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Undergraduate Advising: Kinesiology

There are a variety of advisors available to assist you with your degree progress and future plans. Kinesiology students are not assigned an advisor, but rather can select an advisor to best meet their needs. Please review the specializations each advisor has to determine who you should meet with. While advising is not mandatory each semester, it is highly encouraged you meet regularly with an advisor. 

Please note that academic advisors are working both in the office and remotely. For the Spring 2024 semester, all advisors are available for appointments via phone or Zoom. At this time, some advisors are available for in-person meetings on campus. If you have a scheduled appointment with an advisor, please review the directions in your appointment confirmation.

Polly Sebastian Schurer

pollys@umd.edu

Available to assist with: 75+ Mandatory Advising, Transfer Mandatory Advising, Urgent academic situations, Study Abroad

Lindsey Winter
Lindsey Winter

lmrodkey@umd.edu

Available to assist with: General Advising, 75+ Mandatory Advising, Transfer Mandatory Advising

Woman with dark brown hair and striped black shirt
April Khaing

akhaing@umd.edu

Available to assist with: General Advising, 75+ Mandatory Advising, Transfer Mandatory Advising, Prospective Students, Change of Major questions

Elizabeth Brown
Dr. Elizabeth Brown

ebrown2@umd.edu

Available to assist with: Internships, Career Advising (General and Youth Sports), Physical Education, General Advising

Joanne Klossner, faculty member of the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland
Dr. Joanne Klossner

jklossne@umd.edu

Available to assist with: Internships, Athletic Training and Sports Medicine

Do I have mandatory advising?

Students in the following populations have mandatory advising with Kinesiology:

  • New Students: First semester freshmen and transfer students will receive email communication from an advisor with the steps needed to remove their mandatory advising registration block. These steps typically include completing a graduation plan and meeting with a Kinesiology advisor to discuss your plan and prepare for course registration.
  • 75+ Advising: When KNES students reach 75 cumulative credits, they are required to meet with a departmental advisor to complete their senior audit in order to remove their mandatory advising registration block. Students who have previously completed their senior audit need to submit this form to have their mandatory advising block lifted. 
Exception to Policy

Examples of exception to policy include needing a third attempt at a course, withdrawing from a course after the deadline, credit overloads, course time conflicts, and exceeding the total number of repeatable credits. These exceptions are granted in extenuating circumstances, and the students should be prepared to provide adequate detail and documentation to support their request.

Permission to Enroll

Students need to request approval to take courses away from UMD. Once they are enrolled at UMD, Kinesiology students are required to take all major requirements here. General Education courses and electives can be taken away from UMD, but still require approval from CASA. 


Submit an Exception to Policy or Permission to Enroll

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

It is SPH policy that if a student wishes to bring parents, legal guardians or family members to a meeting with an advisor, faculty member, or other School official, this meeting must be scheduled at least one business day in advance, and University parties involved must be notified that the student’s parent, legal guardian, or family member will be present at the meeting. The student must also have the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Academic Release Information Form on file with the department.  You may contact an advisor in the department to receive a copy of this form if you want to sign it, or you may print it using the link. 

View requirements, benchmarks, and access sample graduation plans here.

Curriculum Changes
  • Beginning Fall 2022, KNES385 - Motor Control and Learning, will transition to a four-credit lab course.
  • Beginning Fall 2022, all students entering the KNES major will be required to complete KNES200. Students already declared as KNES can complete either KNES200 or KNES201. KNES201 will be offered through the Spring 2023 term.
  • Beginning Summer 2022, students are no longer required to complete KNES497. All students will be required to complete five Upper Level Option courses instead of four Upper Level Options and KNES497. If students choose to take KNES497, it will apply to the new Upper Level Option requirement.
    • Students are responsible for checking their General Education requirements to determine if they need an additional Scholarship in Practice (DSSP) course if they do not take KNES497.

KNES Upper Level (UL) Options 

The UL Option courses offered each semester may vary. These are 300-400 level KNES courses that are completed after a student has earned 75 credits. Students are responsible for checking additional course prerequisites, recommendations, and restrictions in the schedule of classes. You will be dropped from the course if you do not satisfy these requirements.


Review the available Upper Level Options here.

Additional Advising Resources

We support our students in many areas, but we can't be the expert at everything. This means we often refer students to other campus advising services. These services should supplement, not replace, meeting with a KNES advisor. Learn more about specialized advising units below.

Pre-Health Advising

While there is no official "Pre-Health" track, students interested in a variety of Allied Health and Medical fields can receive assistance with: 

  • identifying required courses for their intended graduate program
  • navigating the application process 
  • reviewing admissions requirements 
  • connecting with UMD alumni in allied health and medical programs across the country 

Career Advising

In collaboration with the University Career Center (UCC), the UCC @ SPH is dedicated to providing industry-specific career services to all SPH students, including:

  • identify and explore career interests
  • search for employment and internships
  • preparing for interviews
  • updating resumes and cover letters

University Policy Advising

The Center for Academic Success and Achievement (CASA) is the School of Public Health (SPH) advising office. Students should meet with this office if:

  • you are a NCAA student-athlete
  • are on academic probation
  • you are ready to re-enroll after being academically dismissed or have taken a leave of absence

Contact Us!

(301) 405-2450
advisingknes@umd.edu

Office: 2351 SPH Building
Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm EST