Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science with a concentration in Exercise Science

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science: Health Science (Thomas Nelson Community College)
Thomas Nelson Community College
Thomas Nelson Community College
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

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

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

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
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science with a concentration in Exercise Science

Thomas Nelson Community College (Associate of Science: Health Science)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Attend New Student Orientation.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Use Navigate to schedule an appointment with your advisor.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Start your math sequence and pass ENG 111-112.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Attend cultural events at community college and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Browse careers related to Exercise Science through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
  • Take a career assessment through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and VCU and explore Career Pathways on the VCU website.
Experience Year 2
  • 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 VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Kinesiology & Health Sciences department-related events.
  • Find out about VCU REAL.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at community college or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Plan to complete at least two internships (job experiences) before your senior year of college.
  • Create a draft resume and bring it to career services advisor or workshop for review.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • 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.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Attend New Student Orientation.
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Use Navigate to schedule an appointment with your advisor.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Start your math sequence and pass ENG 111-112.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at community college and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Browse careers related to Exercise Science through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Build a LinkedIn profile.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Take a career assessment through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and VCU and explore Career Pathways on the VCU website.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
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 VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Kinesiology & Health Sciences department-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs at community college or VCU to explore your interests.
  • Plan to complete at least two internships (job experiences) before your senior year of college.
  • Create a draft resume and bring it to career services advisor or workshop for review.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • 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.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.

Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2020-2021

Bachelor of Science: Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science with a concentration in Exercise Science

Thomas Nelson Community College (Associate of Science: Health Science)

Thomas Nelson Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
MTH 161 PreCalculus I (required as prerequisite for MATH 151 at VCU) MATH 141 3 General education
BIO 141 Human Anatomy & 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
HLT 110 Personal & Community Health HPEX 1XX 3 Elective
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major
BIO 142 Human Anatomy & Physiology II (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Major
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology PSYC 304 3 Major
HLT 230 Nutrition & Human Development BIOL 217 3 Major
HLT 206 or HLT 228 Exercise Science or Principles of Public Health HPEX 2XX 3 Elective
HLT 143 Medical Terminology HPEX 250 3 Major
Social Science PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 Major
Laboratory Science BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 Major
Transfer elective PED 168 Basic Personal Trainer or Elective VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Laboratory Science CHM 111 General Chemistry I CHEM/Z 101 4 Major
HLT 217 or HLT 241 Exercise & Nutrition for Behavioral Change or Global Health Perspectives HPEX 2XX 3 Elective
Social Science Select 1: HIS 101, 102, 111, 112. 121, 122, SOC 101 VCU equivalent 3 General education
PHI 220 Ethics PHIL 201 3 Major
Transfer elective Transfer elective VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Thomas Nelson credits transferred to VCU 62
VCU courses
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
MATH 151 Precalculus Mathematics 4 Major
PHYS 201 General Physics I 4 Major
HPEX 300 Healthcare Delivery in the U.S. 3 Major
HPEX 310 Fitness and Health 3 Major
HPEX 395 Clinical Experience I 3 Major
HPEX 495 Clinical Experience II (fulfills senior capstone) 6 Major
HPEX 350 Nutrition 3 Major
HPEX 371 Psychology of Physical Activity 3 Major
HPEX 374 Musculoskeletal Structure and Movement 4 Major
HPEX 375 + HPEZ 375 Physiology of Exercise and Laboratory 4 Major
HPEX 380 Resistance Training for Health and Performance 3 Major
HPEX 440 Chronic Disease and Exercise Management 3 Major
HPEX 441 Assessment and Exercise Intervention in Health and Disease 3 Major
HPEX 470 Exercise Programming and Leadership 3 Major
HPEX 475 Cardiovascular Pathophysiology and Pharmacology 3 Major
HPEX 480 Professional Certification Seminar 1 Major
Open electives 0 to 6 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 58
Bachelor's degree total 120