Exercise and Sport Science

Department: Exercise & Sport Science
Department Chair: David Luedtke
Program Options: B.A., B.S.

St. Kate’s exercise and sport science major will help you build a philosophical framework for work in a variety of settings and with individuals with a wide range of skills and abilities. You will learn about health promotion and fitness, exercise physiology, biomechanics, sports medicine, sport training and performance analysis — all with special attention given to women’s concerns. Women’s health and wellness issues are now moving to the forefront of research, education and practice. As a women’s institution, St. Kate’s is on the leading edge of this trend.

St. Kate’s exercise and sport science majors have access to a tremendous range of potential internship sites. You will work with your advisor to develop an internship learning contract that outlines your goals, what your role is and that of your on-site supervisor. Students report that this structure helps make their internships valuable and memorable. Recent internship sites include Abbott Northwestern Chronic Pain Clinic, Hazelton Rehabilitation Center, fitness centers such as Lifetime Fitness, White Bear Racquet Club, Northwest Clubs and many corporate settings, where interns most often perform health promotion activities. For example, a recent intern arranged for blood pressure and cholesterol testing and produced a health newsletter at Northwest Airlines. She eventually was hired full time by Northwest’s insurer to educate baggage handlers on healthful work habits and lifting techniques.

A major in exercise science, sometimes combined with a relevant minor or graduate education, can prepare you for careers in physical therapy, nutrition, health promotion, fitness consulting, teaching, rehabilitation, coaching, research, sports management, sports camps, broadcasting/journalism, sports photography, facilities management, officiating, professional sports, athletic training, weight control personal training, sporting equipment design/sales, sports safety, sports psychology, corporate fitness, sports information director, athletic finance, athletic facility design and much more.

Changing demographics among the school population, class-size reductions and nationwide credentialing trends have led to new teaching opportunities. Many schools from other states pursue graduates of Minnesota colleges, which are known for producing highly qualified teachers. If your career objective is to teach physical education in elementary or secondary schools, you will want to major in exercise science and complete the required education courses. See the education section of this catalog for details. If your career objectives are other than physical education teaching, we suggest you major in exercise science and minor in an area of special interest, such as business, psychology or biology to prepare for a variety of careers outside the school setting and/or graduate school.

See also: Applied Science in Exercise Science, Exercise Science and Nutrition, Education – Physical Education with K-12 Teaching Licensure, Pre-Physical Therapy.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

EXSS 2750 Introduction to Exercise Science
EXSS 2800 Measurement and Evaluation in Exercise Science
EXSS 3050 Teaching Elementary Physical Education
EXSS 3060 Individual Sports Techniques
EXSS 3250 Sports Nutrition
EXSS 3350 Kinesiology and Biomechanics
EXSS 3450 Exercise Physiology
EXSS 3510 Developmental Adapted Physical Education
EXSS 3550 Fitness Assessment and Exercise Design
EXSS 3610 Motor Learning
EXSS 3650 Methods for Fitness Professionals
EXSS 3750 Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries
EXSS 4300 Advanced Biomechanics
EXSS 4604 Internship

Supporting courses:
BIOL 2510 Human Anatomy
BIOL 2520 Human Physiology
CHEM 1010 General Chemistry or CHEM 1110 General Chemistry I
FSNU 2200 Food, Nutrition and You or FSNU 3000 Nutrition
INDI 2220 Medical Terminology
PSYC 1001 General Psychology with Lab
PSYC 2025 Lifespan Developmental Psychology

Exercise and sport science majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors in course assignments throughout the departmental curriculum rather than in a single course. You complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with three other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000 and CORE 3990, and any other writing-intensive course in another department).

URL: http://minerva.stkate.edu/academiccatalog0709.nsf/pages/exercise_and_sport_science
This page was created on 05/02/2007 and last updated on 05/02/2007.
Comments, questions and feedback about this site may be addressed to registrar@stkate.edu.