Are you looking for a college major with a wide-open ability to take you where you want to go in life? The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Exercise Science degree offers a comprehensive academic foundation for multiple careers aimed at helping people of all ages live healthier and stay fit.
Exercise science studies how the body reacts and adapts to physical exercise in the long and short term. The B.S. in exercise science is excellent preparation for healthcare/fitness-related professions, from physician assistant (PA) to physical or occupational therapy to cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation practitioners.
Students learn all aspects of exercise physiology and the role behavior modification has on people with diseases, disorders, and disabilities.
Through coursework and lab-based learning, students explore safe and effective exercise prescriptions for healthy people and those with cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other life-affecting musculoskeletal conditions and injuries.
Every B.S. in Exercise Science degree will have its differences, but the learning objectives typically include
You should look into exercise science when you’re passionate about fitness and performance and intrigued by the human body’s systems and processes.
To know for sure it’s for you, here are some questions students aiming for the B.S. in Exercise Science might be eager to answer:
Some exercise science programs will be more oriented toward research; others will focus their classes and labs on the skills and knowledge that directly apply to people’s needs. That’s a big difference, so it’s important to understand which direction an exercise program takes you.
Meeting with exercise program directors is an excellent way to discover if a university’s degree program is the right fit.
“The students we want to recruit care about helping clients and patients become who they want to be,” says one exercise science program director, “whether to perform well as a marathon athlete or to maintain strength and physical abilities later in life.”
Other factors important in choosing where to earn an exercise science degree:
Look at the popularity of personal fitness devices and the hundreds of books touting the keys to getting and staying in shape. You can imagine how valuable a degree in exercise science is for today.
According to studies by the American Heart Association, sedentary jobs have increased 83% since 1950. To address this trend toward limited physical activity, the U.S. Senate in 2021 passed the Promoting Physical Activity Act to promote physical activity recommendations aligned with research-based scientific evidence.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which tracks employment trends, now estimates that exercise scientist/physiologist roles will grow more than 11% from 2019 to 2029. There is a need for highly qualified health education specialists, and community health workers will increase by 13%. Overall, the BLS projects 2.4 million new healthcare jobs will be added from 2019-2029.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private, nonprofit, healthcare-focused university. Our College of Health Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Exercise Science degree that students can earn in as little as three years.
Our 25-credit hour electives component is unique to our degree, which allows students to arrange clinical education experiences, independent study options, individual research, or other course selections based on a specific area of interest and professional goals.
Students receive hands-on instruction and gain practical experience through campus lab experiences, in class, and in the field through a nine-hour internship based on a student’s area of interest.
Our B.S. in Exercise Science graduates are eligible to sit for nationally recognized certifications, including a Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-CEP) from the American College of Sports Medicine.
Our program is an excellent fit for students interested in dual credentials in many healthcare areas:
Ready to learn more about the CUKC exercise science degree? Get connected to an admissions advisor here and receive this free eBook: Your Comprehensive Guide to College Financial Aid.
