For best results, print using Chrome.
 Jump to Transfer Major Map
 Jump to recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

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

VCU

Community college:
AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science (Virginia Community College System)
Virginia Community College System
Associate degree

AA&S in Science or AS in Health Sciences or AS in Science.

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

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

Depending on the concentration, the major is designed for students who wish to enter a health care-related field that does not require licensure, certification or registry status such as corporate wellness, human services, nonprofit health promotion and medical and pharmaceutical sales, or exercise physiologist, corporate fitness director, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialist, strength and conditioning specialist and wellness director.


Graduates can also be qualified to enter either graduate or professional health science programs, such as public health, health education and promotion, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, nursing, speech-language pathology, audiology, radiation safety, clinical laboratory science and health care administration. Additionally, the exercise science concentration prepares students for graduate study in exercise science or athletic training.

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

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 151
  • STAT 210
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0 to graduate, grade of C or better required in all major and concentration courses
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science with concentration in Exercise Science, Health Science

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

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

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in 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
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
  • Enroll in a SDV student success course.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
Experience Year 2
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the Kinesiology and Health Sciences department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • 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.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
  • Enroll in a SDV student success course.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the Kinesiology and Health Sciences department, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • 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.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

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

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science)

Virginia Community College System courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 or 101 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
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 167 Precalculus with Trigonometry (or MTH 161-162) MATH 151 5 to 6 Major (Ancillary)
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major (Ancillary)
Humanities/Fine Arts Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240. VCU equivalent 3 General education
Humanities/Fine Arts/Literature Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240, ENG 225, ENG 245, ENG 246, ENG 250, ENG 255, ENG 258, ENG 275 (the course must come from a different group than the previous requirement). VCU equivalent 3 General education
History Select one of the following (UCGS Block VI): HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 111, HIS 112, HIS 121, HIS 122. VCU equivalent 3 General education
BIO 141 Human Anatomy and Physiology I Note: both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be completed to transfer as VCU equivalents BIOL 205 +PHIS/Z 206 4 Major (Ancillary)
BIO 142 Human Anatomy and Physiology II Note: both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be completed to transfer as VCU equivalents BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Major (Ancillary)
BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 Major (Ancillary)
CHM 111 General Chemistry I CHEM/Z 101 4 Major (Ancillary)
PHY 201 General College Physics I PHYS 201 4 Major (Ancillary)
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 Major (Ancillary)
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology PSYC 304 3 Major (Ancillary)
Complete requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 9 to 10 Elective
Community college credits transferred to VCU 60
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Foreign Language Foreign language (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 6 Major (Ancillary)
HPEX 300 Health Care 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 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 + 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
Upper-level electives (300- or 400-level courses) Note: Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-level credits to graduate from VCU. 7 to 15 Elective
REAL The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. 0 Major
Credits completed at VCU 60
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120
The accelerated B.S. and M.S. program allows qualified students to earn both the B.S. in Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science (either concentration) and M.S. in Gerontology OR the B.S. in Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science (exercise science concentration) and M.S. in Health and Movement Science in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Minimum qualifications for entrance to the accelerated M.S. (Gerontology) program include completion of 84 undergraduate credit hours including HPEX 300 and HPEX 310; an overall minimum GPA of 3.0; and a GPA of 3.0 in ancillary requirements, and HPEX concentration core course work. Minimum qualifications for entrance to the accelerated M.S. (health and movement science) program include completion of 84 undergraduate credit hours including HPEX 375, HPEX 440 and undergraduate courses specific to the complementary graduate courses offered in the student’s senior year (HPEX 350 prior to HEMS 604; HPEX 371 prior to HEMS 605; HPEX 441 prior to HEMS 610; HPEX 475 prior to HEMS 675); an overall minimum GPA of 3.0; and a GPA of 3.0 in ancillary requirements, HPEX core and exercise science core course work.