Exercise and Sport Sciences

Stress is part of everyday life and affects our health and well-being. Throughout this course, we will examine our body’s responses to stress, our sources of stress, and various strategies to respond to stressors.

This 80-hour minimum experience (2 credits) for exercise science majors and 120 hour minimum experience (3 credits) for sport management majors is organized to allow for student participation in programs relevant to the student’s major and professional interests. Graded Pass/Fail.

This course takes a multifaceted approach to the science and application of strength training. Topics covered include exercise physiology concepts and applications, testing and evaluation, flexibility and exercise techniques, program design and periodization. This course also provides a practical challenge for the student to apply scientific concepts and principles into the development of sport or client specific training programs. Students will keep a journal of exercise habits, observe and reflect on personal training appointments, summarize peer reviewed literature in the strength and conditioning field and develop a comprehensive training program for a client of their choosing. A $50 lab fee is charged.

This course introduces students to the concepts and principles related to the study of human motion including, normal osteokinematics, arthrokinematics and pathomechanics. This course focuses on the influence of anatomical structure, with an emphasis on the skeletal, neural and muscular systems. Principles of posture, ergodynamics and gait analysis are discussed. Two-dimensional analysis of movement and force vectors is utilized to reinforce understanding of biomechanical principles. A $50 lab fee is charged.

This course concentrates on physiological adaptations made by the human organism to the stress of exercise. Acute and chronic adaptations are reviewed. Some of the topics covered include the effects of exercise on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, the nutritional basis for human performance, physical training techniques, ergogenic aids, environmental factors, exercise and energy for physical activity. Laboratory work that involves scientific instrumentation is included. A $50 lab fee is charged.

An introductory course which involves the fundamental application and interpretation of electrocardiography. This course will include a review of anatomy and physiology as it pertains to the cardiac conduction system. Students will gain an understanding of electrocardiographs with bottom-up processing while learning and analyzing each component of an EKG, as well as top-down processing while recognizing the importance of an EKG as it relates to the larger clinical picture. 

This course centers on the development of skills and knowledge related to exercise testing, prescription, measurement and evaluation in both the health and chronic disease populations. Topics include medical/health screening, exercise test administration and evaluation, metabolic calculations, exercise program development and medications specific to chronic disease. This course closely follows the American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist (C-EP) curriculum. Upon complete of the course, students will be prepared to take the C-EP (seniors) or Certified Personal Trainer (Juniors) certification exams. A $50 lab fee is charged.

This 200 hour minimum experience in exercise and sport sciences is organized to allow for student participation in programs relevant to the student’s major and interests. This final required internship experience serves as an opportunity to apply and more fully develop those professional competencies necessary for a successful work experience. Graded Pass/Fail.

In this first semester of the capstone students explore a topic of their choosing. This exploration involves reviewing and synthesizing the primary literature in the area as well as developing an original area of inquiry and the methods necessary to complete the investigation. Throughout the process, students review, learn and incorporate basic techniques and procedures associated with the research process.