Physical Education & Exercise Studies
Career Options
Physical Education
Most individuals majoring in physical education Teacher Certification intend to teach and/or coach in the public schools. With a certification of pre-K through 12, a graduate from our program may teach and coach at any grade level in either public or private institutions.
Exercise Science
Due to increasing costs associated with health care, there is a national trend toward an emphasis on prevention and personal involvement in health issues. As a result of this heightened public awareness, there is an increased demand for services and information related to fitness and health promotion.
What is Exercise Science?
Exercise Science is a broad-based program of study focusing on the effects of exercise on the anatomical, physiological and biomechanical functions of the human body. It is the study of the immediate and long-term effects of physical activity and explores the relationship of an active lifestyle on our health, well being, and ability to recover from disease or injury.
Where is an Exercise Science professional employed?
Exercise Science involves such a broad spectrum of allied health professions and para-medical professions that it often becomes confusing when selecting a career path. The first question you may want to answer is: do you want to work with a healthy population and work toward improved fitness and health for this group OR do you want to work with an injured or diseased population and assist in recovery intervention strategies for this group?
If you answered yes to the first option, you would enjoy career options in the health fitness areas. These areas include the following:
Hospitals and corporations employ individuals to develop and supervise wellness programs for employees of the institution. This work often involves the areas of exercise physiology in which the exercise science professional screens, tests, and develops exercise programs for the employees. It may also involve the area of health promotion in which the exercise science professional develops and implements health screening, education, and awareness programs to provide direction for leading a healthy and positive lifestyle.
Educational institutions employ exercise science professionals to develop and implement wellness programs for faculty, staff, and students. Institutions of higher education also employ exercise research scientists and sport psychologists to explore new and uncharted horizons in the area of sport performance, health interventions, and disease prevention and treatment.
Health clubs and community centers employ exercise science professionals to screen clients, develop exercise programs, and supervise specialized activity sessions.
Some exercise science professionals pursue personal training and consulting careers in which they may work one-on-one with a client or develop a full-service consulting line for numerous constituents.
A very specialized area of health and fitness is the area of strength and conditioning. By pursuing a degree in Exercise Science and obtaining the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification, the exercise science professional could seek employment as a strength and conditioning coach for an athletics program at the collegiate or professional levels.
Many biomedical and sporting goods corporations hire exercise science professionals because of their knowledge of the human body and the field of exercise intervention. In this line of work, the exercise science professional will market a particular product line or will work with a research team to improve sports equipment, shoes, or a particular health product.
If you enjoy writing, many health wellness magazines and publishers are seeking exercise science professionals to serve as editors for the health/wellness sections of their journals.
If you answered yes to the second option, you may enjoy working in a clinical environment in the area of rehabilitation. Opportunities in this track include:
Hospitals employ exercise science professionals to conduct cardiac rehabilitation programs. Many cardiac rehab units are also privately supported and seek the qualified exercise science professional in this area.
Orthopedic clinics employ exercise physiologists to assist the physical therapist in long-term health care from a debilitating injury. In this instance, the physical therapist would work with the "industrial athlete" for the first six weeks of post-trauma care. The exercise physiologists would work with the client from six weeks until the client is ready to return to work, often a period of 6 months to one year.
For other medical fields, a masters degree is often required. The exercise science emphasis in exercise studies serves as excellent preparation for one of the following graduate programs in sports medicine:
Physical Therapy – By carefully selecting the appropriate electives (18-24 hrs) in the exercise science program, a student can fulfill all prerequisites and be prepared to apply to physical therapy school. A strong undergraduate GPA is a requirement as well as an accumulation of volunteer hours in the area of physical therapy.
Physician Assistants – There is a great deal of variety in academic requirements for the different universities offering this program. This field is highly competitive and also requires volunteer hours in the health care professions (500-1500 hours).
Occupational Therapy – By carefully selecting the appropriate electives (18-24 hrs) in the exercise science program, a student can fulfill all prerequisites and be prepared to apply to occupational therapy school. A strong undergraduate GPA is a requirement as well as an accumulation of volunteer hours in the area of occupational therapy.
Masters Programs in Health and Exercise Science – Many of our undergraduates choose to further their education by pursuing a master’s degree in Health and Exercise Science. After completion of a MA or MS in Exercise Science, students would be qualified to work as exercise clinic directors, exercise programmers, exercise technicians or researchers in the area of health and sport performance.
Athletic Training
The Athletic Training Major is designed to provide the undergraduate student with a blend of academic coursework and clinical experiences in appropriate athletic training settings.
What does an athletic trainer do?
According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), the athletic trainer plays a major role in "preventing, recognizing, managing, and rehabilitating sports injuries".
Where is an athletic trainer employed?
Although the role of the athletic trainer is a very specific one, the employment opportunities have expanded to a number of settings including:
Secondary schools -- Many high schools are employing athletic trainers to serve the preventive and rehabilitation needs of a specific school. With the realization that health care of the athletes involves more than "game day coverage", the athletic trainer has surfaced as an integral part of a high school’s athletics program. It should be noted that most high schools require the athletic trainer to also teach classes and a teaching certificate is a necessity. Therefore, if a student is interested in an athletic training career in the secondary school setting, the student will most likely be required to complete a fifth year of academic work to pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching or a second undergraduate degree leading to teacher certification.
Colleges and Universities – Athletic trainers in an institution of higher education are either employed by the athletics department and serve solely as the athletic trainer for the student athletes or they are hired by an academic department and may be required to teach classes as well as serve the athletic training needs of the student athletes. A majority of colleges and universities require a Masters degree for employment.
Professional Sports – In this setting, an athletic trainer is employed by a professional sport franchise in which the focus of prevention and care is on the professional athletes playing for that particular franchise. Although the competitive season is not year-round, the employment for the athletic trainer is a 12-month position requiring emphasis on conditioning and rehabilitation in the off season.
Sports Medicine Clinics -- Employment in this setting has increased in recent years and involves work in orthopedic, physical therapy or rehabilitation private enterprise environments. The athletic trainer is a member of a team of health care professionals who provide services for a diverse population. However, a number of clinics also provide athletic training services for secondary schools in the area.