individuals of all ages who are experiencing physical and/or intellectual disabilities, and KIN in the Community where Kinesiology students go to local schools to promote physical literacy to elementary students and their families!

Working for USask Rec

USask Rec is an important component of the College of Kinesiology and is one of the largest student employers on campus! Kinesiology students are well positioned to apply their learning and succeed in any of a number of part-time employment opportunities including working with the Fitness Center, in summer camps and programs, administration and aquatics to name a few.