Discover the power to transform lives through Valpo’s exercise science program, where a blend of expert mentorship and real-world experiences prepares you to optimize health and enhance human performance.
Valpo’s exercise science program equips you with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a rapidly evolving field. Through courses like Exercise Physiology, Sports Nutrition, and Motor Learning, you’ll dive deep into human performance. In other courses like Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, you’ll learn to design and implement fitness programs based on real-world needs. These and other specialized courses integrated into the curriculum are designed to prepare you for earning nationally recognized certifications that employers value, including certified personal trainer (CPT), certified strength coach, and sports nutrition specialist.
Whether your goal is to work as a strength coach or wellness coordinator or to enter advanced healthcare roles like physical therapy, our program offers two unique concentrations, illuminating your unique path to a bright future:
• Focusing on fitness training, rehabilitation, and sports performance, the fitness and human performance concentration offers pathways to careers in personal training, strength conditioning, athletic training, and more.
• The pre-health professions concentration prepares you for diverse careers in health and fitness while laying the groundwork for advanced education in allied health fields, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, athletic training, physician assistant studies, clinical exercise physiology, and chiropractic care.
100% OF EXERCISE SCIENCE STUDENTS ENGAGE IN HANDS-ON LEARNING EXPERIENCES
10%
JOB GROWTH PROJECTED BETWEEN 2023-2033* (higher than the average for all occupations) The Princeton Review
*According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023 report.
BEST Colleges (M idwe st) 20 25
ALUMNI SUCCESS
With a solid foundation from Valpo, you will go on to radiate your passion for exercise science in multiple directions. Many of our graduates go on to pursue advanced degrees in fields like occupational therapy, physical therapy, or clinical exercise physiology, while others are transforming lives in careers like:
• Cardiac rehabilitation specialist
• Community health educator
• Corporate wellness specialist
• Health and wellness coach
• Nutrition and wellness consultant
• Personal trainer
• Sports performance specialist
• Strength and conditioning coach
Visit valpo.edu/alumni-success to learn more.
EXPERT MENTORSHIP
At Valpo, you’re more than a student — you’re part of a community that genuinely cares about your success. With small class sizes, you’ll form meaningful connections with professors who bring both academic expertise and real-world experience in exercise science, biomechanics, sports medicine, and beyond. Our faculty are mentors dedicated to helping you define and achieve your goals. They’ll guide you through challenging coursework like Research Methods in Kinesiology and Sport, where you’ll design and execute your own studies, and Advanced Physiology of Exercise, where you’ll explore the body’s response to high-performance activity. Professors also assist with career preparation — from planning your internships to helping you earn certifications to providing unique networking opportunities through their academic connections — ensuring you graduate with confidence and a clear path forward.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
At Valpo, learning is active, hands-on, and impactful. From day one, you’ll put theory into practice in cutting-edge labs and professional environments. Through coursework that simulates real-life challenges, you’ll master equipment like spirometers for respiratory assessments, electrocardiographs to measure heart activity, anthropometers to evaluate body composition, and biomechanics software to analyze human movement. Internship opportunities are a cornerstone of the program, giving you exposure to diverse roles and settings, such as fitness centers and gyms, sports performance facilities, hospital rehabilitation units, corporate wellness programs, and more. Many students intern with organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area, gaining access to one of the most dynamic healthcare and fitness hubs in the world. These internships often translate into full-time roles or provide the foundation for graduate studies.
