Degrees Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Science
The School of Sport Sciences is dedicated to enhancing the quality of sport and physical activity by mitigating risks, amplifying benefits, and promoting lifelong participation and well-being. Through classroom, experiential, and active learning, we strive to prepare students to make a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.
Students in our majors – coaching and performance science, esports business and entertainment, health and well-being, physical education and kinesiology, sport, exercise, and performance psychology, sport leadership, sport management – explore physiological, biomechanical, sociological, psychological, historical, and philosophical foundations of movement.
Careers can include, but are not limited to, sport coaching, strength and conditioning, and athlete development; physical education, sport instruction, and adapted physical activity; mental performance enhancement for athletes, military personnel, and performing artists; sport and esports facilities operations, management, marketing, and event coordination; athletic administration at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels; health and wellness coaching and more. Many advance to graduate studies.
Whether developing athletes, enhancing mental performance, advancing health and well-being, shaping the future of esports, or innovating in the management of sports, our graduates have opportunities to gain knowledge, skills, and experiences to make a meaningful impact across the diverse fields of human movement, performance, and wellness.
Basic Instruction Program
Courses offered in our basic instruction program are designed to engage students in sport and physical activity and are open to all students at the University. A wide variety of team, individual, and leisure sports and recreational activities are offered both in person and online. The aims of the program are to support: (1) an appreciation of the body and its capacity to move; (2) movement skills of games and sport; and (3) an appreciation of the value of continued activity over the lifespan.
Administration
School Director
- Dana Voelker - Ph.D. (Michigan State University)
Associate Director
- James Wyant - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Faculty
Professors
- Gonzalo Bravo - Ph.D. (The Ohio State University)
Sport Management - Sean Bulger - Ed.D. (West Virginia University)
Physical Education and Kinesiology - Damien Clement - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology - Kristen Dieffenbach - Ph.D. (University of North Carolina - Greensboro)
Coaching and Performance Science - Peter Giacobbi - Ph.D. (University of Tennessee)
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology - Valerie Wayda - Ed.D. (West Virginia University)
Coaching and Performance Science - Sam Zizzi - Ed.D. (West Virginia University)
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology
Associate professors
- Jeanette Garcia - Ph.D. (University of Virginia)
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology - Cindy Lee - Ph.D. (The Ohio State University)
Sport Management - Emily Murphy - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Health and Well-being - Emi Tsuda - Ph.D. (The Ohio State University)
Physical Education and Kinesiology - Dana Voelker - Ph.D. (Michigan State University)
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology - James Wyant - Ph.D. (Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Physical Education and Kinesiology
Assistant professors
- Ashley Coker-Cranney - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology - Thadeu Gasparetto - Ph.D. (University of Vigo)
Sport Management - William (Guy) Hornsby III - Ph.D. (East Tennessee State University)
Coaching and Performance Science - Zachary P. Pedersen - Ph.D. (Indiana University)
Sport Management - Xiaoxia Zhang - Ph.D. (University of Texas - Arlington)
Physical Education and Kinesiology - Xiaoxia Zhang - Ph.D. (University of Texas - Arlington)
Physical Education and Kinesiology
Service professor
- Eloise Elliott - Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
Physical Education and Kinesiology
Teaching associate professor
- Gary Lhotsky - Ed.D. (Florida State University)
Sport Management - Justin Wartella - Ph.D. (University of Nevada - Las Vegas)
Sport Management
Teaching assistant professors
- Laura Adams - Ed.D. (West Virginia University)
Health and Well-being - Patrick Hairston - Ed.D. (Delaware State University)
Sport Management - Zenzi Huysmans - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology - Peter McGahey - Ed.D. (Minnesota State University - Mankato)
Coaching and Performance Science - David Rice - Ph.D. (University of Pittsburgh)
Coaching and Performance Science - Michael Ryan - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Coaching and Performance Science - Ryan Wamsley - MS (West Virginia University)
Physical Education and Kinesiology
Professors emeriti
- William Alsop
- Dana Brooks
- J. William Douglas
- Edward Etzel, Jr.
- Andrew Hawkins
- Lynn Housner
- Andrew Ostrow
- Robert Wiegand
Associate professors emeriti
- Dallas Branch
- Linda Carson
- Bruce Wilmoth
- Daniel Ziatz