Full Description

The Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science comprises four concentrations:

• The Exercise Physiology concentration prepares students for graduate school in exercise physiology or health care professions.
• The Exercise Specialist concentration enables students to prepare for work in the clinical setting, ranging from a career in wellness to cardiac rehabilitation.
• The Pre-Physical/Occupational Therapy/Podiatric Medicine concentration prepares students for subsequent graduate school in these areas. The pre-podiatric medicine track is designed to be a combined program with Kent State University's College of Podiatric Medicine. Successful completion of this program, however does not guarantee acceptance into the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree. Please see the Podiatric Medicine doctoral program in the catalog for more information about the application process and acceptance criteria.
• The Strength and Conditioning concentration is designed to assist those that wish to pursue a career in the field of strength and conditioning. This may include working with all levels of athletes in a strength and conditioning facility.

The goal of the program is to prepare competent entry-level Exercise Science professionals in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (abilities) learning domains. Individual course content, objectives, and assessments are structured to achieve this larger goal.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

Current Kent State and Transfer Students: Active Kent State students who wish to change their major must have attempted a minimum 12 credit hours at Kent State and earned a minimum 2.000 overall Kent State GPA to be admitted. Students who have not attempted 12 credit hours at Kent State will be evaluated for admission based on their high school GPA for new students or transfer GPA for transfer students. Transfer students who have not attempted 12 credit hours of college-level coursework at Kent State and/or other institutions will be evaluated based on both their high school GPA and college GPA.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Explain the physiology of human movement.
2. Outline the anatomy and physiology of exercise.
3. Identify the pathophysiology of chronic diseases and risk factors.
4. Apply the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to assess, motivate and prescribe exercise for healthy individuals and those with chronic diseases.
5. Demonstrate understanding of scientific and theoretical concepts of physiology critical to acting as an Exercise Scientist [Knowledge].
6. Demonstrate practical skills including the ability to conduct a comprehensive fitness assessment [Assessment Skills].
7. Pass a National Certification (either the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certified Exercise Physiologist (EP) or the National Strength and Conditioning (NSCA) Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS)) [Foundational Knowledge of the Field].

Program Requirements

¹

Students who have successfully completed BSCI 11010/BSCI 11020 or BSCI 21010/BSCI 21020 may use those courses in place of ATTR 25057/ATTR 25058 and EXSC 25057/EXSC 25058.

²

Students who have successfully completed MATH 12022 or PSYC 21621 may use those courses in place of EXSC 35068.

³

EXSC 45065 is strongly recommended for students in the Strength and Conditioning concentration. Students in the Exercise Specialist concentration are required to take both courses; one will fulfill major requirements and the other will fulfill concentration requirements.

⁴

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill writing-intensive requirement.

Exercise Physiology Concentration Requirements

¹

For Exercise Leadership, the final exam is the American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP) certification. This certification requires that you be in your last semester of your senior year.  For Professional Certification Preparation, the final exam is the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). This certification requires that you are in the last year of the program.

²

This course can be taken 1-6 credits. It is repeatable up to 6 credits (45 contact hours per credit).

³

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with faculty advisor when selecting electives.

Exercise Specialist Concentration Requirements

¹

For Exercise Leadership, the final exam is the American College of Sports Medicine Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP) certification. This certification requires that you be in your last semester of your senior year.  For Professional Certification Preparation, the final exam is the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). This certification requires that you are in the last year of the program.

²

EXSC 45065 and EXSC 45070 are both required for students in the Exercise Specialist concentration; one fulfills major requirements and the other fulfills concentration requirements.

³

State or Federal background checks may be required for practicum/internship experiences.  This course can be taken for 1-8 credits and is repeatable up to 8 credits (45 contact hours per credit).

⁴

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with faculty advisor when selecting electives.

Pre-Physical/Occupational Therapy/Podiatric Medicine Concentration Requirements

¹

This course can be taken for 1-3 credits and is repeatable up to 12 credits (45 contact hours per credit).

