EXERCISE SCIENCE & SPORT
STUDIES
Program Overview
The Department of Exercise Science & Sport Studies is an undergraduate program serving more than 1,000 students who are working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in four distinct programs. Three health-science options:
Applied Kinesiology, Exercise Science, and Exercise Physiology
and one business-oriented option:
Sports Management
The three health science options are laboratory based sciences providing students with a strong background in human anatomy and physiology. After two years of basic math and science (biology, chemistry, physics, calculus, statistics, computer science), upper level students study human physiology as it relates to exercise and physical activity via such courses as system physiology, exercise physiology, kinesiology, motor learning and movement experiences for disabled
populations.
Upon completion of the three undergraduate science programs, students are qualified for graduate programs in medicine, exercise physiology, physical and occupational therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, corporate fitness, athletic training, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, as well as most other health related professions.
The three science programs have 500-600 students of whom approximately 20% classify themselves as pre-med, approximately 50% who are pre-PT or pre-OT, with the remainder equally distributed across the fields of exercise physiology, cardiac rehab, corporate fitness, nursing and physician assistant.
All science-oriented students begin the major in Applied Kinesiology. Upon attaining a 2.85 GPA based on at least 12 credits of sciences within the major, students may apply for Exercise Science where the majority of students are interested in clinical medicine or Exercise Physiology where the primary interest of students involves research. The main difference between these two options, which overlap considerably, is that Exercise Science has five psychology related courses while Exercise Science has five courses which are research oriented and more quantitative.
Sport Management provides students with an extensive background in business and management, beginning with the basic courses in economics, accounting, marketing and communications. Upper level students study the application of these basic business principles to a wide variety of sport settings via courses such as sport and law, risk management, organizational behavior in sport, sport sociology, sport psychology, sport marketing and management. Upon graduation, they enter careers in sport administration, sport marketing, facilities management, and commercial sport. The Sport Management program currently serves approximately 500-600 undergraduates.
The department also sponsors two outreach programs:
The Youth Sports Research Council
and
The Center for Exercise and Aging.
The Sports Council provides adults who work with children in organized competitive sports programs with information about child development issues. Since 1983, the Sports Council has trained more than 200,000 volunteer youth sport coaches in New Jersey alone.
The Center for Exercise and Aging provides information regarding exercise and aging to undergraduates, the general public and administrators of programs serving the needs of the elderly.