Chair: Dr. Kay Malek
Program Coordinator: Dr. Stephen LoRusso
The American College of Sports Medicine and exercise physiologists define an Exercise Physiologist as one who studies the acute and chronic physiological responses and adaptations resulting from physical activity. An exercise physiologist can apply this knowledge to improve or maintain health, fitness, or performance. Traditionally exercise physiologists worked and studied only with athletes to improve performance. Today, however, exercise physiologists also work and study in commercial, clinical, and workplace settings to increase health, fitness, and quality of life in the general population. For example, an exercise physiologist may work as a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialist, a personal trainer, or direct an employee fitness program. (www.acsm.org)
The Exercise Physiology program’s proposed curriculum, faculty, and resources are consistent with the standards and guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine.
The Saint Francis University Exercise Physiology Program has a 36 credit core curriculum which serves as the foundation for the major. Additionally, students select exercise physiology and non-exercise physiology elective courses to concentrate their studies based on their post baccalaureate career goals. The possible concentrations are a Fitness Professionals concentration, a Pre-Allied Health concentration, a Graduate Research concentration, and a Pre-Professional/Pre-Medicine concentration.
The Fitness Professionals concentration is designed to prepare students for immediate employment in the burgeoning wellness, health promotion, and fitness industries, while the Pre-Allied Health concentration is designed to prepare students for graduate education in physician assistant sciences, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. The Research Graduate Concentration is designed to prepare students for a career in research or advanced graduate education in exercise physiology. The Pre-Professional concentration is designed to prepare students interested in careers in Medicine, Dentistry, Optometry, Podiatry or Veterinary sciences. Pre-medical students are encouraged to participate in undergraduate research. Additional course work may be required as prerequisites when applying for professional education at Saint Francis University and other institutions. Non-majors may minor in exercise physiology with the approval of the Program Coordinator.
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