Internationally Educated Applicants - Mature/Experienced

Degree Requirement

a) A four-year degree in kinesiology from a post-secondary educational institution in Canada where the degree and institution meet the standard set by the Board, or

b) Educational qualifications from a post-secondary educational institution in Canada or another country that are deemed by the Board to be substantively equivalent to the requirements in (a)*, or

c) educational qualifications that are in part equivalent to a four-year degree in kinesiology* in addition to successful completion of an examination, and work experience, acceptable to the BCAK.

*Educational (Degree) Equivalency is at the discretion of and determined by the BCAK during the review process and takes into consideration; academic coursework, course grades, clinical work experience, additional non-formal practice education, certifications and other relevant information.

Academic course and grade requirements for membership are based on the BCAK's Essential Competencies of Practice.

Note: The required core courses cannot be used to also meet elective course requirements.

Core Course Requirement

Satisfactory completion of the seven (7) specified core courses listed below with a grade of 60% or higher. (Grades of less than 60% are not accepted for core courses. If no percentage grade is provided, BCAK will review equivalency from the granting institution).

• Human Anatomy
• Human Physiology
• Human Motor Control & Learning
• Biomechanics of Human Movement
• Exercise Physiology
• Advanced Exercise Prescription
• Research Methods

*The courses completed must include the specified course content.

and

Elective Course Requirement

Completion of a minimum of sixteen (16) additional elective courses in kinesiology, which meet the following grade and and category requirements.

1. Elective course grade requirements - A passing grade is required for all 16 elective courses, with 14 of the 16 elective courses having a grade not less 60%. A maximum of 2 course grades between 55% and 59% grades will be accepted towards the total 16 elective courses.
2. Categories

• Special Populations, Disease Processes and Health Conditions - minimum one (1) course
• Professional Practice, Assessment and Interventions - minimum seven (7) courses
• Kinesiology Theory - Physiologic Processes and General Health - minimum five (5) courses
• Foundational Sciences - a maximum of three (3) courses can be applied to meet the minimum sixteen (16) electives, if the minimum is not achieved through the other combined categories. No minimum category requirement.

Full details on the elective categories and subtopics can be found here.

Supporting Documents

Applicants must provide the following documentation.

1- Proof of Kinesiology (or Equivalent) Degree Completion

Submit legible quality images, in JPG or PDF format for each kinesiology related degree certificate in the proper orientation, showing all signatures and seals. If you have already submitted your application email the additional documents directly to the BCAK by email to: (office@bcak.bc.ca).

2 - International Credential Evaluation Report (covering all Kinesiology Related Degree)

Consisting of:

• A comprehensive International Credit Evaluation Service (ICES) report
  OR
• Course by course WES report, with ICAP package for each international degree
  AND
• Professionally Translated (if not provided in English) and Notarized official transcripts (If these are included within the credit evaluation report, separate submission to the BCAK is not required)
  (Contact office for additional information on when notarized copies are acceptable BEFORE requesting these documents)

By: Email to office@bcak.bc.ca, or Physical Mail - refer to contact information page

Note: If percent grades are provided, the review committee will assess marks on percent grades rather than letter grade equivalents - in these cases a C- grade is considered greater than or equal to 60%.

Reminder: Applicants who have completed multiple degrees or attended multiple post-secondary institutions are required to submit documentation for each kinesiology related degree/diploma.

3 - Proof of Course Content

Provide course outlines/descriptions/syllabi in English for all relevant courses. This can be completed by:

• Uploading official course outlines when submitting your application online, or
• providing a PDF list or description links obtained from your educational institution's website, or
• Course descriptions prepared by the applicant if no longer available through the institution.

NOTE 1: Course outlines must be submitted for the 7 core and 16 elective courses (please compile all course outlines into one document before submitting)
NOTE 2: Official outlines and institutional descriptions are weighted more heavily than applicant written descriptions.

4-Proof of Good Moral Character

Submit a criminal record check (CRC) clearance letter and declaration on past criminal convictions and regulatory discipline (PCCRD)

• A Criminal Record Check clearance letter obtained through the BC Criminal Record Review Program (CRRP) - note the BCAK does not accept CRCs from other jurisdictions or local police departments.

How to Complete a Criminal Record Check

• Complete, sign, scan and upload during the application process or return by email the form below (click the button):

BCAK Good Moral Character declaration

5-Letters Required

Submit a Letter of Intent and Declaration of Practice Area detailing:

• Your reasons for seeking membership with BCAK and why it is important to you.
• The area(s) (see: Areas of Practice) in which you intend to practice, which should include details relating to your knowledge and skills related to the BCAK's scope of practice for kinesiologists.
• Note: Letter(s) to be written in your own words (use of Artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as large language models (LLMs) to prepare the content are not accepted, with the exception of spelling and punctuation correction software commonly found in commercially available word processing programs).

Submit Professional Reference Letters:

• A maximum of two professional reference letters from persons known to you (but not related to you) for more than 1 year, who can attest to your professional acumen, clinical knowledge and interpersonal skills.

Submit Employment Reference Letter:

• At least one employment reference letter from an employer attesting to your professionalism, clinical knowledge/competency and communication skills must be provided.

