Exercise & Sport Science
Why Pursue Exercise & Sport Science?
At Piedmont University, we can help you earn an undergraduate degree in the field of exercise and sport science, giving you a head start in a variety of career paths and postgraduate education options. Whether you’re hoping to assist those in pain, improve performance for elite athletes, or anything in between, Piedmont University can help you prepare for a fulfilling career serving others.
Piedmont University students learn to assess a wide range of factors, including movement efficiency, healthy behaviors, nutritional status, and physiological performance. This knowledge allows them to create personalized training or behavior change programs that address individual needs. Our foundational courses will prepare you for the next step in your journey. The real-world experiences you gain—through internships or on-campus opportunities—will provide a working knowledge that allows you to make a difference.
How a Piedmont Exercise & Sport Science Degree Helps You
An Exercise and Sport Science Degree from Piedmont University opens doors for career opportunities in fields like physical therapy, athletic training, sports management, and personal training, where you can promote health, fitness, and performance.
As a student, you will:
- Gain a foundational knowledge of how the body works through kinesiology and traditional science courses (including biology, chemistry, and physics).
- Obtain varied experiences through a variety of healthcare settings, practitioners, and patient populations.
- Determine the graduate course of study you would like to focus on physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, and/or medicine.
- Lean on an experienced and caring faculty of clinicians with a multitude of contemporary expertise to assist in determining your best path upon graduation.
Career Opportunities
An Exercise & Sport Science Degree from Piedmont University opens doors for a range of professional pursuits. For instance, our graduates have gone on to build successful careers in:
An Exercise and Sport Science Degree prepares you to work in physicians’ offices by equipping you with knowledge in patient assessment, health promotion, and exercise prescriptions. This plan of study also enhances your ability to support clinical teams in wellness, rehabilitation, and chronic disease management.
An Exercise and Sport Science Degree lays the groundwork for a career in occupational therapy by focusing on human movement, functional fitness, and adaptive physical activity. Piedmont University prepares you for further study by helping students improve daily living and work-related abilities.
A degree in Exercise and Sport Science prepares you for a career in strength and conditioning by teaching advanced strength training principles, performance enhancement techniques, and injury prevention strategies. This degree program also includes hands-on experience with program design and assessment of athletic populations.
A degree in Exercise and Sport Science equips students with the knowledge of exercise programming, kinesiology, and client-centered coaching needed to work as a personal trainer or group fitness instructor. The coursework also emphasizes safe training practices and effective communication skills.
A degree in Exercise and Sport Science prepares the student for coaching by providing insight into athletic performance, motivation, team dynamics, and sports psychology. Exercise and Sport Science also include training in leadership, ethics, and skill development across different age groups and competition levels.
An Exercise and Sport Science degree supports a career in recreational therapy by combining knowledge of therapeutic exercise with recreational program planning. Piedmont University prepares you to use physical activity as a tool to enhance the physical and emotional well-being of individuals with various conditions.
An Exercise and Sport Science degree prepares the student to become a physical education teacher by covering motor development, pedagogy, and curriculum design, emphasizing comprehensive, developmentally appropriate instruction for promoting lifelong fitness and health among students, patients, and clients.
An Exercise and Sport Science degree prepares you for roles in recreation and athletic direction by teaching leadership, facility management, and program planning. This program also develops organizational and communication skills crucial for overseeing community and institutional sports and wellness programs.
More About Exercise & Sports Science
Learn more about Exercise & Sports Science and the variety of options available to you as a Piedmont student.
This four-year program of study prepares undergraduate students for careers involving the study of movement and the associated functional responses and adaptations the human body experiences. The curriculum provides a theoretical foundation for functional assessment, exercise testing, and exercise prescription in both healthy and clinical populations through exemplary classroom and laboratory instruction. Students must complete 121 hours of coursework, including a senior capstone project. Courses include a range of science courses in conjunction with Piedmont University’s commitment to a well-rounded liberal arts education.
Exercise and Sport Scientists serve clients in many different settings, often with the goal of improving quality of life or performance. They use analytical and communication skills to determine a client’s baseline function and plan a course of action to help them reach personal goals. These tasks may include:
- Learning how to perform health risk appraisals for normal, at-risk, and athletic populations
- Learning how to assess wellness-related behaviors, including physical activity, nutrition, and stress
- Performing functional capacity evaluations
- Performing biomechanical assessments of sports skills and task-specific movements
- Exercise testing to assess cardiorespiratory and metabolic function
- Prescription if activity programs to promote health and wellness
- Implementing behavior change strategies with clients to reach personal goals
- Educating clients regarding the use of exercise as medicine to prevent or manage disease, injury, or disability
- Communicating with medical and allied health professionals to create a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare
Piedmont University’s Exercise and Sport Science program is committed to recruiting and retaining students as well as graduating those students four years after program admission. The Program seeks to provide high quality instruction that integrates cognitive and psychomotor skills into active problem-solving abilities that will culminate in students having post-graduate placements (employment or graduate school) within six months of graduation.
Piedmont University students have a wealth of flexible, real-life work experience available to them – either through internship or other experiential learning each semester. Hands-on learning is part of our mentorship model and will prepare our students for a variety of career options.
Related Programs
Intrigued by Exercise & Sport Science? You might also be interested in one of these programs:
Meet our Faculty
Our Exercise & Sport Science faculty are knowledgeable educators and practitioners who specialize in areas like human performance, kinesiology, and health promotion, combining academic expertise with real-world experience to prepare students for careers in fitness, healthcare, and athletics.
Where do I start?
To begin your journey toward becoming an Exercise & Sport Science student at Piedmont University, you can start by applying today! Or, schedule a campus visit and meet with admissions and financial aid advisors, as well as faculty members in the Arts & Sciences department.