The University of Connecticut Department of Kinesiology rose in national ranking, placing second in the United States in a recent evaluation of doctoral programs.
The National Academy of Kinesiology conducted nationwide evaluation of doctoral programs, which examined three years of data from 2020 to 2023 and recognized UConn as second overall, boosting the department from its previous third place ranking for its exercise science program.
Laurie Devaney, interim head of kinesiology and co-director of UConn’s Institute for Sports Medicine, said the accomplishment is a direct reflection of the hard work coming from dedicated faculty and students.
“I really do think that our faculties’ kind of commitment to each other and commitment to the field of exercise science and really trying to keep people healthy is one of the things that drives us and sets us apart,” Devaney said.
Devaney added how the placement of the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources is not typical in other schools but allows the ability to foster collaboration with nutritional sciences and allied health.
Devaney said the department stands out from other schools due to its work in exertional heat related illness, as well as preventing sudden death in athletes through the Korey Stringer Institute.
The Doctoral Program Evaluation looks at student and faculty data, contributing to the final score of the ranking, according to the National Academy of Kinesiology website. Faculty data consists of productivity, funding and visibility of programs. Student data looks at cumulative undergraduate GPA, graduate assistant support and employment following graduation.
Good leadership all the way from the department level up through the university makes a big difference in the success of a department like this and in these rankings
Laurie Devaney, Interim Head of Kinesiology and Co-Director of UConn’s Institute for Sports Medicine
Devaney said the department has a strong relationship with athletic programs, including UConn Athletics that continues to develop around both performance and health, as well as working with high schools to provide contemporary expertise in athletic training services. She added that their work goes beyond athletics too, focusing on all populations.
“Much of our research revolves around injury prevention in athletes and expanding the knowledge base there. But we also have a big kind of health sciences component that focuses on keeping an aging population healthy, as well as our physical therapy program which focuses on musculoskeletal health across all age bands and population,” Devaney said.
The kinesiology department consists of a doctorate in physical therapy, master’s in athletic training, graduate and undergraduate programs in exercise science, as well as an exercise prescription program, consisting of a graduate certificate and an online master’s degree.
With a rise in national ranking, Devaney said they have seen tremendous growth in the undergraduate exercise program, specifically.
“It was only about seven years ago we had about 24 students total in the program, when it was just an upper-level major. Now students enter as freshmen and we actually have somewhere around 175 students, and we are on target to have about 200 students in the undergraduate science program next year,” Devaney said.
As for the future, Devaney said they are always looking to further improve on the work they are already doing. They have begun working on expanding and restructuring the undergraduate exercise science program toward an accredited program, which will strengthen faculty and student connections.
They also have plans to build a second heat lab, which will focus on occupational and labor safety.
Additionally, Devaney said they are expanding the Institute for Sports Medicine, which is a joint initiative across UConn and UConn Health, and will be opening a new site at the XL Center in Hartford beginning fall 2024.
“We will be moving into 5000 square feet of space there that will be a clinical research hub for Institute for Sports Medicine, but it’ll actually encompass even more than that and help foster other kinesiology research goals as well,” Devaney said.
Overall, Devaney said the success of the department is a direct reflection of good leadership from former department head Lindsay DiStefano and others throughout the department and university.
“Good leadership all the way from the department level up through the university makes a big difference in the success of a department like this and in these rankings,” Devaney said.
More information about the UConn Department of Kinesiology can be found here.