Declaring Kinesiology as a Major
Incoming Students: As a new freshmen or transfer student, you will declare your major through the JMU One Book website when you sign up for orientation. This major becomes your official major on your academic record.
Current Students: If you are a current student wishing to declare or change a major, there are a few steps to complete:
- Complete a request through MyMadison.
- Schedule a meeting with the Kinesiology Madison Peer Advisor or Kinesiology Advisor.
- Review the application requirements below prior to your advising meeting.
Students must have completed all three steps for a major change to be approved. If they have not met with a Kinesiology advisor within two months of submitting the request in MyMadison, the request will be automatically denied.
Please note that approval to change your major to Kinesiology: Exercise Science is not admission to the program. All students must complete the application process outlined below for full admission to the program.
If you have questions, please contact jmukinesiology@jmu.edu to set up a virtual or in-person appointment with an advisor.
For additional assistance making a request to change your major, please view the Change/Declare a Major/Minor tutorial in MyMadison or on the tutorials websites.
Declaring a Concentration
By the end of the sophomore year, all Kinesiology students must declare a concentration in either (a)Exercise Science (ES) or (b) Physical and Health Education Teacher Education (PHETE).
Acceptance into either concentration requires that you have met certain requirements. ES requirements are described below. More information about the PHETE program can be found on PHETE admission website. Your academic advisor will answer any questions that you have about admission and assist you through the process.
Admission to the Exercise Science Program
Over the past 3 years, approximately 220-250 students have declared Exercise Science as a first-year student each year, while the program admits a maximum of 120 students per year. Admission is competitive and based solely upon performance in the pre-requisite coursework.
Applications for full admission to the Exercise Science program occur in two cycles per year:
- Students who are completing their coursework in the Spring or Summer terms should apply by March 15.
- Students who are completing their pre-requisite coursework in the Fall term should apply by October 15.
Links to the application are posted on this page at least six weeks prior to the application deadline.
To apply students MUST have completed or be currently enrolled in the following pre-requisite courses:
- KIN 100
- KIN 202
- BIO 290+290L
- BIO 270+270L
- CHEM 131&131L
Please note that there are no exceptions to the pre-requisite coursework or application deadlines. Applications must be submitted by the deadline for consideration in that application cycle.
Repeat-Forgive grades are NOT counted in the application consideration. Therefore, if you did not do well in one of the prerequisite courses, it would NOT help your chances for admission to re-take the course. If not admitted, students may re-apply once.
The fall application cycle is now closed.
The spring application due date will be March 15th.
This deadline is for students who:
- Will complete their pre-requisite coursework in the spring or summer of 2025
- Wish to begin upper-level Exercise Science courses during the Fall 2025 semester.
Please check back in early January for the application link.
Anticipated Changes to the Exercise Science Application
We are in the process of seeking approval to change our application timeline to better serve students, giving them admission decisions earlier in their course of study. This will reduce the disruption of being denied admission to the program for those students and allow a more seamless transition to other majors at JMU. We anticipate these new changes applying to students who with to begin upper-level coursework in Spring 2026 or later. Please check back for more information on anticipated change
Initial Permission to Register for the Following Semester
Once the application is complete and reviewed, the coursework that has already been completed in prior semesters will be considered when issuing initial milestones for the following semester. This is not the final admission decision. Approximately the number of students who will be admitted that cycle will be given permission to register for classes for the following semester.
Final Admission Decisions
Final decisions will not be made until after the semester is over and will be issued at that time (approximately one week following release of final grades in the relevant term). All applications are re-evaluated at this time, including both those who were and were not granted initial milestones. Therefore, it is possible that a student who was given permission to register for classes will not be admitted to the program. Those students will need to immediately drop their Exercise Science Coursework. Those students who were not given permission to register during their enrollment period will also be re-evaluated with the additional coursework from the current semester included. As a reminder, only the first graded attempt at each of the pre-requisite courses will be considered; repeat-forgive grades do not improve your odds at being admitted to the program.
Transfer Student Information
Students may transfer into the Kinesiology program both the Fall and Spring semesters. The “Kinesiology Transfer Snapshot” has more information for transfer students. While students can declare Exercise Science upon admission to JMU, transfer students must go through the same application process as students already at JMU (see above). Admission to JMU and admission to the Exercise Science program are separate processes.
If you are interested in transferring, you are welcome to schedule an appointment with a Kinesiology Academic Advisor, who will provide you with information about the program, schedule a campus visit to meet with current students and faculty and will answer any questions that you might have. To schedule an appointment, contact jmukinesiology@jmu.edu. Appointments can be in person or virtual, just be sure to indicate what format you would prefer.
We also encourage you to familiarize yourself with the transfer admission process. JMU Admissions has more information and instructions about applying for admission to JMU. After you are accepted and have paid a deposit to JMU, you will schedule a date for New Student/Transfer Orientation where you will meet with the Kinesiology Academic Advisor to plan your schedule and finalize your course of study. Transfer Orientation is held in December for spring transfers, and in June for fall transfers.
