Exercise Science, B.S.
Contact
Heath Pierce, M.Ed., RSCC*D, CSCS*D, NSCA-CPT*D, ACSM EP-C
Program Director, Exercise Science
hpierce@une.edu
Mission
The Exercise Science (EXS) program is a student-centered, innovative, comprehensive program designed to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for excellence in the fields of exercise science, sport performance, and health and wellness. The curriculum encourages life-long learning through classroom, laboratory, internship, and research experience. Graduates will become highly effective, compassionate allied health care professionals capable of working with varied populations.
Major Description
The Exercise Science (EXS) major is designed to provide graduates with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform pre-participatory screening, fitness testing, exercise prescription, and exercise leadership for healthy, health-compromised populations, and athletic performance enhancement. The primary goals of the EXS major are to prepare students:
- For graduate/professional school admissions in various applied health programs including physical therapy, physician assistant, accelerated nursing, chiropractic medicine, osteopathic medicine, exercise physiology, and strength and conditioning.
- For entry-level employment as an exercise science professional in various careers including cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, cardiovascular diagnostic testing, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, corporate fitness, and personal training.
- To successfully challenge accredited national certification examinations.
Accreditation
The University of New England’s Exercise Science (EXS) major received accreditation in January 2019 from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). The CAAHEP is the largest programmatic accreditor of the health sciences professions. In collaboration with its Committee on Accreditation, CAAHEP reviews and accredits more than 2,100 individual education programs in 30 health science occupations. CAAHEP accredited programs are assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure that they meet the standards and guidelines of each profession.
The EXS major has received endorsement since its inception in 2006 from the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) Education Recognition Program (ERP). The NSCA ERP recognizes and distinguishes schools with standardized, approved strength and conditioning curricula in undergraduate settings designed to prepare students for the NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer® (NSCA-CPT®) and NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® (CSCS®) certifications.
Transfer Credit
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Admissions
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Financial Information
Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more tuition and fee information, please consult this catalog’s Financial Information section.
Curricular Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Nor'easter Core Requirements | ||
| Nor'easter Core Requirements | 40 | |
| Program Required Courses | ||
| ATC 101 | Prev & Care of Ath Inj. | 3 |
| ATC 306 | Psychology of Sport & Exercise | 3 |
| ATC 333 | Gross Anatomy | 3 |
| ATC 420 | Research Methods | 3 |
| BIO 105 & 105L | Biology I: Ecology/Evolution and Bio I: Ecology/Evolution Lab | 4 |
| BIO 106 & 106L | Biology II: Cellular/Molecular and Bio II:Cellular/Molecular Lab | 4 |
| BIO 208 & 208L | Intro Anatomy & Physiology I and Intro Anatomy & Phys Lab 1 | 4 |
| BIO 209 & 209L | Intro Anatomy & Physiology II and Intro Anatomy & Phys II Lab | 4 |
| BIO 309 | Pathophysiology | 3 |
| CHE 110 & 110L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| ENV 104 | Sustainability for a Healthy Planet | 3 |
| EXS 101 | Introduction to Exercise Science | 1 |
| EXS 120 | Personal Health And Wellness | 3 |
| EXS 180 | Motor Learning & Performance | 3 |
| EXS 310 | Kinesiology & Biomechanics | 3 |
| EXS 320 | Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| EXS 322 | Metabolism/Bioenerg/Sp Nut | 3 |
| EXS 330 & 330L | Fitness Eval & Prescription and Fitness Evaluation Lab | 3 |
| EXS 340 | Concepts of Strength&Condition | 3 |
| EXS 380 & 380L | 12 Lead ECG Interpretation and 12 Lead ECG Interpretation | 3 |
| EXS 392 & 392L | Clinical Exer Testing/Prescrip and Clinical Exer Test/Prescr Lab | 3 |
| EXS 399 | (Exercise Science Clinical Internship I) | 1 |
| EXS 432 | Exercise Management for Chronic Disease & Disability | 3 |
| EXS 495 | Seminar in Exercise Science | 1 |
| EXS 499 | Exercise Science Clinical Internship II 1 | 6 |
| IHS 310 | Ethics for Interprofessional Practice | 3 |
| MAT 120 | Statistics | 3 |
| NUTR 220 | Nutrition | 3 |
| PHY 110 & PHY 110L | General Physics I w/Lab and | 4 |
| PSY 250 | Lifespan Dev in Context | 3 |
| SOC 150 | Intro to Sociology | 3 |
| One Elective Course with an ATC or EXS Prefix 2 | 3 | |
| Two Elective Course with an ATC, BIO, CHE, EXS or PHY Prefix 2 | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 145 | |
- 1
Internship Experience
The senior-level culminating experience may be either EXS 499 Exercise Science Clinical Internship II taken as a six-credit field experience internship (taken in the summer, fall, or spring) or a combination of two EXS 499 Exercise Science Clinical Internship II three-credit field experience internships totaling six credits. Each student is required to complete a minimum of 270 hours (45 hours/credit) under the direct supervision of an approved clinical internship site supervisor. To be eligible to complete the internship, the student must be senior-level status with a minimum of 90 earned credits, in good standing with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or greater, and compliant with all academic and technical standards. Failure to achieve these academic standards may delay graduation.
