Exercise science career

Course Logistics and Policies

  • Open Mindset Requirement: Exercise science is an exceptionally broad field with diverse career applications. Students are encouraged to keep an open mind regarding career pathways that combine core interests with non-traditional applications.

  • Quiz Schedule and Format:

    • There is no quiz during the first week of class.

    • Weekly quizzes begin in week two, posted online every Monday morning.

    • The first quiz covers muscle content.

    • Students have all week to take the quiz using lecture slides in an open-book, open-note format.

    • Muscle content will be delivered during lectures on Monday and Wednesday of week two.

  • Textbook Policy:

    • The textbook is recommended, not required.

    • Assigned readings from the textbook are provided for students who want background context before lecture.

    • Exams can be managed using the lecture slides alone, but textbook reading provides additional foundational support.

Major Career Umbrellas in Exercise Science

  • Corporate Fitness:

    • A newer, growing sector driven by large corporations seeking to lower health insurance costs by keeping employees healthy.

    • Worksite health and wellness programs lower risks of employee illness and injury.

    • Career roles include Corporate Wellness Director or Fitness Director.

    • Facilities range from employer-discounted external gym memberships to dedicated on-site corporate fitness centers.

    • Example: The Fitness Director at Walt Disney World manages a massive on-site gym facility and oversees all personal trainers providing fitness perks to Disney employees.

  • Fitness and Athletics:

    • Encompasses personal training, strength and conditioning, and sports coaching.

    • Provides flexible revenue and professional practice opportunities while completing undergraduate or graduate education.

  • Clinical Exercise Science:

    • Focuses on rehabilitation, chronic disease management, and allied health professions.

    • Serves as a foundation for advanced clinical degrees: Physical Therapy (PT), Physician Assistant (PA), Medical Doctor (MD), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), and Occupational Therapy (OT).

  • Research and Academia (PhD Path):

    • Focuses on scientific research, higher education teaching, product design, and clinical trial management.

    • Careers span university professorships, commercial industry research, and clinical trial auditing.

Fitness and Athletic Certifications and Coaching

  • Personal Training Certifications:

    • Certifications vary widely in difficulty, scientific validity, prerequisites, and length.

    • Low-barrier certifications: Can be completed via multi-day online courses, skimming text materials, and completing a 1-hour unproctored home exam.

    • High-rigor certifications: Require a 4-year bachelor's degree and proctored examinations at designated testing centers.

  • NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS):

    • Administered by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

    • Prerequisites: Requires a 4-year degree (transitioning toward requiring a bachelor's degree specifically from an NSCA-accredited institution, an accreditation currently being pursued at SU).

    • Exam Characteristics: Requires thorough study of a comprehensive textbook, administered in-person at testing centers, single-attempt policy per sitting, delayed scoring, and high initial fail rate.

  • Practical Value of Personal Training:

    • Helps practitioners refine communication skills ("bedside manner") in fitness and clinical settings.

    • Teaches exercise demonstration, verbal instruction, and real-time biomechanical correction.

    • Acts as a practical springboard for Strength & Conditioning coaches and Physical Therapists manipulating human bodies.

  • Strength and Conditioning Coaching:

    • Focuses on training athletes in collegiate or professional environments to enhance athletic performance (speed, strength, power).

    • Combines exercise science with the "art of coaching" (managing individual client limitations, communicating effectively, and progressing or regressing exercises for injured or novice athletes).

Clinical Exercise Science and Allied Health

  • Physical Therapy (PT) Preparation:

    • Exercise science provides core coursework in exercise physiology, human anatomy, and movement mechanics.

    • Research Study on Physical Therapists: A survey published 5 to 6 years ago evaluated hundreds of practicing physical therapists on their confidence and competency in prescribing strength training exercises