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Home > Health & Exercise Science |
 
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| Health & Exercise Science |
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 The Health and Exercise Science (HES) baccalaureate degree program is a curriculum that allows students to explore the scientific foundations of human exercise as well as current issues relating to individual and community health.
In this program, students study the areas of human anatomy, exercise physiology, kinesiology, psychology of physical activity, first aid and safety, nutrition, and other aspects of health, as well as a wide range of general education subjects.
The program combines field and laboratory experiences with classroom instruction, so students have "hands-on" practice in the areas of personal training, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, hospital wellness programs, and corporate fitness. These experiences help prepare the graduates to provide services in the use of exercise and fitness activities in the clinical, corporate, and commercial environments.
Students will also develop the knowledge and skills necessary to continue their education in health-related graduate programs inluding physician assistant, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, medical school, and other allied health professions. The bachelor's degree in health and exercise science offers students flexibility to choose elective coursework to fit their personal career goals.
Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the American College of Sports Medicine Exercise Specialist Certification Examination or the National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Examination. |
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Program Mission Statement
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The mission of the Health and Exercise Science program is to develop students' focus within an academic setting that encourages their knowledge in the areas of health and exercise science.
Through the curriculum and faculty-student interactions, graduates of the Health and Exercise Science program will develop the knowledge and proficiency necessary for practice or continuation to graduate level education. |
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Goals and Objectives
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At the conclusion of the program, students will:
1. Analyze, critique and apply theory and research from health exercise science and related fields to understanding of physical fitness and health.
2. Demonstrate integration of health exercise science research and theory into clinical practice for improving individuals' exercise and fitness behaviors
3. Demonstrate the knowledge and skills requisite for graduate education in health exercise science and other related medical and allied health fields, entry-level physical fitness and wellness and/or community health education positions.
4. Demonstrate effective professional communication, cultural sensitivity, and a commitment to life-long learning. |
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Career Opportunities
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 When students graduate, they will have the opportunity to find employment in a vast variety of settings including:
- Hospital or community wellness (or health and fitness) centers
- Commercial health and fitness centers
- Corporate health and fitness centers
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation clinics
- Nursing homes, senior citizen centers
- Community-based recreation centers
- Research laboratories
- Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation facilities
- Personal training
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Websites for Health and Exercise Science
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Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) http://www.caahep.org/
The Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences (CoAES): http://www.coaes.org/
American College of Sports Medicine: http://www.acsm.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home_Page
National Strength and Conditioning Association: http://www.nsca-lift.org/
National Strength and Conditioning Association Certification Commission: http://www.nsca-cc.org/
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Websites for Health Education Specialist Certification
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The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) http://www.nchec.org/
The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) http://www.sophe.org/
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Other Relevant Websites
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Medical Fitness Association: http://www.medicalfitness.org/
American Council on Exercise: http://www.acefitness.com/
American Public Health Association: http://www.apha.org/ |
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| HEALTH & EXERCISE SCIENCE |
ELE 000: Statistics Elective for Health & Exercise Science
IDS 301-Statistics for Healthcare or MTH 210-Introduction to Statistics |
ENG 325 OR ENG 220: English Elective for Health & Exercise Science
ENG 325-Communication in Professional Practice or ENG 220-Public Speaking |
HES 220: Foundations of Health and Exercise Science
Course facilitates a general understanding of health and exercise science as a field of study. Students will be introduced to the history and origins of the academic discipline, current trends in the field, scholarship that informs the profession, and future directions for research and practice. Physical activity, structured exercise, and health-related fitness behaviors and programs will be discussed applying a social ecological framework across individual, group, organization, community, and policy levels. Students will be introduced to the HES electronic portfolio requirement, develop their portfolio framework, and document knowledge, skills, and abilities as appropriate to developing competencies and demonstrating proficiencies in HES content areas. (3 credit hours) |
