BS Biomechanics

Our Bachelor of Science in Biomechanics degree is designed to teach students foundational skills in kinesiology, exercise science and human physiology.   

The only one of its kind in West Virginia, our Biomechanics undergraduate program is one of less than 10 undergraduate programs across the country that offers a true bachelor’s degree in Biomechanics.  

As a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biomechanics at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, you will learn to measure limb movement, joint forces and muscle contractions during sports, exercise and daily life, using technology like video cameras, force plates and muscle sensors. You will learn to use measurements to make informed decisions about best practice to enhance performance, improve training, accelerate rehabilitation and reduce injury risk.  

Biomechanics is a fast-growing healthcare-related field. If you choose to pursue a B.S. degree in Biomechanics, you can work in many different environments, from patient and athlete testing to product development.   

The bachelor’s degree in Biomechanics can be a steppingstone degree, meaning it is flexible and does not restrict you to one career. Our students with a Biomechanics bachelor’s degree have attained graduate degrees in medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic care, athletic training and more.  

Our undergraduate program in Biomechanics will teach you to create work and life environments that improve human health and performance. Our students can work hands-on with specialized equipment each day, analyzing the body’s movements and identifying ways the body is not working efficiently.   

This knowledge is useful in a wide array of situations. For example, biomechanists test an athlete’s ability to generate torque because weakness at a particular point may increase the risk of injury.  

You will learn to identify modifications in technique or adjustments to training that can reduce the injury risk. Biomechanics students apply physics and mathematics to human body movement. Biomechanics majors are research-oriented and application-based, and our students become well-equipped in the study of ergonomics and human performance.   

Our students study a wide variety of movement environments including:  

Students in our program have published and presented their research nationally and internationally, recently traveling to North Carolina and New Zealand. Additionally, students looking to human performance research on athletes may have opportunities working with our men’s and women’s student-athletes at Marshall.  

Areas of concentration for our Biomechanics bachelor’s degree are available as follows: 

Biomechanical scientists are found in a wide variety of settings, including: 

Students from our Bachelor of Science in Biomechanics degree program would be able to compete for positions in these career fields. 

Growth prospect and salary figures are high for those who have specialized in biomechanics. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2020, the annual median pay for an exercise physiologist with a bachelor’s degree was $50,280. An occupational therapist with a master’s degree can expect to make more than $86,000 per year. The field is expected to increase at a rate of 11% through 2029.

As a Biomechanics major at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, you will have the chance to explore and conduct research on interesting topics of your choice. Examples of our students’ projects include: 

Biomechanics B.S. students at Marshall also have the chance to conduct movement evaluations in our state-of-the-art Biomechanics Lab. Students in our program will become familiar with performing assessments using motion analysis systems like those seen on ESPN’s “Sports Science” program or films like “Avatar.”  

Biomechanics provides the scientific evidence, so practitioners don’t have to guess or assume. Nike, New Balance, Fitbit and other sports companies have biomechanics labs where they test their shoes and clothing for safety and effectiveness.   

These are just a few of the clinical experiences our Biomechanics students can expect when pursuing their B.S. degree at Marshall.

The faculty in Marshall’s Biomechanics program are accomplished professionals and researchers.   

Recent research presentations by our Biomechanics professors include: