About ENS

Overview

The School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences (ENS) at San Diego State University provides academic and professional preparation in kinesiology, exercise science, nutrition, and food science. ENS offers undergraduate degrees in Foods and Nutrition and in Kinesiology, with Kinesiology emphasis areas in Pre-Physical Therapy, Fitness and Exercise Science, and Exercise Science. These programs prepare students for careers in movement science, fitness and physical activity settings, rehabilitation, sports performance, nutrition and dietetics, food science, and health promotion, and they also serve as strong preparation for advanced clinical or graduate study.

At the graduate level, ENS offers Master of Science degrees in Athletic Training, Exercise Physiology, Food Science, Nutritional Sciences, and Kinesiology. The MS in Kinesiology includes concentrations in Biomechanics and Motor Control and in Physical Activity. A concurrent MS program enables students to earn degrees in both Exercise Physiology and Nutritional Sciences.

Students gain hands-on experience through specialized laboratories and clinics in biomechanics, exercise physiology, athletic training, motor control, muscle physiology, adaptive fitness, food science, nutritional sciences, and physical activity and behavioral nutrition. Faculty research spans biomechanics, neuroscience, adaptive fitness, metabolic and environmental physiology, community and clinical nutrition, food science and technology, physical activity promotion, healthy aging, and population health.

In addition to offering strong academic programs that help students develop practical skill in areas such as athletic training, fitness, and sports conditioning, the faculty are active researchers who study a range of topics that include:

Athletic Training

• Sport-related and military concussions

Biomechanics and Motor Control

• Quantitative evaluation of human movement using mechanics, neuromuscular physiology, and motor control principles
• Changes in movement patterns (including walking and reaching) that result from aging, injury, and/or training
• Integration of psychophysiology and motor systems with aging and pathology
• Interactions between the sensory and motor systems that underlie human movement

Exercise Physiology

• Molecular mechanisms of respiratory and locomotor muscle dysfunction in chronic inflammatory diseases
• Effects of minimalistic exercise on health outcomes
• Effects of exposure to tobacco and cannabinoid products on eccentric exercise-induced muscle injury and regeneration
• Mechanisms of oxygen diffusion and utilization in muscle fibers during contractions and exercise

Food Science

• Sustainable agriculture and food sources
• Protein and flavor chemistry

Nutritional Sciences

• Diets affecting satiety control, weight management, and obesity prevention
• Dietary modulators related to the prevention of colon cancer and inflammation diseases

Physical Activity and Behavioral Nutrition

• Community-based physical activity interventions
• Food insecurity, food access, and food choice behaviors as they relate to nutrition and health equity among historically-marginalized communities
• Psychosocial and mental health impact of physical activity, nutrition, and mind-body interventions
• Digital health (e.g., mobile app interventions, wearable technologies)

In addition, the Adaptive Fitness Clinic is an ENS program for individuals with a range of physical disabilities. Founded in 1983, the Clinic has served over 1,500 clients from the local community and provided hands-on training experiences for over 5,000 ENS students.

Building Location

School of Exercise & Nutritional Sciences
ENS Building rm #351
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-7251

Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm

Visiting the Adaptive Fitness Clinic

Though we don’t have formal arrangements for tours of the Adaptive Fitness Clinic, you may contact Matt Soto, the clinic’s director ([email protected]).