Course Description
This KIN 492 / 493 / 496 Internship Course, or “KINternship,” is designed to be a culminating experience for students who will graduate with a Major in Kinesiology. Your KINternship will allow you to gain a practical experience in the Kinesiology domain, acquire skills and knowledge that could help with a potential career, and apply knowledge that you have learned throughout your undergraduate degree in a practical setting.
Eligibility
Students must meet certain criteria prior to enrolling in KIN 492/493/496.
Students admitted to MSU before Fall 2023 must have completed 80 credits and follow all steps by the posted deadlines. The KINternship is required for these students based on their academic catalog year.
For students admitted to MSU in Fall 2023 or later, 3 credits of “experiential learning” are required before graduation, which may include KINternship courses (KIN 492, 493, or 496), or other experiences like KIN 494, KIN 495, approved study abroad programs, or research internships. These students must have completed KIN 190 and have at least sophomore status prior to enrolling in KIN 492/493/496.
Please contact your academic advisor to plan which experience is best for you.
Course Options
Please note: Students select their own internship site for KIN 492/493 and must have their internship site approved by the department; for KIN 496, the department will match students with an internship site. Students must be enrolled in the course prior to counting any internship hours. Internships cannot be counted retroactively.
Includes internships that are not strongly rooted in exercise physiology.
Examples of KIN 492 internships may include: Pre-Professional and Allied Health Settings (Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant, Chiropractic, MD, DO, Nursing), Athletic Administration, Biomechanics, Growth and Motor Development, Health Promotion, Adapted Physical Activity, Psychosocial Aspects of Kinesiology, Orthotics and Prosthetics, or Medical Sales.
KIN 492 is offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.
Includes internships strongly related to exercise physiology.
Examples of KIN 493 internships may include: Cardiac Rehabilitation, Exercise Physiology, Nutrition, Fitness Leadership, Personal Training/Fitness Leadership, Exercise Prescription, Group Exercise Programming, Strength & Conditioning, or Sport Performance.
KIN 493 is offered in Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.
This internship is intended only for students who plan to pursue a career or graduate school in Athletic Training.
Students must submit an application to enroll in this internship and then are placed in an athletic training site by the athletic training faculty.
KIN 496 is only offered in Fall and Spring semesters.
Enrollment
Students must be enrolled in KIN 492, 493, or 496 to earn “KINternship” credit. To request enrollment in the course, students must complete all steps below by the stated deadlines and will then be reviewed/approved/enrolled by the KIN department.
The application windows for each semester are listed below. Late applicants are not guaranteed enrollment in the class.
- KIN 492/493 Summer internship applications are accepted from ~February 15 to April 15 (of the semester prior to your internship)
- KIN 492/493 Spring internship applications are accepted from ~September 15 to December 15
- KIN 492/493 Fall internship applications are accepted from ~March 15 to August 15
- KIN 496 Spring internship applications are accepted from ~September 1 to December 1.
- KIN 496 Fall internship applications are accepted from ~February 1 to April 1. (note: KIN 496 is not offered in the summer semester)
Before Enrollment
To apply for KIN 492 or KIN 493 internships, complete these steps:
- Find an Internship: Secure a kinesiology-related site with at least 135 hours of on-site work available for the semester.
- Confirm Affiliation Agreement Between Site & MSU: Confirm your site has an affiliation agreement on-file with MSU. If not listed, have your supervisor complete the Site Affiliation form.
- Complete the KIN 492/493 background check consent form. (For Fall ’25, click here.)
- Submit your “Application to Enroll” in the course by the deadline (see above/below).
To apply for KIN 496 internships, complete these steps:
- Confirm that you would like to pursue a career in Athletic Training. You will be matched with an internship site by our Athletic Training program.
- Complete the KIN 496 background check consent form.
- Submit your “Application to Enroll” in the course by the deadline (see above/below).
Applying
Submit your “Application to Enroll” by the deadlines:
- KIN 496: Applications to enroll in Fall 2025 internships have closed.
- Summer 2025 KIN 492/493: Applications to enroll in Summer 2025 internships have closed.
- Fall 2025 KIN 492/493: Applications to enroll in Fall 2025 internships are due by August 15, 2025. To apply, fill out the Fall 2025 KIN 492/493 Application to Enroll.
Frequently Asked Questions
A: A high-quality KINternship experience should have the following elements:
-most of the internship duties have a clear connection to kinesiology.
-it has a positive environment that supports your learning and growth as a young professional.
-it is something you think you might want to do for your future career.
-it is logistically feasible (work schedule allows you to meet number of required internship hours, appropriate commute, working conditions, paid vs. unpaid)
-it is something that you would not be able to do without your degree.
-it allows you to gain skills or knowledge necessary for a future career or schooling related to Kinesiology.
-the site supervisor exhibits professionalism throughout the internship search process.
-the site supervisor will be present for most of your on-site time and demonstrates a passion for mentoring and developing young professionals.
-the site or site supervisor have a good reputation in the community or industry, or have successfully hosted MSU KIN interns in the past.
Potential red flags that could indicate a site is not a good fit: Difficulty communicating with site supervisor, weird “gut” feeling, unclear credentials of site or site supervisor, most of the duties are not related to kinesiology, majority of job duties are clerical in nature (i.e., making copies, folding towels, cleaning equipment, making phone calls), questionable reputation in community or from past interns/employees, low ratings/reviews on sites like Google, Yelp, Glassdoor or Indeed.com
Please note: the decision as to whether or not internships are approved is at the sole discretion of the Department of Kinesiology.
A: A typical rule of thumb is to start looking for internships at the start of the semester before your planned internship (i.e., August 2025 if you are doing a Spring 2026 internship). Plan ahead to give yourself plenty of time to find the right opportunity. The average internship search process takes a minimum of 8 weeks, but some internships are arranged months in advance.
