Contact Our Faculty
Kelly Quick, Ed.D.
Professor of Exercise Science
Program Overview
The exercise science bachelor’s degree program at the University of Providence in Montana is a four-year program designed to simultaneously prepare all students with a strong foundation in exercise science and provide specific preparations for career success.
Through five unique concentrations, an interdisciplinary curriculum and internship opportunities, you will be able to earn your bachelor’s degree in exercise science while gaining hands-on skills and expertise!
Fields in exercise science are projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. With a B.S. in exercise science from UP, you’ll be well equipped to meet this growing demand. Considering graduate school? Nearly all exercise science students who apply to graduate programs are successfully admitted.
Learn more about the top three reasons you should major in exercise science!
Program Highlights
- Personalize Your Education
The exercise science degree program at UP allows you to tailor your education to your interests by choosing one of five concentrations. Whether you are interested in personal training, coaching or clinical practice, you’ll be set up for success in your career as you develop expertise and experience in the field through specialized concentration coursework.
- Interdisciplinary Curriculum
Our program combines curriculum from many disciplines, including psychology, biology, chemistry and physics. These disciplines work together to provide students with the context they need to understand, measure and analyze human movement and the behaviors that drive it. Expertise in these areas will yield marketable skills that you’ll own through your career.
- Internship Opportunities
UP believes in the invaluable hands-on experience only an internship can offer, requiring all exercise science majors to complete an internship program. Once approved, students may intern where they choose. Interns receive school credit for completed hours, and the experience may satisfy graduate school prerequisites for observation hours in the field of study.
B.S. in Exercise Science Program Curriculum & Courses
Students in the exercise science bachelor’s degree program will take a range of courses that give insight into the biological, psychological and nutritional factors that are at play in exercise science. Additionally, students will take courses in management, ethics and law, which will prepare them for real situations they will encounter in their profession.
Our exercise science courses include human anatomy and physiology, exercise and sports nutrition, fitness assessment methods, ethics, law and the health fitness profession, kinesiology and biomechanics and exercise prescription.
From using industry best practices to assess client needs to developing health management plans that take multiple health and wellness factors into account, the B.S. in exercise science will equip students with the skills and experiences necessary to successfully implement their knowledge in a real-world setting.
Exercise Science Degree Curriculum
Exercise Science Degree Concentrations
Pre-Clinical
The pre-clinical concentration focuses on medical and clinical curriculum with courses in human anatomy and physiology, chemistry, abnormal psychology, physics, medical terminology and research in exercise science. This concentration will provide students with a solid foundation in these subjects in preparation for graduate studies in occupational therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic care and clinical rehabilitation.
Pre-Athletic Training
This concentration is ideal for students who desire to become certified athletic trainers with courses in safety, first aid and CPR, basic clinical nutrition, coaching weight training and advanced strength and conditioning. Students pursuing this concentration will learn the skills necessary to provide athletic training using coaching theories, tactical and technical skill development, training techniques and safety best practices.
Strength and Conditioning
This concentration teaches students the fundamentals of personal training for strength and conditioning and prepares them for graduate studies or employment in the field. Courses include sports psychology, coaching weight training, advanced strength and conditioning, exercise prescription, weight training and personal fitness, personal health and the prevention and care of athletic injuries.
Personal Training
Though similar to the strength and conditioning concentration, the personal training concentration has more of a focus on business and management and prepares students for work with the general population. Preparing students to become personal trainers, courses include leadership and management, marketing, team sports, sports psychology, advanced conditioning and coaching, exercise prescription and personal health.
Coaching
Designed for students who are interested in coaching as a profession, this concentration consists of courses in sports psychology, racquet and individual sports, team sports, the prevention and care of athletic injuries and child abuse and neglect. Additionally, this concentration offers coaching certification and Montana Officials Association (MOA) sports officiating certification courses.
Skills You’ll Learn
Exercise science majors will learn how to:
- Analyze exercise and performance technique
- Measure parameters of physical fitness, health and performance
- Critically analyze exercise science research
- Scientifically apply exercise science information to solve movement problems, such as modifying exercise for diseased or disabled clients in a fitness or rehabilitation setting
- Create safe and effective exercise programs for a variety of populations, such as apparently healthy adults, athletes and clinical populations
Careers With a Degree in Exercise Science
Students who choose to enter UP’s exercise science program will have a variety of potential job titles, including sport coach, personal trainer, wellness coach and athletic trainer. Additional career opportunities exist in geriatric fitness coordination, corporate fitness management, strength and conditioning coaching, researching and teaching.
Depending on which concentration a student pursues, graduates can make between $40,000 and $90,000 annually with a degree in exercise science. In Montana, graduates with this degree can expect to make between $45,236 and $57,879 annually, according to Salary.com.
Application and Admission Requirements
- Program Application: Applicants must complete an online undergraduate application.
- Official Transcripts: Official high school transcripts can be sent directly from your high school to University of Providence | Admissions | 1301 20th Street South | Great Falls, MT 59405. Transcripts may also be submitted electronically. Students should include transcripts from any dual enrollment or other pre-college programs attended and results of any AP tests taken.
- Testing Scores: Official ACT or SAT score reports should be sent if your score with test date is not recorded on your high school transcript. Our ACT code is 2410, SAT is 4058. Providing official test scores is not required, though it is strongly recommended. It is best to have your scores sent to the University of Providence if you have taken either test.
Study What Interests You With a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science From UP
Your education isn’t one-size-fits-all, which is why the University of Providence’s Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science offers five specialized concentrations designed so that your interests can be your guide. And with our interdisciplinary courses and hands-on internships, you’ll be prepared to translate your expertise into the real world.
