Sport and Exercise Science is a collection of a number of fields of study in the health and fitness care industry. Often times the phrase Exercise Science, Sports Medicine, Health and Human Performance, or even Physical Education is used to identify these types of vocations and research paths when they are in need of being grouped together. When uniquely brought up we find that Sport and Exercise Sciences offers a diverse and varied range of health and fitness specialties, all with their own education and qualification criteria.
Understanding about Sport and Exercise Sciences may seem overwhelming at first but I will break it all down for you.
In order to better know the breadth of distinctiveness that Sport and Exercise Science has to offer, check out the topics of study in the listings just below:
Sport and Exercise Sciences:
- Athletic Training – risk reduction, analysis, and remedies of sports traumas as well as patient physical therapy, taping, first aid, and safety measures
- Biomechanics – advanced research of human motion using basic mechanical concepts of motion to explore athlete training, success, and sporting gym equipment
- Cardiac Rehabilitation – therapy including judgment, prescription, advice, and guidance of patients with cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic imbalance
- Exercise Physiology – study of the sharp feedback and chronic modifications to a wide-range of physical sports conditions as well as studying exercise in controlling illness and/or improving endurance, exercise metabolic rate, endurance, performance enhancement (based on environment, training sessions, nutrition, etc.)
- Kinesiology – the discipline emphasizing the study of movement as it relates to physical effort, health and ailments risk reduction, exercise, and sport
- Motor Development / Learning / Control – the study of the variations in human motor performance over the lifespan, the steps that underlie these changes, and the factors that affect them
- Occupational Therapy – use therapy options to build-up, recharge, or protect the daily living and work talents of their clients with a physical, mental or developmental condition
- Physical Therapy – mostly concerned with the remediation of problems and ailments and the promotion of flexibility, practical ability, standard of life and movement prospective through scrutiny, evaluation, diagnosis and physical intervention
As you can see there are a lot of profession tracks and fields to go into that fit under the canopy of Sports and Exercise Science.
“Exercise science majors study the science of the human movement. They also learn how to help people live healthier lives through exercise, rehabilitation, and nutrition. The core curriculum will include health and fitness basics, teaching skills, and general wellness courses. Coursework focuses on fitness testing, rehabilitation, injury prevention, and sports performance” – College Board
Sport and Exercise Science Education and Degrees
As one can imagine the training sessions for these profession fields are very distinct as well. There are numerous degree programs from colleges and online across the country supplying bachelors, masters, and PH D. programs in these fields. Most often prospective college students should be researching programs based on the title of the discipline above. The classification at many colleges can be different and trained under varying schools.
A few good samples of degree programs to look for are the following:
- Exercise Physiology/Sciences
- Sports Medicine
- Athletic Training
- Health Sciences
- Kinesiology
Make sure that the college degree program you are investigating involves training courses build around the fundamental topics:
- Anatomy
- Kinesiology
- Biomechanics
- Sports nutrition
- Exercise physiology
- Psychophysiology
- Cardiac rehabilitation
- Exercise testing and prescription
- Statistics
- Medical Terminology
- Physical Education
Sport and Exercise Science Certifications
There is a very stable official certification foundation behind the Sport and Exercise Sciences. Each field has its own accreditations and ruling bodies. These bodies hold meetings often to discuss with practitioners out in the labor force and aim to heighten their field through ongoing educational development.
You can find a selection below of the various accreditations and their regulating bodies:
- Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) – ACSM, NASM
- Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP) – ACSM
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) – NSCA
- NSF certified for sport
- Certified Special Population Specialist (CSPS) – NSCA
- NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) – NSCA
- Certified Health Fitness Specialist (HFS) – ACSM
- Certified Group Exercise Instructor (GEI) – ACSM
- Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist (CES) – ACSM
- Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (RCEP) – ACSM (most prestigious credential)
- Exercise Physiologist (EPC) – ASEP
- Certified Cancer Exercise Trainer (CET) – ACSM/ ACS
- Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer (CIFT) – ACSM / NCPAD
- Physical Activity Public Health Specialist (PAPHS) – ACSM / NSPAPPH
- Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR) – NBCOT / AOTA
- Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) – NBCOT
- Physical Therapist (PT) and Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) – FSBPT developed examine called NPTE licensed by each individual state
Sport and Exercise Science Jobs and Career Paths
The opportunities and career paths in the market for those in Sport and Exercise Science is very immense and diverse. The vast majority of occupational opportunities fit around the areas of health/fitness, clinical/medical, and research/educational. As you could imagine with the quantity of fields in this area the possibilities for job ventures is very great. With the increased interest in exercise and fitness the want for those with Sport and Exercise Science training and life experience will be in massive need.
Those in the field of Sport and Exercise Science can mostly be found in the following medical and training facilities for:
- Colleges
- Professional sports teams
- Corporate wellness programs
- Military training centers
- Rehabilitation Clinics
- Hospitals
- Fitness Centers
I hope you enjoyed my article. My name is Harrison Lane and I’m a graduate student studying Exercise Physiology.
