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Exercise Science | Major

About the program

As an exercise science major at Thiel College, you’ll study human movement and how the body responds and adapts to physical activity, health, exercise, and sports. This will prepare you for a career as an exercise specialist, athletic director, conditioning coach, personal trainer and many more careers in health and wellness or athletics.

In courses that range from classroom environments to totally hands-on learning opportunities, you’ll study kinesiology, human anatomy, and strength and conditioning. You’ll also receive stringent professional preparation as well as intensive research and internship opportunities. Best of all your courses in Exercise Science are combined with a core curriculum in the Liberal Arts that encourages creativity and critical thinking, two skills essential for success in this growing field.

Visit our Academic Catalog (2023-2024) for course listings.

Major Features

• Develop a strong foundation in human anatomy, kinesiology, medical terminology and the physiological basis of exercise and physical fitness
• Work closely with exercise, rehabilitation, recreational, educational, and athletic professionals in classes and through a variety of internship opportunities
• Preparation for professional certification exams by the National Strength and Conditioning Association or American College of Sports Medicine to qualify students to enter the workplace or continue on to graduate school. 

Exercise Science Lab

The Exercise Science Laboratory is a teaching and research facility. Our goal is to provide undergraduate students in the Exercise Science major learning and research opportunities. Our curriculum is science based and offers our students an opportunity for independent study that could include original research.

The laboratory contains equipment to give our students hands-on experience in blood pressure measurement, treadmill exercise testing, body composition assessment, biochemistry, and health/fitness evaluation.

This equipment includes:

• Vald Performance HumanTrack Motion Analysis System
• IWorx MC-Peak Metabolic Cart
• Blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, sphygmomanometers
• Polar heart rate monitors
• Bioelectrical impedance body composition devices
• Functional movement screening kits
• Y-Balance kits

Careers

• Strength and Conditioning Coach – earn an average salary of $58,623 applying scientific knowledge to train athletes with the goal of improving athletic performance*.
• Assistant Athletics Director - earn a median salary of $78,642 helping to run the athletics program for an educational institution or park district**.
• Exercise Specialist – earn a median annual salary of $43,935 helping individuals who have various medical conditions improve their overall health and fitness***.
• Wellness Director – earn a median salary of $54,799 for consists of managing staff, implementing strategies planning programs that benefit a groups health, safety and wellbeing****.
• Exercise Physiologist – earn a median salary of $19.65 per hour or $40,872 per year helping clients set health goals, and administering exercise programs to achieve those goals.*****
• Additional Careers - Exercise Science is an excellent undergraduate major if you are preparing for graduate study and a career as a Physician Assistant, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Chiropractor, or Athletic Trainer. The curriculum provides you with a strong science base including anatomy, exercise physiology, and kinesiology, and then allows you meet specific graduate school requirements while earning your Exercise Science degree. Thiel College currently has articulation agreements with several graduate schools. 

*www.nsca.com/salary-survey/<br /> **www1.salary.com/Assistant-Athletics-Director-salaries.html
***https://www1.salary.com/Exerci...
****https://www.payscale.com/resea...
*****https://www.payscale.com/resea...