2019-2020
Bachelor of Science: Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science with a concentration in exercise science
VCU
Community college:
Associate of Arts & Sciences: General Studies-Health and Physical Education Specialization (Germanna Community College)
Associate degree
Program description
The Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences offers programs that prepare students to pursue careers that utilize exercise interventions for both healthy and diseased populations and/or careers designed for students who wish to enter a health care-related field (that does not require licensure, certification or registry status). The department offers one undergraduate degree program; the Bachelor of Science with either the exercise science concentration or the health science concentration.
Career opportunities
Career paths include exercise physiologist, corporate fitness director, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialist, strength and conditioning specialist and wellness director. Additionally, the exercise science concentration prepares students for graduate study in exercise science or athletic training and offers an excellent option for those students who want to obtain the pre-requisites for post-graduate study in physical therapy, occupational therapy and medicine.
Bachelor-level job titles
- Exercise Physiologist
- Fitness and Wellness Coordinator
- Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors
- Health Educator
- Recreation Worker
- Recreational Therapist
- Sports Coach or Scout
- Strength and Conditioning Coach
Graduate and professional level job titles
- Chief Executive Officer
- Occupational Therapist
- Physical Therapist
- Sports Medicine Doctor
Contact information
Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Guaranteed transfer admission requirements
Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
- MATH 151
Science required
- 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
- Yes
Additional tuition/fees
- Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
- 2.0
Transfer major map
2019-2020
Bachelor of Science: Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science with a concentration in exercise science
Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts & Sciences: General Studies-Health and Physical Education Specialization)
| MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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| Explore | Year 1 |
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| Experience | Year 2 |
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Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Register for SDV 100.
- Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester to discuss progress in your degree program.
- Find and connect with a faculty mentor.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Consider work opportunities on campus.
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend diversity-focused events on campus.
- Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Create Linkedln profile.
- Get involved with a professional or student organization.
- Visit career services to begin cultivating your own virtual brand across all social media profiles.
- Browse careers related to exercise science through the career coach.
- Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Take a career assessment through the career coach.
- Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
- Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
- Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
- Work with career services to build resume.
Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
- Reflect on your academic preparation for VCU by completing the MINDSET Inventory.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
- Research housing for next year.
- Join a professional organization related to exercise science: American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
- Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
- Attend diversity-focused events on campus and in your community (i.e. international festival).
- Continue to partner with diversity leader/ facilitator/ mentor to move towards cultural competence.
- Get involved with service-learning opportunities.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
- Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
- Run for leadership in your student organization.
- If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
- Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
- Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
2019-2020
Bachelor of Science: Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science with a concentration in exercise science
Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts & Sciences: General Studies-Health and Physical Education Specialization)
| Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDV 100 | College Success Skills | UNIV 101 | 1 | Elective |
| ENG 111 | College Composition I | UNIV 111-112 | 3 | General education |
| BIO 141 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) | BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 | 4 | Major |
| BIO 142 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) | BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 | 4 | Major |
| MTH 167 | Precalculus with Trigonometry | MATH 151 | 5 | General education |
| ENG 112 | College Composition II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
| PED 116 | Lifetime Fitness & Wellness | HPEX 1XX | 2 | Elective |
| PSY 200 | Principles of Psychology | PSYC 101 | 3 | Major |
| Humanities/Fine Arts | Humanities elective (select 1): ART 101, 102, HUM 100, MUS 121, PHI 101, 220, REL 231 | VCU equivalent | 3 | Major |
| HIS | History (select 1): HIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 | HIST | 3 | General education |
| BIO 101 | General Biology I | BIOL/Z 151 | 4 | Major |
| CHM 111 | General Chemistry I | CHEM/Z 101 | 4 | Major |
| MTH 245 | Statistics I | STAT 210 | 4 | Major |
| HIS | History (select 1): HIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 | HIST | 3 | General education |
| PSY 230 | Developmental Psychology | PSYC 304 | 3 | Major |
| CST 110 | Introduction to Speech Communication (or CST 126) | SPCH 121 | 3 | Elective |
| HLT 110 | Concepts of Personal and Community Health | HPEX 1XX | 3 | Elective |
| HLT 230 | Principles of Nutrition and Human Development | BIOL 217 | 3 | Major |
| ENG | Any 200-level ENG literature course (select 1): ENG 241, 242, 243, 244, 251, 252 | ENGL | 3 | General education |
| Humanities/Fine Arts | Humanities elective (select 1): ART 101, 102, CST 151, HUM 100, MUS 121, PHI 101, 220, REL 231 | VCU equivalent | 3 | Major |
| Germanna credits transferred to VCU | 64 | |||
| Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign language through the 102 level. (This requirement can be fulfilled by means of completion of the 102-level of a language or waived if the student completed up through the third level of a foreign language in high school. Additionally, language waiver and placement testing options are available for native or heritage speakers of a non-english language.) | 0 to 8 | General education (not waived by associate degree) | |
| PHYS 201 | General Physics I | 4 | Major |
| HPEX 300 | Healthcare Delivery in the U.S. | 3 | Major (HPEX Core) |
| HPEX 310 | Fitness and Health | 3 | Major (HPEX Core) |
| HPEX 395 | Clinical Experience I | 3 | Major (HPEX Core) |
| HPEX 495 | Clinical Experience II (fulfills senior capstone) | 6 | Major (HPEX Core) |
| HPEX 350 | Nutrition | 3 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 371 | Psychology of Physical Activity | 3 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 374 | Musculoskeletal Structure and Movement | 4 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 375 + HPEZ 375 | Physiology of Exercise and Laboratory | 4 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 380 | Resistance Training for Health and Performance | 3 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 440 | Chronic Disease and Exercise Management | 3 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 441 | Assessment and Exercise Intervention in Health and Disease | 3 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 470 | Exercise Programming and Leadership | 3 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 475 | Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Pharmacology | 3 | Major (Exercise Science Core) |
| HPEX 480 | Professional Certification Seminar | 1 | Major (Exercise Science Core ) |
| Approved electives (check with VCU advisor) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level (300- or 400-level) credits to graduate from VCU. | 6 to 9 | Elective | |
| Credits Completed at VCU | 56 | ||
| Bachelor's degree total | 120 | ||