Any student in good academic standing at CMU may declare a major in any of the three Exercise Science major options. Interested students are encouraged to obtain advising early during their academic career in order to ensure that they select the option on the major most appropriate for their academic and career goals. To progress through the curriculum in a timely manner, students are responsible for completing the classes in the requisite order. Upper-level classes will often have prerequisite lower-level classes that you must successfully complete before you may enroll in the following classes.
In order to remain a major in Exercise Science, a student must meet the following criteria:
Options
Select one of the following three options:
Clinical Exercise Science Option
The Clinical Exercise Science option is for students intending to pursue a career in the clinical aspects of exercise science: cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, diagnostic testing, or other related field.
Core Courses I (17 hours)
| HSC 190 | Introduction to Exercise Science | 1(1-0) |
| HSC 205 | Responding to Emergencies | 2(1-2) |
| HSC 212 | Applied Anatomy and Kinesiology | 3(3-1) |
| HSC 214 | Human Anatomy | 4(3-3) |
| HSC 215 | Human Physiology | 4(3-2) |
| HSC 308 | Physiology of Sport and Exercise | 3(3-0) |
Core Courses II (5-8 hours)
Select one of the following options:
Option A (8 hours)
Option B (5 hours)
| CHM 120 | Survey of Chemistry | 4(4-0) |
| CHM 127 | Introductory Chemistry Laboratory | 1(0-2) |
Required Courses (27 hours)
| HSC 220 | Health-related Components of Fitness | 3(2-2) |
| HSC 310 | ECG Assessment | 2(2-1) |
| HSC 411 | Pathophysiology | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 547 | Health Risk Identification and Management | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 550 | Stress Test Administration | 3(2-2) |
| HSC 551 | Stress Testing Interpretation | 3(3-1) |
| HSC 553 | Cardiac Medications | 2(2-0) |
| HSC 575 | Exercise Science Clinical Internship | 8(Spec) |
Other Requirements (0 hours)
Capstone Exit Exam and/or Survey
This requirement would involve completing an internship and taking an exit survey.
Electives (5-6 hours)
Select from the following:
| BIO 590 | Cardiovascular Physiology | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 201 | Medical Terminology | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 219 | Exercise Conditioning for Health Fitness Professionals | 2(1-2) |
| HSC 315WI | Critical Analysis of Contemporary Issues in Exercise and Health Science | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 503 | Health Implications of Obesity | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 534 | Workshop in Principles of Cardiovascular Health and Disease | 1(Spec) |
| HSC 586 | Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Children | 3(1-4) |
| NDS 370 | Nutrition | 3(3-0) |
Total: 54-58 semester hours
Health Fitness and Performance Option
The Health Fitness and Performance option is for students intending to pursue a career as a health fitness professional, personal trainer, or strength and conditioning coach.
Note: Students pursuing this option cannot declare the Health Fitness Minor.
Core Courses I (17 hours)
| HSC 190 | Introduction to Exercise Science | 1(1-0) |
| HSC 205 | Responding to Emergencies | 2(1-2) |
| HSC 212 | Applied Anatomy and Kinesiology | 3(3-1) |
| HSC 214 | Human Anatomy | 4(3-3) |
| HSC 215 | Human Physiology | 4(3-2) |
| HSC 308 | Physiology of Sport and Exercise | 3(3-0) |
Core Courses II (5-8 hours)
Select one of the following options:
Option A (8 hours)
Option B (5 hours)
| CHM 120 | Survey of Chemistry | 4(4-0) |
| CHM 127 | Introductory Chemistry Laboratory | 1(0-2) |
Required Courses (21 hours)
| HSC 219 | Exercise Conditioning for Health Fitness Professionals | 2(1-2) |
| HSC 420 | Fitness and Performance Assessment | 3(2-3) |
| HSC 421 | Training for Fitness and Performance | 3(2-3) |
| HSC 423 | Practicum in Personal Training | 2(1-3) |
| HSC 425 | Health Fitness Program Administration/Management | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 576 | Exercise Science Fitness Internship | 8(Spec) |
Other Requirements (0 hours)
Capstone Exit Exam and/or Survey
This requirement would involve completing an internship and taking an exit survey.
Electives (10-12 hours)
Select from the following:
| ENT 221 | Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 315WI | Critical Analysis of Contemporary Issues in Exercise and Health Science | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 424 | Practicum in Health Fitness | 2(0-6) |
| HSC 503 | Health Implications of Obesity | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 505 | Work Injury Prevention | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 547 | Health Risk Identification and Management | 3(3-0) |
| NDS 370 | Nutrition | 3(3-0) |
| NDS 375WI | Nutrition and Performance | 3(3-0) |
| PES 338 | Teaching Group Fitness | 2(2-0) |
| PES 485 | Theoretical Foundations of Strength and Conditioning | 3(3-0) |
Total: 53-58 semester hours
Kinesiology Option
The Kinesiology option is a broad-based exercise science option for students interested in pursuing a graduate or professional degree in exercise physiology, kinesiology, physical therapy, physician assistant medical and health sciences, occupational therapy, chiropractic, or other allied health field.
Please note that many graduate and professional programs require prerequisite courses in addition to those included in this option. It is the responsibility of the student to determine which prerequisite courses are required for their program of interest.
Core Courses I (17 hours)
| HSC 190 | Introduction to Exercise Science | 1(1-0) |
| HSC 205 | Responding to Emergencies | 2(1-2) |
| HSC 212 | Applied Anatomy and Kinesiology | 3(3-1) |
| HSC 214 | Human Anatomy | 4(3-3) |
| HSC 215 | Human Physiology | 4(3-2) |
| HSC 308 | Physiology of Sport and Exercise | 3(3-0) |
Core Courses II (8-9 hours)
Select one of the following options
Option A (8 hours)
Option B (9 hours)
| CHM 120 | Survey of Chemistry | 4(4-0) |
| CHM 127 | Introductory Chemistry Laboratory | 1(0-2) |
| CHM 342 | Survey of Organic Chemistry | 4(3-3) |
Required Courses (12 hours)
| HSC 220 | Health-related Components of Fitness | 3(2-2) |
| HSC 411 | Pathophysiology | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 490WI | Kinesiology Capstone | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 547 | Health Risk Identification and Management | 3(3-0) |
Other Requirements I (3 hours)
Select one of the following:
| BIO 315 | Human Genetics | 3(3-0) |
| CHM 421 | Introductory Biochemistry for Health Sciences | 3(3-0) |
| NDS 370 | Nutrition | 3(3-0) |
Other Requirements II (3 hours)
Select one of the following:
| BIO 500 | Biological Statistics | 3(2-2) |
| HSC 544 | Biostatistics | 3(2-1) |
| PSY 211QR | Introduction to Psychological Statistics | 3(3-0) |
Other Requirements (0 hours)
Capstone Exit Exam and/or Survey
This requirement would involve taking a capstone course or analyzing and interpreting data, and completing an exit survey.
Electives (9-12 hours)
Select from the following:
| BIO 208 | Microbiology | 4(3-3) |
| BIO 590 | Cardiovascular Physiology | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 201 | Medical Terminology | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 219 | Exercise Conditioning for Health Fitness Professionals | 2(1-2) |
| HSC 315WI | Critical Analysis of Contemporary Issues in Exercise and Health Science | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 503 | Health Implications of Obesity | 3(3-0) |
| HSC 586 | Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Children | 3(1-4) |
| NDS 375WI | Nutrition and Performance | 3(3-0) |
| PES 302 | Fundamentals of Motor Learning | 3(3-0) |
Total: 52-56 semester hours