A: For KIN 492/493, students are responsible for finding arranging their own internship experiences. Students have great success with finding internships in a variety of ways, including:
- Referencing the MSU KINternship Affiliated Sites List
- Searching on the MSU Handshake site for opportunities
- Attending the “Making KIN-nections” event in November or other MSU Career Services events
- Networking – Reaching out directly to companies, organizations, MSU alumni, or professionals that do the type of work you’re interested in
- Scheduling a career advising session through the MSU Career Services Network
- Using job boards or company websites to look for available opportunities (although some internships may not be posted publicly)
For KIN 496, this experience is hosted on the MSU campus and you do not need to find your own internship site once you have been enrolled in KIN 496. The KIN 496 instructor/coordinator will assign interns to work with various sports teams on campus during the KIN 496 experience.
A: If you wish to use an internship site that has not been approved, your site must fill out an Affiliation Agreement and sign it (via the Affiliation Agreement Survey). However, not all sites are appropriate for a Kinesiology Internship Experience, and the final decision rests with the Instructor of Record for the course. NOTE: If your internship is at a hospital that we do not have a current Affiliation Agreement with, I would highly suggest you start the Affiliation Agreement process at least 1-2 months prior to your internship starting.
A: If you intend to complete your internship in a state other than Michigan, please contact the KINternship coordinator to confirm your site and job duties can be approved. Most out-of-state internships cannot include any type of physical touch between interns and clients/patients, so please be sure to contact the KINternship coordinator about out-of-state approval.
We are unable to approve most international internships at this time.
A: Students admitted to MSU prior to Fall 2023 are required to complete at least 3 credits of KIN 492, 493, or 496. Students admitted to MSU during or after the Fall of 2023 can complete 3 credits of “experiential learning” that may include KIN 492, 493, 494, 495, 496, or another approved experiential learning opportunity (i.e, Study Abroad, research, fieldwork). Please contact your academic advisor with any questions about your specific graduation requirements.
A: Yes, that is allowed but needs approval. Please contact the Internship Coordinator for approval.
A: Students need to complete a minimum of 135 internship hours during the course of their internship semester. (45 internship hours for each 1-credit of internship; 3 credits x 45 hours = 135 hours total to be completed within the given semester).
A: Life happens and your KINternship team is here to help support you. Please contact the KINternship Coordinator as soon as possible to see what options might be available to you. It’s also important to maintain professionalism by clearly and consistently communicating with your site supervisor.
A: If that happens, you have the flexibility of getting your Final Report and Final Site Supervisor Performance Evaluation in early or at the end of the semester with everyone else. Once your hours are complete, you no longer need to submit Weekly Assignments either. However, your final grade cannot be submitted to the Registrar until the semester is completed.
A: No, internship hours can only be counted during the corresponding semester dates. Hours cannot begin before the first day of the semester and must be completed by the last day of the semester (or according to the due dates in D2L).
A: Students cannot start counting hours from your internship earlier than the first day of the semester. The earliest you can start counting hours is the first day of the semester, or the first day you were enrolled in the class (if enrolled after the first day of the semester).
A: The add/drop dates for KIN 492 / 493/ 496 are set by the Registrar’s Office and can be found by searching the course at student.msu.edu/search, however KIN 492/493/496 all use an “application to enroll” process so students must typically submit all paperwork at least one month before their KINternship semester begins. Students are responsible for knowing these dates and completing all steps to add or drop the class respectively. Students cannot late-add or late-drop KIN 492 / 493 / 496. If you do not add/drop the course by the official dates, this may impact your progress towards graduation.
A: Graduating Spartans have a wide array of opportunities available to them. See the profiles below for an example of careers alumni were able to embark upon within their first few years post-graduation—and check out advice they have for current Spartans here: https://education.msu.edu/kin/undergraduate/jobs
Resources
IS YOUR INTERNSHIP OUT OF STATE?
If planning an internship outside Michigan, email Keri Morrison with the state details. Some states require a department-submitted letter of intent, approved 60–90 days prior.
Note that certain states restrict “hands-on” client interactions, and some don’t allow MSU internships at all. No international internships are approved for KIN 492/493/496 credit. Contact Keri Morrison for more details.
Andrea Childress – Coordinator of Internships & Practica | Department of Kinesiology
Email Address: childr46@msu.edu
Contact for KIN 492/493/496 for the following: general KINternship questions, questions regarding big picture program goals, Application questions or issues, Criminal Background Check questions.
Keri Morrison – KIN 492/493 Instructor & Internship Coordinator | Department of Kinesiology
Email Address: klm@msu.edu
Contact for KIN 492/493 for the following: questions regarding student issues, student grading and assessment, program overview, internship approval, KIN 492 / 493 enrollment, and Affiliation Agreements.
Dr. Tracey Covassin – Athletic Training Program Director / Faculty | Department of Kinesiology
Email Address: covassin@msu.edu
Contact for KIN 496 for the following: Questions about the athletic training program or internship.
Kathy Dietzel – Assistant Director of Career Services Network | College of Education
Email Address: porembia@msu.edu
Contact for the following: questions regarding finding internships, Handshake, career advising, and the KIN-nections event.
The KIN Academic Advising staff is also a great resource and can be contacted here: Student Affairs Office – Resources (msu.edu)
To become an MSU internship site, interested sites may complete the Affiliation Agreement Survey.
Note: The Michigan State University KINternship program does not approve KIN 492/493 internship placements in locations that do not provide professional supervisor on site (i.e., private homes).
Have a specific internship or job you would like to share with our students? Please set up a position on Handshake, our online career platform for students.
Information for Site Supervisors can be accessed using the following:
