Articles
Welcome to the Academic Programs
offered by the Department of
Exercise Science and Sport Studies
Program
"Exercise Science” can be thought of as the study of the acute and chronic effects of exercise with regard to: beneficial health effects, developing fitness, rehabilitation from various disease states, training for competitive athletics, or injuries due to exercise or athletics. Professionals involved in Exercise Science include: exercise physiologists, physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and persons from various allied health fields such as cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation, personal training, and fitness instruction.
“Sport Studies” encompasses more directly applied facets of competitive athletics or organized sports, including the managerial or administrative aspects. Professionals associated with Sport Studies include: sport administrators, athletic directors, sport psychologists, sport nutritionists, coaches, sport attorneys and risk management experts, sports marketers, and facilities managers.
Clearly, the two areas of Exercise Science and Sport Studies are closely related; persons such as sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, and sport physical therapists function in various roles across the two areas.
Department of Exercise Science
and
Sport Studies
Handbook for Student Majors
Bachelor of Science Degree
Options:
Applied Kinesiology
Exercise Science
Exercise Physiology
Sports Management
OCTOBER 1, 2010
Department of Exercise Science and Sport Studies
Loree Building 70 Lipman Drive New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525
Phone (732)932-9525 x10 Fax (732)932-9151 http://www.exsci.rutgers.edu
EXERCISE SCIENCE & SPORT STUDIES
Program Overview
The Department of Exercise Science & Sport Studies is an undergraduate program serving more than 1,000 students who are working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in four distinct programs: three health-science options (Applied Kinesiology, Exercise Science, and Exercise Physiology) and one business-oriented option (Sports Management).
The three health science options are laboratory based sciences providing students with a strong background in human anatomy and physiology. After two years of basic math and science (biology, chemistry, physics, calculus, statistics, computer science), upper level students study human physiology as it relates to exercise and physical activity via such courses as systems physiology, exercise physiology, kinesiology, motor learning and movement experiences for disabled populations. Upon completion of the three undergraduate science programs, students are qualified for graduate programs in medicine, exercise physiology, physical and occupational therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, corporate fitness, athletic training, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, as well as most other health related professions. The three science programs have 500-600 students of whom approximately 20% classify themselves as pre-med, approximately 50% who are pre-PT or pre-OT, with the remainder equally distributed across the fields of exercise physiology, cardiac rehab, corporate fitness, nursing and physician assistant.
All science-oriented students begin the major in Applied Kinesiology. Upon attaining a 2.85 GPA based on at least 12 credits of sciences within the major, students may apply for Exercise Science where the majority of students are interested in clinical medicine or Exercise Physiology where the primary interest of students involves research. The main difference between these two options, which overlap considerably, is that Exercise Science has five psychology related courses while Exercise Physiology has five courses which are research oriented and more quantitative. Sport Management provides students with an extensive background in business and management, beginning with the basic courses in economics, accounting, marketing and communications. Upper level students study the application of these basic business principles to a wide variety of sport settings via courses such as sport and law, risk management, organizational behavior in sport, sport sociology, sport psychology, sport marketing and management. Upon graduation, they enter careers in sport administration, sport marketing, facilities management, and commercial sport. The Sport Management program currently serves approximately 500-600 undergraduates.
The department also sponsors two outreach programs: The Youth Sports Research Council and The Center for Exercise and Aging. The Sports Council provides adults who work with children in organized competitive sports programs with information about child development issues. Since 1983, the Sports Council has trained more than 200,000 volunteer youth sport coaches in New Jersey alone. The Center for Exercise and Aging provides information regarding exercise and aging to undergraduates, the general public and administrators of programs serving the needs of the elderly.
Students in the Department of Kinesiology and Health can choose between two majors: Exercise Science and Sport Management.