Nov 25, 2024

2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog

2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog This is not the most recent catalog version; be sure you are viewing the appropriate catalog year.

Exercise Science | BS

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The exercise science program is first focused on teaching students to understand how our organ systems respond to an acute exercise bout and how they adapt to a chronic exercise training program. We then emphasize using this information to help patients/clients improve their health status and/or fitness level. Graduates from our program earn a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science.

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Exercise science is an interdisciplinary field with roots in biology, chemistry, and physics. As a result, our students begin our program by building a strong foundation in these basic science disciplines. Our students then begin their study of how the human body functions normally, and how it responds and adapts to exercise. Exercise science students finish the program by learning how to design evidence-based training programs that progress patients/clients towards health and fitness goals, such as meeting national physical activity recommendations, obtaining physical fitness standards, reducing chronic disease risk, and improving sport performance.

Opportunities

Our program has many classes that take place in the traditional, classroom setting. However, we provide our students with learning opportunities outside the classroom as well. Our practicum and internship courses allow students to earn credit towards the major while gaining practical skills and real-world experience. We also encourage motivated students to engage in research with a faculty mentor. This undergraduate research experience culminates with a student presentation at a state, regional, or national conference.

Exercise Science is a great major for students interested in the pursuing advanced study in health- and exercise-related fields. Our majors frequently gain acceptance to academic graduate programs (e.g., exercise physiology and biomechanics programs), medical programs (e.g., medical school and physician assistant programs), and rehabilitative science programs (e.g., physical therapy, orthotics & prosthetics, occupational therapy, and athletic training programs). However, many of our majors opt to enter the workforce upon graduating. Common career paths for these students include cardiac rehabilitation, strength & conditioning coaching, high-performance training, and hospital or worksite wellness coordination.

Articulation Agreement | An articulation agreement exists between this program and at least one community college. To see a current list of program articulation agreements, please click here.

Admission Criteria

Students entering the exercise science program are listed as “intents” and will be considered for candidacy when the following criteria are met:

Declaration of intent to major in exercise science by going to the UACDC website
An overall GPA at Eastern Michigan University of 2.80 (transfer GPA evaluated separately).
Completion of all pre-candidacy courses in the exercise science major with a B- or better.

When an “intent” has successfully achieved the above, he or she must complete the candidacy application, including the application form, and a biographical sketch, and turn this in to their advisor.

School Information

Health Promotion & Human Performance, College of Health and Human Services

Christopher Herman, Ph.D. | Director | 319J Porter | 734.487.2815 | cherman2@emich.edu

Advisor Information

College of Health and Human Services Advising Center | 214 Marshall | 734.487.0918 | chhsadvising@emich.edu | Make an Appointment

General Education Requirements:

For specific General Education requirements, click here or print a General Education Worksheet

Major Requirements: 67-69 hours

Once accepted into candidacy, the student must maintain a minimum 2.8 GPA. The student will not be allowed to complete the internship experience (SPMD 480 ) if the GPA falls below 2.8. In addition, a grade of B- or better must be attained in all required and elective courses in the exercise science major. If the above are not met, the course(s) in question must be retaken. CPR certification by the American Red Cross or American Heart Association is also required as part of this program.

Pre-candidacy Courses: 24-25 hours

PHY 221 - Mechanics, Sound and Heat | GEKN 4 hrs
SPMD 144 - Introduction to Exercise Science 2 hrs
SPMD 201 - Human Anatomy 3 hrs
SPMD 202 - Human Physiology 3 hrs
SPMD 300 - Physiology of Exercise 4 hrs
Choose one course or course combination from each group

For students also preparing for medical school, physical therapy school or physician assistant school, BIO 110 /111 and CHEM 121 /122 should be taken instead of BIO 105 and CHEM 120 . These substitutions will meet program and general education requirements. Grade requirements will still be enforced.
Group I:
BIO 105 - Introductory Biology for Non-majors | GEKN 4 hrs
BIO 110 - Introductory Biology I | GEKN 3 hrs
and BIO 111 - Introductory Biology I Laboratory | GEKN 2 hrs
Group II:
CHEM 120 - Fundamentals of Organic and Biochemistry | GEKN 4 hrs
CHEM 121 - General Chemistry I | GEKN 3 hrs
and CHEM 122 - General Chemistry I Laboratory | GEKN 1 hr

Required Courses: 14 hours

Required Courses (Postcandidacy): 24 hours

Elective Courses: 5-6 hours

AHPR 200 - Medical Terminology 1 hr
PHED 260 - Motor Development 2 hrs
PHED 431 - Motor Learning 3 hrs
SPMD 318 - Laboratory in Human Anatomy 2 hrs
SPMD 407 - Fitness Center Management 3 hrs
SPMD 434 - Introduction to Echocardiography 2 hrs
SPMD 508 - Exercise Epidemiology 3 hrs
SPMD 515 - Diabetes and Obesity 3 hrs
SPMD 518 - Sports Supplements 3 hrs

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level or above.

Beginning in Fall 2022, all baccalaureate degree programs for all undergraduates (regardless of catalog year) will require a minimum of 120 credit hours for completion.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credits for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.