Kines is a terrible degree for coaching. It's way more geared towards PT than anything else. I was initially going to be a high school soccer coach, while teaching gov't. So, I started as a Kines major with a Pol Sci minor. I realized I would never learn anything about coaching soccer in the Kines program. I was much better off taking USSF license courses. The "Coaching of X" classes only have 1 level. You're not going to become an expert at coaching anything by taking college classes.
UH has three different KIN options now. There's exercise science (which has two sub options), sports admin, and fitness and sports. Just an FYI. It's not always just plain Kinesiology, as it'll vary from school to school. Back when i got my degree, there was only the exercise science option with it's two sub options (general and health professions).
Let me make sure that you're talking about what I think you're talking about. There seems to be a lot of confusion in the thread about the actual meaning of PT. I'm assuming that you mean Physical Therapist and NOT physical trainer. From what I know, kinesiology is a good major to get into a PT school you're looking for. But as someone else in the thread said, make sure to take a good look at the entrance requirements of the various schools you want to get into. (And just to clear up what I'm saying...PT for me is Physical Therapy(ist) and ATC is physical trainer) Because some people don't get accepted right away, there are also people who get a AS/certification in Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) after their bachelor's degree or they work as a Physical Therapy Aide just to get their foot in the door. The difference between the two is thus: PTA: They are able to do the same treatments as the PT, but they are not able to do any of the testing or paperwork that goes to the patient's Doc. They can assign exercises and modalities (e-stim, ultrasound, laser therapy, etc) but they can't (legally) do anything else except for throwing in what they did that day in a chart. PT Aide: The only thing they can do is what the PT or PTA tells them they can do. They can't have the patient tell them they are in a lot of pain and then say, "Alright, I'll give you some e-stim and ice to help with that." They have to first tell the PT(A) and the PT(A) will choose whether or not it's appropriate for that particular patient. An aide is basically the person who helps out the PT keep the patients on task with their exercises or sets up/does the modalities that are in their chart. They are the lowest man on the totem pole, but, a good one is important to make sure the flow of treatment with ALL the patients goes well. Depending on how busy the clinic is, you could be working with 1-3 or so patients at a time per PT, per hour. This is not just a recommendation, Physical Therapy REQUIRES at LEAST a masters degree...now going up to Doctorate because PTs are really pushing for Direct Access (seeing patients w/o needing a doctor's referral). This is basically all I know, because of friends and family (who are PTs or got into PT school.). Hopefully it helps. If you have any other questions, I can try and ask my family about it and get back to you. Good luck to you!
