Exercise Science Bachelor of Science Degree

In RIT’s exercise science major, you will learn to scientifically address issues of health and fitness as well as human performance as part of a rapidly growing field. Two tracks–clinical or athletic–enable you to select courses that focus on helping people recover from the unhealthy effects of a sedentary lifestyle or that focus on training athletes to extend and expand their capacity for exceptional human performance.

Comprehensive Exercise Science Curriculum

RIT’s exercise science major offers a challenging selection of exercise science courses that prepare you to understand the role exercise plays in both the enhancement of health and fitness as well as the improvement of athletic performance. You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of exercise, human movement, body systems, and the physiological concepts that are part of the human body’s physical response to exercise. The exercise science major offers a comprehensive curriculum that provides a solid foundation in exercise science as well as skills in leadership, communication, and problem-solving.

Choose From Two Tracks

Two tracks enable you to further refine your study of exercise science and tailor your degree toward your career goals.

Clinical Track: The clinical track is designed for those interested in using exercise as therapy. Clinical exercise medicine is an emerging field that is poised to grow as the population ages. This field is for students who see the opportunity to provide exercise/fitness services as an integrated medical service. You will be prepared to become the newest practitioner in the health care field. Clinical exercise physiologists perform fitness assessments, design exercise prescriptions, and implement therapeutic exercise programs for health promotion.

Athletic Track: The athletic track is for students who want to raise the bar of performance for athletes at all levels. A scientific approach to athletic conditioning improves performance while maintaining an athlete’s health. Athletic track courses allow you to learn how to better train and maintain athletes’ fitness and performance, especially those performing at intense levels of competition. Skilled strength and conditioning specialists are in demand at all levels of sport, and the prevalence of private-sector, sports-specific training facilities has never been higher. Students interested in a career in training athletes and enhancing the capabilities of those who play sports will be well prepared to advise and guide the next generation of athletic performers.

Exercise Science Elective Courses

The curriculum is flexible in allowing you to choose elective courses that explore areas of exercise science that you find interesting or provide a level of knowledge that aligns with your career goals. Elective exercise science courses include sports psychology, training high performance athletes, strength training for performance, cardiac rehabilitation, senior adult fitness, and more.

Enhance Your Exercise Science Degree

Adding a minor or immersion in a complementary area of study deepens your expertise in the core areas of exercise science and fitness. With dozens of minors to choose from, you’ll have your choice of topics to study. While you may choose any minor or immersion as part of your studies, select minors serve to boost your bachelor's degree in exercise science. These include:

• Global Public Health
• Health Communication
• Health, Culture, and Society
• Nutritional Sciences
• Psychology

Certificate in Exercise Science

Completion of the certificate in exercise science prepares you for employment as an entry-level service provider in a fitness facility. To enroll in the certificate program, you do not need to be a matriculated student at RIT. The certificate requires the completion of three courses. For additional information, including curriculum and admissions information, please visit the exercise science certificate program page.

Exercise Science: A Pathway to Medical School or Graduate Programs in the Health Professions

An exercise science degree enables you to pursue your passion for human performance and prepares you to apply to medical school or to graduate programs in health professions.

Physicians who understand the value of regular exercise in the management of chronic disease conditions such as coronary artery disease and diabetes are often successful providers in future models of health care. An undergraduate education in exercise science is an ideal way to develop this knowledge while preparing for entrance to medical school. The exercise science major also provides you with an excellent education that serves as a strong foundation for a medical career that follows the principles of Exercise is Medicine, a global health initiative managed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), which seeks to increase the use of exercise as a primacy therapeutic modality for the management of chronic disease.

Exercise science also helps prepare you for entry to graduate programs in the health professions, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, and master’s programs in exercise science, kinesiology, and more.

Pre-Med/Pre-Health Advising 

RIT’s Office of Pre-Health Advising offers an advising program that’s open to all majors and provides personal, individualized academic counseling to help create a comprehensive long-term strategy to assist you in building successful applications to medical, dental, and veterinary schools or graduate degrees in the health professions (e.g., occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc.). Our pre-med/pre-health advisors will have in-depth conversations with you around critical topics that include academic planning and course selection, MCAT and other admission exams, undergraduate research opportunities, clinical experiences and field work, timelines, and much more. Learn more about pre-med/pre-health advising.