Just as you’d get a bad result by using baking soda in a recipe that calls for baking powder, a bachelor of exercise science degree is quite different than an exercise fitness or physical training degree. For many, it’s better. Bachelor’s degree in exercise science graduates support community health initiatives, develop ways to improve performance, and seek answers that can reduce or reverse the progression of specific diseases. That’s a big deal with a wide impact.
A Degree in Exercise Science Differs From Kinesiology
Sometimes, kinesiology is seen as the same as exercise science. Exercise science is a specialty area, a more focused subfield of kinesiology.
A bachelor’s degree in exercise science examines movement, function, and performance and how that movement affects health and well-being over the long term.
So, while kinesiology is a broad field that involves assessing injuries, implementing rehabilitation programs, and performing fitness assessments, an exercise science degree focuses on understanding the underlying mechanisms that affect exercise.
Improving Lives Through Exercise Science
Here are a few examples of what an exercise science grad might do:
There is wide acceptance of the need for regular exercise. More than 57% of people do exercise, up more than 10% from 15 years ago. Today, 84% of companies with 200 or more workers are now administering a workplace wellness program. More than 900 million people worldwide use wearable fitness devices to measure what they do as exercise.
There’s never been a better time to present evidence-based knowledge for reaching exercise goals rather than holding on to age-old practices that may not be valid. With a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, you’ll be helping lead the way in this goal.
What you’ll learn in an exercise science degree program will support the efforts of others in the healthcare and fitness fields:
A Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science in 3 Years
Each university’s bachelor’s degree in exercise science will be different. Some exercise science degrees are four-year programs. Others are structured for degree completion in three years.
A typical bachelor’s degree breaks out something like this:
For answers to key questions about studying exercise science, check out this Q&A blog.
Careers With an Exercise Science Degree
Many who study exercise science leverage their skills and knowledge in healthcare and fitness occupations, such as cardiac rehabilitation specialists, community or fitness center directors, or healthy living directors in corporate settings.
Other graduates will find their bachelor’s degree is solid preparation for earning a master’s degree (M.S.) in exercise physiology.
The projected growth for exercise physiologists is 11% through 2029, and salaries range from $49,170 to $53,642 or more, according to the data site Salary.com.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a private, nonprofit, healthcare-focused university. The CUKC College of Health Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Exercise Science degree students can complete in about three years.
Our program is aligned with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The depth of our exercise science degree program provides excellent preparation for students interested in dual credentials in many areas, including
Our students receive hands-on instruction and gain practical experience through campus lab experiences, classes, and the field through a 9 credit-hour internship. Our “electives of distinction” allow students to select a specialty area.
Connect with a CUKC admissions adviser by clicking here. If you need answers about financial aid opportunities, get this free eBook today: Your Comprehensive Guide to College Financial Aid.