HES 221: Group Exercise Activities
Course content is designed to provide focused instruction and opportunities for sound application including, but not limited to, the following modes of group exercise class activities: high/low impact, step training, studio cycling, water aerobics, body pump, and cardio kickboxing. Each topic will be covered in detail with respect to physiological and biomechanical principles, class organization, choreography, safety, and modifications for involvement of individuals with varying abilities, including current trends and research in the areas of group exercise. (1 credit hour) |
HES 222: Muscle Fitness Activities
Course content is designed to provide both the theoretical and practical knowledge to effectively design, organize and implement muscular fitness programs. Special emphasis will be placed on the physiological/biomechanical principles, training guidelines and safety procedures in developing and administering programs in muscular fitness, core strength and balance for populations with varying abilities. Current trends and research in the areas of muscle fitness will be covered. (1 credit hour) |
HES 271: Injury Prevention and Post-Rehabilitative Exercise
Course includes approaches involved in preventing common injuries that occur within the active population and concepts of post-rehabilitative exercise. The content of the course will include risk management and safety within an exercise environment and post-rehabilitation principles for common injuries and illnesses. Emphasis will be placed on prevention and recognition of and post-rehabilitative exercise recommendations for the injuries and illnesses most common in non-clinical exercise environments. (3 credit hours) |
HES 302: Exercise Physiology
Course encompasses the acute physiological responses and chronic adaptations of the human body to exercise. Included in the context of this course are the neuromuscular, metabolic, cardiovascular, hormonal, and respiratory systems as they relate to the basic science of human movement and clinical applications. Methodology, procedures, quantification and measurement issues are emphasized in the laboratory component.(4 credit hours) |
HES 311C: Clinical I
This clinical experience is designed to provide students with an opportunity to gain entry-level experience in commercial exercise science settings. Students will complete a minimum of 90 hours of supervised clinical experience in a fitness center environment that will include land- and water-based group and individual exercise protocols for apparently healthy individuals of various ages and abilities. This rotation will include working with individuals of varying ages and abilities on health fitness tasks as well as with site supervisor and staff on various aspects of fitness center operations. (2 credit hours) |
HES 312C: Clinical II
This clinical placement provides the student with an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to a practical experience in a medically-directed, clinical setting. Students will complete a minimum of 90 hours of supervised clinical experience that will include structured and rehabilitative exercise for populations of various ages and abilities with known disease and/or injuries. Experiences will be documented in the student’s electronic portfolio demonstrating entry-level knowledge, skills, and abilities in medical exercise settings. (2 credit hours) |
HES 323: Concepts of Strength and Conditioning
Advanced study of scientific principles and theories related to strength and conditioning for varying populations. Discussions relative to concepts and applications in the exercise sciences, testing and evaluation, program design, implementation, and evaluation, strength and conditioning, facility organization and administration, as well as safety techniques are emphasized. (3 credit hours) |
HES 334: Kinesiology
This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of human movement and how developmental and pathological processes affect human movement. Content includes musculoskeletal anatomy, joint structure and function, biomechanics, posture analysis, and gait analysis. The student is prepared to identify the various phases of motion and explain the mechanical significance of each in producing the desired outcome. (3 credit hours) |
HES 345: Exercise Testing and Prescription
This course focuses on the various procedures and protocols for testing and measuring components of fitness associated with optimal health – cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, flexibility, and body composition. Students will explore the associations among physical activity, health, and hypokinetic diseases; health screening and risk classification; principles of measurement, assessment, test administration and exercise prescription; various clinical and field-based test modes and protocols for determining levels of health fitness. Students will also practice exercise prescription specific to test outcomes. (3 credit hours) |
HES 355: Applied Nutrition and Energy Production
This course focuses on fundamental concepts of nutrition and dietary behaviors with a special focus on contemporary issues relevant to developing professionals in health and exercise science. A survey of concepts and research in nutrition science, including micro and macro nutrients, food industry, dietary practices for weight management, and supplementation will be applied to nutritional support of active lifestyle and exercise behaviors for health and wellness across the lifespan. Emphasis is placed on metabolism of foodstuffs and the acute and chronic effects that exercise and physical activity have on the energy pathways. (3 credit hours) |
