Exercise and Sport Science
Exercise Science - The Right Track to Rhysical Therapy
The Exercise Science major is specifically designed for students seeking entrance into physical therapy school upon graduation. OCU also has an articulation agreement with Angelo State Physical Therapy School, which allows qualified OCU students a guaranteed interview for their program. The Exercise Science program has had great success in placing motivated students into Physical Therapy schools--just in 2015 the program had grads accepted into the University of Miami and Shenandoah University Physical Therapy programs.
Graduate Outcomes • Occupational Therapy School • Chiropractic School • Masters Degrees in Athletic Training and Dietetics
The Human Performance Degree A degree in Human Performance can lead to careers ranging from occupations in sports coach and strength and conditioning; clinical occupations such as cardiac rehab and personal training and fitness management in corporate wellness, hospital systems and private training studios. The 150 hour internship aids students in determining which part of the exercise and sport science field they fit into. The Exercise Science field is open to many career possibilities, a student just needs to find their niche. Students in our Human Performance degree have been placed in such post graduate programs as OU Occupational Therapy School, Parker Chiropractic College, and an accelerated nursing program. The degree program has been very successful in placing students in coaching positions at the college and high school levels, along with placing students in fitness leadership jobs at OU Medical, Integris Medical and private training facilities. Students in Human Performance have also pursued some unique careers, such as prosthetics.
Beginning Fall 2016 Any student directly transferring from Rose State College into OCU’s Exercise and Sport Science program with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA may be eligible to receive a $2,500 Exercise Science scholarship, stackable with academic and departmental grid scholarships.
Undergraduate Student Research Opportunities The OCU Sports Performance program is a community program that provides access to the testing services of the Exercise and Sports Science department. As a result, Exercise Science students can participate in providing the testing services, some of which are with Olympic caliber athletes from the sports of rowing and kayaking. Exercise and Sport Science also promotes student research with many students attending and presenting research at regional professional conferences, namely the Central States and Texas chapters of the American College of Sports Medicine. In addition to research, Exercise and Sport Science students can also be awarded grants for summer research through the CAIRS undergraduate research program. The program allows students to work with an ESS faculty member on a project resulting in a professional conference presentation and published manuscript.
OCU and OKC
The Exercise and Sport Science department hosts the OCU and OKC Barbell clubs, student, alumni and community Olympic Weightlifting clubs. In the past three years the club has proBarbell Clubs duced multiple national event qualifiers and even a US Nationals medal winner. The club provides not only the opportunity to learn the Olympic Weightlifting exercises but also a setting to hone coaching skills in the area of strength and conditioning, all while under the supervision of our faculty.
For more information, please contact Dr. Jason Miller at (405) 208-5648 or visit our website at okcu.edu/artsci/exercise-sports-science