Exercise scientists study the relationship between exercise participation and human health, and research focuses on understanding why regular physical activity prevents disease and promotes health.
The mission of the Department of Exercise Science (EXSC) is to expand and disseminate the body of knowledge concerning the relationship between physical activity and human health.
Career opportunities exist in academic institutions, hospitals, medical clinics, research laboratories, physical therapy facilities, rehabilitation facilities, perceptual-motor development clinics, health and fitness centers, and public health agencies. Jobs in the field include clinical exercise physiologist, motor rehabilitation specialist, health fitness instructor, professor of exercise science, research scientist, physical therapist and cardiac rehabilitation program director.
The department’s Ph.D. program, which is ranked #1 in the United States by the National Academy of Kinesiology, prepares graduates for
entry into positions in universities, colleges, research institutes and research oriented clinical
settings. Areas of specialization are applied physiology, health aspects of physical
activity, and motor behavior/rehabilitation. Specific research emphases correspond
to those listed for the departmental faculty. The M.S. program allows students to
emphasize expansion of research competence (for those who plan on pursuing a Ph.D.
degree or further graduate study) or to focus on professional and clinical aspects of
the field with concentrations in cardiac rehabilitation corporate wellness, and motor
control/development.
The goal of the department’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program is to produce graduates
who possess the skills necessary to be reflective practitioners and who can conduct
clinical research and scholarly activity necessary for the advancement of physical
therapy as an evidence-based profession.
In addition to the bachelor degree in exercise science, we offer four advanced degrees. Each graduate degree has specific application deadlines and requirements.
In high school, Jessica Krauss was an athlete who studied health sciences through her school's science, math, and technology center and became interested in careers that connected sports/exercise to scientific study/applications.
This year, the department offered An Overview of Sport Culture: From Ancient World to Present (EXSC 555). Faculty Barbara Cuevas, Morgan Collins, and Sara Corwin led students throughout Italy and Greece, learning about the history of sports.
The Arnold School’s athletic training program offered Emily Meyerl the array of clinical sites (e.g., USC sports, small/large high schools, other colleges, private practice clinics) she was seeking.
Research led by exercise science assistant professor Xuemei Sui has revealed racial differences in the usefulness of a new fitness measure in predicting the risk of stroke.
The department of exercise science has selected William Clarkson, Brooks Herring, Elizabeth Rizor, and Jane Warther from among those nominated by faculty members to receive the 2018 Outstanding Exercise Science Student Awards.