Submit Volunteer/Mentorship Reference Letter:

• If part of your work experience/history includes volunteer (unpaid) hours of work, and/or work where you provided unpaid mentorship, please provide a letter of reference for that unpaid work.

6 - Continuing Professional Development (CPD ) since Graduation

Requirement

Applicants must provide evidence of completion of 100 CPD credit hours over the previous 5 years (20 CPD credits per year) based on the BCAK CPD table. The requirement includes the additional requirement that forty (40) of the one hundred (100) credits must be directly related to the intended area of practice indicated in the letter of intent provided by you.

• If a Master's or Ph.D. degree in Kinesiology have been completed within the past 5 years, following completion of the undergraduate kinesiology degree, the educational coursework can be applied to meet the continuing education requirements provided the courses are not used to meet the primary academic requirements.
• Proof of CPD must be in the form of course receipts or certificates of achievement issued by the course/education provider(s) and include the date the coursework was completed, the number of contact hours and the course details.
• CPD activities must be within the scope of kinesiology practice.
• Proof should be submitted online through the application portal during the online application process. If not supplied at time of application, you will be informed of the requirement upon completion of the review and subsequently whether the materials satisfy the requirement.

7 - Proof of English Language Proficiency

Applicants educated outside of Canada in a language other than English, are required to provide proof of English language Proficiency.

The BCAK will accept proof of English language instruction as follows:

Proof of English language instruction in the form of:

• A signed affidavit from your educational institution declaring English as the language of instruction, and
• Official course outlines in their original English format as provided by the institution.

Otherwise, an English language proficiency test is required. Accepted test results include CELPIP or IELTS (note TOEFL is accepted only for applications prior to March 1 2024).

Tests Accepted

Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) - General Test required. The exam must be taken in Canada** (not a foreign country) - please check the CELPIP website for exam fees in Canada. The CELPIP-General official score report PDF must be submitted with your application. Minimum Level 7 for reading, writing, speaking and listening.

OR

International English Language Testing System (IELTS, Academic and General Training tests accepted)

• Please check the the IELTS website for exam fees in Canada**.
  • Listening - Minimum score of 7
  • Writing - Minimum score of 7
  • Reading - Minimum score of 7
  • Speaking - Minimum score of 6.5
  • Overall - Minimum score of 7

**All English proficiency tests must be written in-person at a testing centre in Canada. Online, at-home tests will not be accepted.

Note: For applicants who applied prior to March 1, 2024, they can provide their TOEFL results (minimum requirements listed below):

Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

• IBT (internet based test) (~$200 depending on center)
  • Listening - Minimum score of 20
  • Writing - Minimum score of 20
  • Reading - Minimum score of 20
  • Speaking - Minimum score of 20
  • Overall - Minimum score of 80
• Paper delivered
  • Listening - Minimum score of 20
  • Writing - Minimum score of 20
  • Reading - Minimum score of 20
  • Overall - Minimum score of 60

Requirements

1) Type of Experience

Kinesiology practice experience must be within the scope of practice as defined by the BCAK and should support your competencies and ability to perform tasks typically related to professional practice. For additional information please refer to: Professional Membership Work Experience Criteria.

Note: the work experience must be in the role of a kinesiologist and must include working with a variety of populations (both healthy and unhealthy).

2) Volume/Hours of Experience

• a minimum of 1500 work hours in the field of kinesiology in the past 2 years, with 300 of those hours in Canada ( the 300 hours can be as an employee or intern under the direct supervision of another BCAK practicing or non-practicing member (who must have a minimum of 2 years full time experience)) OR
• a minimum of 5000 work hours in the field of kinesiology in the past 5 years, with 300 of those hours in Canada in the past 2 years (the 300 hours can be as an employee or intern under the direct supervision of another BCAK practicing or non-practicing member (who must have a minimum of 2 years full time experience) ).

3) Proof of Experience/Employment (Paid and/or unpaid)

• A notarized work history/experience declaration list must be submitted by the applicant,
• All experience entries, including hours completed, must be verifiable through employment, service, payroll, or letter of reference (applies to volunteer work only) by BCAK,
• Tax records may be considered for work completed as an independent contractor, in the absence of other verifiable proof,
• Volunteer work cannot account for more than 300 hours of the total required work experience,
• The BCAK will determine at its sole discretion, whether the work experience meets its requirements.

Experience must be submitted on the following form and be notarized by a lawyer or notary public licensed to practice in the province of BC.

Contact the office for the Record of Work Experience form that must be completed and notarized as part of your application package.

As indicated in the academic degree requirements, applicants who are deemed to have completed a degree that is partially equivalent to a recognized 4-year degree kinesiology in Canada are required to pass the BCAK's Core Course Composite Examination, regardless of regardless of whether they have work experience acceptable to the BCAK, or alternatively the applicants must satisfactorily complete of the seven (7) core courses at a a Post-Secondary institution in Canada recognized by the BCAK.

Prior to being permitted to write the exam, applicants must meet the other requirements previously indicated.

Examination details, policies, procedures and booking information are available on the Exam Information page.