CSUB launching dual enrollment kinesiology program this fall

High school students interested in sports medicine can get a head start on earning a bachelor's degree in kinesiology through a new dual enrollment program being offered by California State University, Bakersfield this fall.

Students enrolled in the sports medicine program offered by the Kern High School District (KHSD) will be able to earn up to 10 units of college credit that can be directly applied to any of CSUB's three kinesiology bachelor's degree concentrations.

"I'm really excited because it's the first pathway that we have coming out of CSUB where it's a sequence of courses that align right into the degree," said Faculty Director of Academic Systems Kris Grappendorf. "We want to connect the high school students who have that early interest in kinesiology to our program here at CSUB and ease them into that transition."

Five courses will be available to students as part of the dual enrollment pathway across the sports medicine program's two concentrations: personal training and care and prevention. The courses will have the same curriculum and rigor as those offered at CSUB.

This fall, KHSD will offer morning, afternoon and evening sessions of the program. Morning sessions will focus on personal training while afternoon sessions will be centered on care and prevention. Evening sessions will be a mix of both areas of study.

The sessions - which are held at the district's new Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) in southwest Bakersfield - will each accommodate up to 30 students, for a total of around 90 participants.

"We are thrilled to advance our partnership with CSUB through the expanded dual enrollment program at CTEC," said the center's principal, Brian Miller. "We aim for this collaboration to connect CTEC students to the CSUB campus, offering them a pathway to a high-quality local postsecondary option while further igniting their career interests."

Grappendorf has been developing the dual enrollment program for nearly two years, beginning when she was still chair of the Kinesiology Department. While CSUB has previously partnered with KHSD on a couple dual enrollment courses in the past, she wanted to create a more intentional pathway that would directly link to the university's kinesiology program.

"If a student is applying to CTEC, we already know they're interested, so we're trying to expand on that and see if we can we get them in the major and understand what they're options are," she said.

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