HES 365: Psychosocial Aspects of Exercise
This course brings content and methods of inquiry from psychology and sociology to issues related to physical activity and exercise behaviors. Students focus on the psychosocial factors related to participants and their motivated behaviors, including adoption, adherence, and compliance, in leisure physical activity and exercise. This course also examines comprehension of physical activity environments, group processes for enhancing participants’ health and well being, applications of theories for enhancing client psychosocial development, and physical activity behaviors for individuals with diverse cultural identities. (3 credit hours) |
HES 375: Research Methods in HES
This course provides the students with a directed research experience. Students will work as members of the research team to design, write, propose, implement and present a study. Activities include the Internal Review Board (IRB) process, development of a research question, a literature review strategy and methodology to be employed, data collection, analyses, interpretation and conclusions, and oral and written presentations of findings. (3 credit hours) |
HES 411C: Clinical III
This clinical experience provides the opportunity for students to gain experience in health fitness at a college-qualified or worksite program site under the direct supervision of a clinical instructor. All aspects of health fitness management, including assessment, programming, and facility administration will be practiced. Students will complete a minimum of 90 hours of supervised clinical applications, further develop requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities of an entry-level practitioner, and submit an electronic portfolio. (2 credit hours) |
HES 412C: Clinical IV
This capstone clinical placement is designed as a selected, structured clinical experience specific to the last semester of enrollment in the Health and Exercise Science program. Case study methodology, including theory and application, measurement and evaluation, and HES program strategies and outcomes, will be applied in the development of knowledge, skills, and abilities in a clinical placement specific to the post-baccalaureate goals of the learner. This final HES portfolio component, the case study thesis document, will be included in the electronic portfolio and orally defended. Students will complete a minimum of 90 hours of supervised clinical experience, write and present a case study project documenting knowledge, skills, and abilities. (2 credit hours) |
HES 422: Organization and Administration in HES
This course examines the various issues, policies, and procedures that influence the administration of health and exercise science across various settings, including clinical, corporate, commercial, and community. Topics include facility organization and design; legal liability issues; personnel management; equipment budgeting, purchasing, and maintenance; confidentiality, record keeping, and billing; health insurance and healthcare services; ethical standards and scope of practice; consulting, counseling and coaching, professional organizations and certifications; needs assessment evaluation approaches; promotion, advocacy, and public relations. (3 credit hours) |
HES 426C: Professional Fieldwork in HES
This course is designed to provide the student with the opportunity for a variety of applied health and exercise experiences in different settings. This professional field experience offers a challenge to students by testing their potential and interest in selected areas in the field of Health and Exercise Science. (2 credit hours) |
HES 427C: Scholarly Fieldwork in HES
This course is designed to provide the student with the opportunity for an applied research experience in health and exercise science under the direction of HES research faculty. The directed research experience is intended to offer a challenge to senior-level students and test their potential and interest in scholarly activity in the field of Health and Exercise Science. (2 credit hours) |
HES 444: Physical Activity and Aging
This course presents an overview of the benefits of lifespan physical activity and structured exercise programs for adults, focusing on older adults of varying ability and health status. Students will examine, in detail, the changes that occur during exercise as it influences older adults, including the frail elderly and other individuals with special medical considerations. Developing exercise and fitness programs specifically for individuals in these populations based upon age, medical conditions, and special needs will be addressed.(3 credit hours) |
HES 452: Community Health and Physical Activity Promotion
This course examines the practical applications of principles concerning community health and physical activity promotion. A history of community health organizations and activities will be presented as well as the organization and responsibilities of community health agencies currently operating nationally and locally. Planning and evaluation frameworks, needs assessment approaches, and public health models will be covered. Current issues impacting community health and physical activity will be targeted. Emphasis is on debate of controversial issues. (3 credit hours) |
HES 485: Professional Seminar in HES (Proposed)
Course presents an extensive overview of Health and Exercise Science as a profession and an opportunity for students to complete their HES electronic portfolio for final presentation. Verbal and non-verbal communication skills, including resume writing, job interviewing, and professional presentations, professional goals and objectives, career opportunities, and graduate school selection are included. Major issues, future trends, and special topics in contemporary health and exercise science will also be explored.(3 credit hours) |
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