Program Overview
Salisbury University's B.S. Exercise Science program is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in various health and fitness occupations, or for graduate education in exercise science or other pre-professional health-related disciplines such as physical therapy, physician assistance and medicine. The program is also designed to prepare students for professional certification by appropriate organizations.
The academic foundation of exercise science is in physiology, bioenergetics, and movement anatomy and mechanics, with applications to exercise responses and adaptations, strength and conditioning, sport performance, and disease and injury. Courses include human anatomy & physiology, fitness instruction, exercise physiology, fitness and stress testing, kinesiology, and injury prevention and emergency management. The program requires a 375-hour internship experience (10 credits), and includes many hands-on opportunities in health and fitness initiatives and scientific research. Only upper-level exercise science courses are offerred at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG). General education and lower-level exercise science coursework must be completed before entering the Exercise Science program offered on the USG campus.
Program Minors, Accelerated Master's and Course Sequences
Salisbury University at USG offers two minors that can be earned in conjunction with a B.S. in Exercise Science — one in public health and another in health education — as well as an accelerated track to an M.S. in Health and Human Performance.
The Public Health Minor requires completing courses that include a foundation in public health education, health behavior, and planning and assessing health programs. You can then explore electives that range from community nutrition to the principles of epidemiology. The Health Education Minor complements any program of study, allowing students to pursue their interests in areas such as disease prevention, sexual health, public health policy, epidemiology, health communication, and social determinants of health.
The accelerated B.S. Exercise Science/M.S. Health and Human Performance program combines both degrees in a shortened time frame. Students can earn both degrees in five years instead of the traditional six years by incorporating master's level coursework within the bachelor's course sequence.
View the course sequences below for each of our tracks offered.