- 2
EXS, ATC, BIO, CHE, or PHY Electives
An elective course substitution is allowed per permission of the Exercise Science Program Director.
Please note: While some courses can fulfill both core and program requirements, the credits earned do not count twice towards the minimum total required credits for the degree.
Academic and Technical Standards
Students are subject to two sets of academic guidelines, the first to meet minimum qualifications for ongoing enrollment at the University of New England and the other to meet specific Exercise Science program requirements.
- In keeping with the guidelines of the University of New England, students in the Bachelor of Science with a major in Exercise Science must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) as described in the Academic Policies and Regulations page of the catalog.
- Students must achieve a minimum grade of C in the following courses:
Failure to achieve a minimum grade of a C will result in program-level probation, and may affect academic progression and delay graduation.Course List Code Title Hours MAT 120 Statistics 3 BIO 105 Biology I: Ecology/Evolution 4 BIO 106 Biology II: Cellular/Molecular 4 BIO 208 Intro Anatomy & Physiology I 4 BIO 209 Intro Anatomy & Physiology II 4 BIO 309 Pathophysiology 3 NUTR 220 Nutrition 3 - Students must achieve a minimum grade of C in each EXS and ATC prefix course.
- Students must achieve a minimum grade of C- in the following courses: CHE 110 General Chemistry I and PHY 110 General Physics I w/Lab. Failure to achieve a minimum grade of a C- will result in program-level probation, and may affect academic progression and delay graduation.
- Failure to achieve a minimum grade of a C or C- in any of the above- outlined courses requires the student to repeat the course.
- A student may enroll in any of the courses listed above a maximum of two times. Enrollment consists of earning a letter grade. Withdrawing (W) from a course is not considered officially enrolled.
- Failure to achieve a minimum of a C or C- a second time the course is taken will result in dismissal from the major.
- Once in course work in the junior year, students must maintain a minimum cumulative semester-end grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Failure to do so will result in program-level probation and may affect academic progression and delay graduation.
- Students whose cumulative semester-end GPA falls below the 2.5 threshold for two consecutive semesters will be dismissed from the program.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the Exercise Science program students will:
- Demonstrate knowledge in the exercise sciences including anatomy and physiology, exercise physiology, kinesiology and biomechanics, ECG interpretation, exercise testing, and prescription, motor learning, and nutrition.
- Demonstrate knowledge of and clinical proficiency in the following content areas for both apparently healthy and chronic disease populations: pre-participation screening/health risk appraisal and stratification; fitness assessment and evaluation; the design of individually tailored exercise prescription; and appropriate exercise techniques.
- Recognize the importance of interprofessional collaboration in the delivery of safe, high-quality care within the health care system/exercise science field.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written formats.
- Recognize the importance of ethically-grounded care for diverse clients, patients and/or athletes.
- Successfully challenge accredited national certification examinations from the American College of Sports Medicine and/or the National Strength and Conditioning Association.