Exercise and Sport Science Degree Programs
Athletic Training
The certified athletic trainer (ATC) is a highly educated and skilled allied health professional. In cooperation with physicians and other allied health personnel, the ATC functions as an integral member of the health care team for the physically active. Traditional job settings for ATCs are colleges and universities, professional teams, sports medicine clinics, and secondary schools. ATCs are rapidly expanding their employment into new settings such as physician offices, health and wellness centers, and the industry setting.
Applied Exercise Science
Applied exercise science combines the subdisciplines of exercise physiology, nutrition, biomechanics, and sport psychology into the study of how the human body responds to exercise and sport training. The applied exercise science major prepares students for leadership roles in a number of career opportunities, including clinical exercise settings and corporate and hospital wellness programs, or as personal fitness trainers, exercise specialists, and strength and conditioning coaches. Students are well prepared for graduate programs in exercise physiology, biomechanics, exercise and sport psychology, or health and wellness.
Exercise Science Administration
Exercise science administration combines the discipline of exercise science with the discipline of health services administration. This five-year program allows students to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science and a Master of Science in health services administration. This program of study prepares students to assume leadership and managerial positions as well as those of wellness administrators capable of having a significant impact on the health and well-being of numerous constituencies. Graduates will gain knowledge in the principles of sound management, cost containment, and accountability.
Preprofessional Exercise Science
The preprofessional exercise science major embraces a curriculum that prepares students in the scientific aspects of exercise as it relates to healthy, injured, and high risk populations. It is an applied discipline that emphasizes a hands-on approach toward understanding the physiological and biomechanical consequences of human movement. Due to the strong natural science curriculum, preprofessional exercise science is excellent preparation for graduate study in physical therapy, exercise physiology, biomechanics, medicine, podiatry, and occupational therapy. In addition, graduates with a preprofessional exercise science degree are prepared for employment in clinical or hospital settings, health and wellness intervention programs, and other health-related careers.
Clinical Laboratory Science
A clinical laboratory scientist, or a medical technologist, is capable of performing — under the supervision of a pathologist, other qualified physician, or laboratory director — the various chemical, microscopic, bacteriologic, and other medical laboratory procedures used in the diagnosis, study, and treatment of disease.
Students pursuing the clinical laboratory science major complete approximately 100 semester hours at the University of Evansville (six semesters) and then complete 12 months of clinical study at a hospital endorsed by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) and the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) of the American Medical Association. The first three years provide a solid foundation based on the natural sciences with an emphasis on biological sciences and chemistry. The fourth year consists of combined classroom and laboratory studies that provide experience in clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, serology, histology, urinalysis, parasitology, and instrumentation. Students accepted into a clinical program register for Exercise and Sport Science 478 in the fall, spring, and summer sessions.
Some students interested in a career in clinical laboratory science complete a four-year bachelor's degree with a combined major in exercise science and clinical laboratory science, completing the clinical experience during the fifth year.
Sport Communication
An ever-increasing number of opportunities exist in the field of sport communication due to the continually increasing amount of sport-related activity that appears on television, on radio, and in print communication outlets. The sport communication major, a collaborative academic program with the Department of Communication, provides a well-rounded background that allows students to focus on broadcast, print, or Web-related areas of specialization. This major provides experience for students who wish to find employment as sports information directors, sports writers, radio or television reporters or announcers, public address announcers, or in a variety of sport-related Web site areas.
Sport Management
The explosive growth of sport at all levels has greatly increased the need for management, marketing, and administrative personnel with sport-specific knowledge and expertise. It is estimated that sport marketing and management represent a $200 billion industry in this country. This major provides opportunities for students interested in working in a business-related area of sport, such as director of athletics, manager of a sporting arena, owner or director of a fitness and aerobic center, or other areas of sport management or administration.
The sport management major is a collaborative program with the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration. Students take courses in accounting, communication, economics, finance, law, management, and marketing. Students may also intern in the Department of Athletics with the NCAA Division I program.
