Minors
Minors are a great way to further hone your academic path and prepare for the work you hope to do once you graduate. The Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences offers seven minors in total—two that are managed by the department and five that are part of a collaborative effort with other departments at VCU.
Our Minors
The following two minors are managed by the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences.
Health communication
This minor in health communication will require a combination of six courses from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and the Richard T. Robertson School of Communication. Students must take two required courses from each unit and an additional two courses from the list of approved courses.
Health sciences
The minor in health sciences requires a total of 19 credit hours of coursework offered by the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences. The courses address a wide range of foundational areas in health sciences, from personal health to population health, and integrate social, behavioral and biological perspectives. Students will develop core competencies in understanding diverse health issues, interpreting scientific information and applying key concepts and methodologies to complement their major fields of study.
Collaborative Minors
The following five minors are offered in collaboration with other departments at VCU.
Health humanities
The minor in health humanities consists of 18 credits drawn from a preapproved list. Courses must come from a minimum of three different departments: at least one from English (ENGL/AMST); at least one from History (HIST/SCTS); and at least one from any other department on the list.
Spanish and health sciences
The minor in Spanish and health sciences requires 19 credits, 12 of which must be completed at the upper level of Spanish (300-400), and seven of which must be earned in HPEX.
AI studies in humanities and sciences
The minor in AI studies in humanities and sciences provides an overview of the study of artificial intelligence from perspectives of different disciplines in the humanities and the sciences. It is meant to be accessible to all majors at VCU and designed to be flexible and serve the interests of individual students. The minor consists of a total of 18 credit hours, with a minimum of nine credit hours at the 300 level or higher. Students choosing the minor should expect that not all classes are offered each term. Students must achieve an overall GPA of 2.0 in all courses counted toward the minor.
Practical AI
The minor in practical AI helps students understand and apply AI to their chosen field and careers. Combining foundational course work in the technology and ethics of AI with classes from a variety of disciplines, the minor is applicable and accessible to all students at VCU. The minor consists of 18 credit hours.
Sport and fitness management
The Sports and fitness management minor requires a total of six courses from within two domains (fitness management and sport business). Students must take at least two courses from each domain (HPEX, SPTL) to complete the minor. Courses in the fitness management domain will be offered by the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and courses in the sport business domain will be offered by the Center for Sport Leadership.