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2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Exercise Science Major, BS
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 Return to: Undergraduate Programs
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Program Description
Exercise Physiology as an academic discipline is relatively young and is still evolving. Many credit the Harvard Fatigue Laboratory (1927-1947) as the origin of exercise physiology in the United States. The physiologists and physicians in that lab were interested in how various occupations and environmental conditions affected the body’s physical performance. The model of research investigations by the faculty and graduate students in areas that included metabolism, environmental physiology, clinical physiology, aging, blood, nutrition and physical fitness, forms the basis of much of what we know and study today. More recently fitness and its relationship to preventable disease has driven a large body of research by exercise physiologists. The field continues to evolve from the study of the role of exercise in performance and disease prevention at the population level to the study of mechanisms at the cellular and genetic levels. Because of the required science foundation, students are prepared for work in fitness, performance and rehabilitation fields as well as, graduate study in fields that study cellular mechanisms that underlie disease and performance.
Students enrolled in the exercise science major program will examine the physiological changes and adaptations that occur at both the whole body and cellular levels with physical activity and inactivity.
Student Learning Outcomes
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Upon successful completion of the program, the student will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of human functional anatomy including the skeleton, cardiorespiratory system, skeletal muscle, and sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of basic exercise physiology including: a) identifying the role of aerobic and anaerobic systems and their required fuels in the performance of various physical activities; b) describing the normal cardiorespiratory responses to an exercise bout and how these responses may differ between subjects of different ages, gender, and ethnicity and with chronic adaptation to exercise; c) identifying the physiological principles related to muscular endurance, strength and flexibility training; d) identifying the effects of temperature, humidity, altitude, and pollution upon the physiological response to exercise; e) identifying neuroendocrine adaptations to exercise; and f) identifying the use and misuse of ergogenic aids to enhance performance.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify risk factors and the pathophysiology of the major chronic diseases which may require consultation with medical or allied health professionals prior to participation in physical activity through demonstration of the use of health history, informed consent and medical clearance.
- Demonstrate an ability to design exercise programs, which take into account client goals, dose, development and maintenance.
- Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of the basic principles of nutrition, weight control, energy balance and body composition to develop a weight loss program.
- Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of basic statistical and research design to propose and test a research hypothesis.
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Major Program Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, the student will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of human functional anatomy including the skeleton, cardiorespiratiory system, skeletal muscle, and sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
- Demonstrate a knoweldge of basic exercise physiology including:
a) identifying the role of aerobic and anaerobic systems and their required fuels in the performance of various physical activities;
b) describing the normal cardiorespiratory responses to an exercise bout and how these responses may differ between subjects of different ages, gender, and ethnicity and with chronic adaptation to exercise;
c) identifying the physiological principles related to muscular endurance, strength and flexibility training;
d) identifying the effects of temperature, humidity, altitude, and pollution upon the physicology response to exercise;
e) identifying neuroendocrine adaptations to exercise; and
f) identifying the use and misuse of ergogenic aids to enhance performance.
- Demonstrate the ability to identify risk factors and the pathophysiology of the major chronic diseases which may require consultation with medial or allied health professionals prior to participation in physical activity through demonstration of the use of health history, informed consent and medical clearance.
- Demonstrate an ability to design exercise programs, which take into account client goals, dose, development and maintenance.
- Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of the basic principles of nutrition, weight control, energy balance and body composition to develop a weight loss progam.
- Demonstrate the ability to use knowledge of basic statistical and research design to propose and test a research hypothesis.
Foundation Courses
There is a foundation of required courses that forms the basis of the discipline: anatomy, physiology, exercise physiology and measurement. At WSSU the following courses are required to lay the foundation for both breadth and depth study.
Breadth Courses
The field of exercise physiology is broad, as was noted in the introduction, and continues to expand. At WSSU, students are expected to take a course in some specific areas that touch on the breadth of the field. The five courses marked ** are required while one course is optional.
Depth Areas & Courses
The exercise science program provides students the opportunity to take one area of the discipline and to go more in depth by taking additional courses. Based on the expertise of the faculty the program offers three areas of depth or concentration. Each scholar will select one area from among exercise physiology; fitness and performance; and sports medicine. The academic advisor will help students determine which area best fits with their goals.