²

State or Federal background checks may be required for practicum/internship experiences.  This course can be taken for 1-8 credits and is repeatable up to 8 credits (45 contact hours per credit).

³

Organic Chemistry series recommended for those students planning to apply to the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree.

⁴

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with faculty advisor when selecting electives. Maximum 12 credit hours from the Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree can be used to fulfill general electives for students admitted to the combined bachelor's/doctoral degree program.

Strength and Conditioning Concentration Requirements

¹

The final exam is the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. This certification requires that you are in the last year of the program.

²

State or Federal background checks may be required for practicum/internship experiences. This course can be taken for 1-8 credits and is repeatable up to 8 credits (45 contact hours per credit).

³

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with faculty advisor when selecting electives.

Graduation Requirements

• Admission into physical therapy or occupational therapy graduate programs is competitive by GPA.

Roadmaps

Exercise Physiology Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Exercise Specialist Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Pre-Physical/Occupational Therapy/Podiatric Medicine Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Strength and Conditioning Concentration

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Locations:
  • Kent Campus

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences

National Strength and Conditioning Education Recognition Program

Full Description

The School Health Education (P-12) Additional Licensure Preparation non-degree program is designed for professionals who already hold a teaching license and who desire an additional teaching license in school health education. The program meets the national and state professional preparation standards for school health educators that emphasize program planning, implementation and evaluation of accurate and current health education information for diverse learners in PreK-1 2 educational settings.

This program does not culminate in a master's degree. Students interested in a master's degree at Kent State must be fully admitted into and complete requirements for the master's program, in addition to courses that are prescribed for endorsement.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum 2.750 GPA on a 4.000 point scale
• Official transcript(s)
• Goal statement
• Two letters of recommendation
• Questions in Anticipation of Licensure form
• Evidence of valid four-year Resident Educator or five-year Professional State of Ohio teaching license

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Rolling admissions
• Spring Semester
  • Rolling admissions
• Summer Term
  • Rolling admissions

Program Learning Outcomes

Completers of this program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate competency in health education content, health literacy skills and digital literacy skills for the purpose of instilling healthy behaviors in all learners.
2. Plan relevant, meaningful, age- and developmentally appropriate, ability centered and culturally sensitive school health education instruction and programs that are theoretically based, sequential and aligned with the national health education K-12 standards.
3. Implement a range of school health education instructional strategies equitably and reflectively to meet the diverse needs of all learners.
4. Use multiple methods of assessment to enhance the acquisition of functional health knowledge and health-related skill proficiency for all learners.
5. Work collaboratively with various stakeholders in advocating school health education as an integral component of the school experience, demonstrate ethical behavior and engage in and reflect on various professional learning.

Program Requirements

Progression Requirements

• Must maintain a 3.000 overall GPA

Graduation Requirements

• Students must complete a minimum of 50 ODHE-required field experience hours. State or Federal background checks may be required for practicum or internship experiences.
• An analysis of additional content-area coursework required at the post-undergraduate level will be completed before entering into the program, and a Plan of Study will be created based on transcript analysis and current licensure requirements by the Ohio Department of Education. A minimum B grade is required in each of these courses. This coursework would be in addition to requirements for the School Health Education non-degree program.

Licensure Information

Prior to program completion, the candidate must demonstrate proficiencies in the following areas (including but not limited to): data literacy and analysis; use of research and assessment data; leadership and collaboration; utilizing and supporting appropriate technology for the discipline; and application of professional dispositions, laws and policies, codes of ethics and professional standards appropriate to their field of specialization.

Candidates seeking Ohio teaching licensure are required to pass specific requirements in order to apply for licensure from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). Students should consult the Health Education and Promotion program for specific program requirements and refer to the Ohio Department of Education - Educator Preparation website for more information on assessments specific to licensure type.

• Delivery:
  • Fully online

Admission Requirements

Admission to a minor is open to students declared in a bachelor’s degree, the A.A.B. or A.A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree (not Individualized Program major). Students declared only in the A.A. or A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree in Individualized Program may not declare a minor. Students may not pursue a minor and a major in the same discipline.

Students declared in the School Health Education major or the Community Health Education major may not declare the Human Sexuality minor.

To declare this minor, students must have attempted a minimum 12 credit hours at Kent State and earned a minimum 2.000 overall Kent State GPA. Students who have not attempted 12 credit hours at Kent State will be evaluated for admission based on their high school GPA for new students or transfer GPA for transfer students. Transfer students who have not attempted 12 credit hours of college-level coursework at Kent State and/or other institutions will be evaluated based on both their high school GPA and college GPA.

Program Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be upper-division coursework (30000 and 40000 level).
• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be outside of the course requirements for any major or other minor the student is pursuing.
• Minimum 50 percent of the total credit hours for the minor must be taken at Kent State (in residence).

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Increase drug and substance use prevention education knowledge to prepare students to take the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board exam for the Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist Assistant (OCPSA) and Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist (OCPS) credential; and
2. Prepare students to practice as  a certified prevention specialist assistant in the state of Ohio.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency unless they meet specific exceptions. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Transfer Students: Students who have attended any other educational institution after graduating from high school must apply as undergraduate transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Former Students: Former Kent State students or graduates who have not attended another college or university since Kent State may complete the reenrollment or reinstatement form on the University Registrar’s website.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog.

Some programs may require that students meet certain requirements before progressing through the program. For programs with progression requirements, the information is shown on the Coursework tab.

Program Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Full Description

The Ph.D. degree in Health Education and Promotion emphasizes the interaction among the theoretical, empirical and applied nature of health education. Health education borrows from many disciplines, including community organization, education, medicine, biological science, psychology, statistics and communication.

Although the program is designed for health educators, applicants are drawn from a variety of fields, including health education, nursing, nutrition, the medical technologies and social sciences. The program is particularly appropriate for those seeking employment in higher education or career advancement within the broad scope of health education. Graduates work in schools, higher education, government agencies, hospitals and non-profit agencies.

State/Federal background checks may be required for practicum/internship experiences.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

• Master's degree from an accredited college or university¹
• Minimum 2.750 graduate GPA on a 4.000 point scale (minimum 3.500 GPA is recommended)
• Official transcript(s)
• Résumé or vita
• Goal statement
• Two letters of recommendation
• Interview
• English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
  • Minimum 550 TOEFL PBT score (paper-based version)
  • Minimum 79 TOEFL IBT score (Internet-based version)
  • Minimum 77 MELAB score
  • Minimum 6.5 IELTS score
  • Minimum 58 PTE score
  • Minimum 110 Duolingo English Test score

The college will assess health education and promotion applicants holistically, considering academic credentials, related professional experiences, academic or professional references, scholarly activities and professional activities, among others.

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

¹

Students who are admitted to the Ph.D. degree without an equivalent master's degree in health education and promotion may be required to complete additional coursework, which will not be counted towards the degree.

Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester
  • Rolling admissions
• Spring Semester
  • Rolling admissions
• Summer Term
  • Rolling admissions

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Assess needs, assets and capacity for health education.
2. Plan health education and promotion activities.
3. Implement health education and promotion programs.
4. Conduct program evaluation and research in health education.
5. Serve as health education resource person.
6. Administer and manage health education.
7. Communicate and advocate for health and health education.

Program Requirements

¹

Students choose an area of specialization—such as school health, sexuality or substance abuse prevention—as developed with advisory phase committee.

²

Upon admission to candidacy, each doctoral candidate must register for HED 80199. It is expected that a doctoral candidate will continuously register for Dissertation I for a total of 30 credit hours, and thereafter HED 80299, each semester until all requirements for the degree have been met.

Licensure Information

Candidates seeking Ohio licensure are required to pass specific assessments in order to apply for licensure. Students should consult their advisors for specific program requirements and refer to the Ohio Department of Education-Educator Preparation website for more information on assessments specific to licensure type.

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education