The exercise physiology depth area is designed for individuals seeking to work with the overall health of populations, and provides study in the areas associated with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines. Students who want to pursue further study in exercise physiology or in medical fields may be interested in this area. The fitness and performance concentration is designed for those who seek to use the National Strength and Conditioning Association Guidelines (NSCA) to learn more about how to optimize athletic performance. The sports medicine concentration is for those minoring in athletic training who seek certification by the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). These students would be prepared to attend a graduate program and pursue NATA certification.
Exercise Physiology Track
ALL courses listed below are required.
Fitness & Performance Track
ALL courses listed below are required.
Public Health Track
ALL courses listed below are required.
Sports Medicine Track
ALL courses listed below are required. (17 credit hours if some courses taken in the Foundation or Breadth)
Exercise Science Honors Curriculum
An honors curriculum has been developed to address the students’ desire for a more research oriented undergraduate experience, as well as to allow faculty to mentor and develop young researchers in the field. Students successfully completing the curriculum will graduate with Honors in Exercise Science.
Admission to the honors curriculum is restricted to students who apply and who meet a specified set of criteria. Application is during the second semester of the student’s junior year and usually occurs while taking the course EXS 4317 - Applied Research. The following minimum criteria will need to be met in order to be admitted to the exercise science honors curriculum.
- Successful completion of EXS 4317 - Applied Research
- A GPA of 3.25 within the major
- A cumulative GPA of 3.25
- No grade lower than a B in any EXS courses (possible one exception with a strong recommendation by a faculty member)
- Identification of a faculty mentor and a potential research project
- Recommendation by the Exercise Science Honors screening committee, who will evaluate each applicant on academic merit and professional goals.
The honors curriculum consists of two additional required courses, one each semester of the senior year. During semester one, students will enroll in the course “Directed Honors Research Investigations in EXS”. During the last semester, students will enroll in “Honors Thesis in EXS”. In order to graduate with honors, the student must still meet the GPA standards set at admission, successfully complete both courses, and successfully prepare and defend a thesis. Students admitted to the honors curriculum may choose any of the three depth areas.
Required Courses
(count as depth courses)
Notes
Exercise science is a great major for those planning to apply to a graduate program in the health sciences, including but not limited to medicine, physical therapy and occupational therapy.
Pre-Physical Therapy
Students who plan to apply to a graduate program in physical therapy will need to take additional courses as electives, many of which can be taken as part of general education. The WSSU Physical Therapy program requires the following courses for admissions consideration. Not all programs are the same and thus students should always look at the requirements of the program of interest.
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COURSE SUBJECT
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COURSE LEVEL
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4-YR *
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LAB**
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SEMESTER HOURS
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ACCEPTABLE COURSES
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Psychology
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General or College
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NO
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N/A
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3
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Psychology: GENERAL
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Social or Behavioral Science
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General or College
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NO
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N/A
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6
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Psychology: Abnormal
Psychology: Adolescent
Psychology: Child
Psychology: Death & Dying
Psychology: Developmental
Psychology: Human Behavior
Psychology: Growth & Dev.
Psychology: Life Span Dev.
Psychology: Social
Psychology: Sports
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Statistics
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General or College
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NO
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N/A
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3
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Biology: Biostatistics
Business: Statistics
Math: Statistics
Psychology: Statistics
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Chemistry I
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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Chemistry II
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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Physics I
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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Physics II
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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Anatomy & Physiology I
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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A&P: SEPARATE courses
A&P: COMBINED courses
A&P: Human
A&P: Mammalian
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Anatomy & Physiology II
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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A&P: SEPARATE courses
A&P: COMBINED courses
A&P: Human
A&P: Mammalian
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Biology I
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General or College
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NO
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REQ
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4
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Biology: GENERAL
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OTHER: Upper Level Biology
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Upper Division
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YES
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NO
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3-4
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A&P: Exercise Physiology
A&P: Pathophysiology
Biology: Embryology
Biology: Genetics
Biology: Histology
Biology: Immunology
Biology: Microbiology
Biology: Molecular
Chemistry: Inorganic
Chemistry: Organic
Kinesiology
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* YES=course must be completed in a 4-year college/university and NOT in a community college.
** REQ=required lab; Rec=recommended lab; NO=lab not required; N/A=not applicable
Additional information about program’s course requirements: WSSU requires that all biological and physical sciences are taken in the past 10 years; they are Biology I, Chemistry I and II, Physics I and II, Anatomy and Physiology I and II, and Upper Level Biology.
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Return to: Undergraduate Programs
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