About the Exercise Science Program
Watch this presentation to learn more about the Exercise Science program at Dean.
Are you passionate about physical fitness, health, education and other sports-related endeavors? The Exercise Science degree program at Dean College might be the right fit for you.
Program Overview
Explore the world of sport, fitness and human performance in the Exercise Science major at Dean College.
Dean College offers both an associate degree and bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, combining academics with activity-based classes that will enable you to explore a variety of career possibilities in the field. You may choose from three tracks within the Exercise Science major:
- Exercise Science
- Pre-Athletic Training
- Pre-Physical Therapy
You’ll study fitness and conditioning, anatomy and physiology, and nutrition, all while focusing on personal conditioning skills. You’ll learn how to assess and develop fitness and human performance, how to test and understand the body, and how psychology plays a key role in understanding both motivation and barriers to exercise. Your courses will emphasize principles and techniques for flexibility, strength, stability and balance – physical abilities that are essential to any fitness or rehabilitation program. The Exercise Science program is also complemented by a solid foundation in the liberal arts, as well as required courses in quantitative reasoning and oral communication.
And you’ll put theory into practice every step of the way. You’ll attend labs, classes and activities, develop your own testing projects and fitness-related programs, and complete an internship to build your skills and give you the practical experience needed to succeed in the field.
Celebrating Women in Science
Hear from our faculty members about our science programs and what it means to be a woman in science at Dean.
School of Liberal Arts Faculty
Gain valuable insights from our School of Liberal Arts faculty, who are here to help you every step of the way.
Exercise Science Courses
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EXSC 111 | Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Exercise | 3 |
| EXSC 170 | First Aid and Safety/CPR/AED | 3 |
| EXSC 174 | History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Activity | 3 |
| EXSC 185 | Personal Training | 3 |
| EXSC 234 | Nutrition and Food Science | 3 |
| EXSC 260 | Fundamentals of Physical Fitness and Conditioning | 3 |
| EXSC 265 | Resistance Training and Programming | 3 |
| EXSC 371 | Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| EXSC 421 | Exercise for Special Populations | 3 |
| EXSC 434 | Sport Nutrition | 3 |
| EXSC 470 | Exercise Testing and Prescription | 3 |
| EXSC 495 | Senior Capstone | 3 |
| BIO 172 | Anatomy and Physiology ll | 4 |
| BIO 387 | Kinesiology | 4 |
| DCA 100 | Campus Connections: Making the Transition | 1 |
| DCA 110 | Career Connections: Developing Your Brand | 1 |
| DCA 200 | Internship Connections: Creating Your Plan | 1 |
| DCA 300 | The Internship Experience | 3 |
| DCA 350 | Future Connections: Launching Your Career | 3 |
| DCA EXPERIENCE ELE | Dean Career Advantage Experience Course | 3 |
Total Credits
56
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 111 | Composition l | 3 |
| ENG 112 | Composition ll | 3 |
| SPC 101 | Communication Fundamentals | 3 |
| MATH ELECTIVE | Core Mathematics Elective | 3 |
| BIO 171 | Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| ARTS ELECTIVE | Core Distribution Arts Elective | 3 |
| HUMANITIES ELECTIVE | Core Distribution Humanities Elective | 3 |
| BIO 167 | Musculoskeletal Anatomy | 3 |
| PSY 111 | General Psychology | 3 |
| COM 327 | Applied Professional Communication | 3 |
| PSY 336 | Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| UDLA ELE | Upper-Division Liberal Arts Electives | 6 |
Total Credits
40
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ELE | Electives | 24 |
Total Credits
24
Pre-Physical Therapy
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EXSC 111 | Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Exercise | 3 |
| EXSC 170 | First Aid and Safety/CPR/AED | 3 |
| EXSC 174 | History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Activity | 3 |
| EXSC 185 | Personal Training | 3 |
| EXSC 234 | Nutrition and Food Science | 3 |
| EXSC 260 | Fundamentals of Physical Fitness and Conditioning | 3 |
| EXSC 265 | Resistance Training and Programming | 3 |
| EXSC 371 | Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| EXSC 421 | Exercise for Special Populations | 3 |
| EXSC 434 | Sport Nutrition | 3 |
| EXSC 470 | Exercise Testing and Prescription | 3 |
| EXSC 495 | Senior Capstone | 3 |
| BIO 172 | Anatomy and Physiology ll | 4 |
| BIO 387 | Kinesiology | 4 |
| DCA 100 | Campus Connections: Making the Transition | 1 |
| DCA 110 | Career Connections: Developing Your Brand | 1 |
| DCA 200 | Internship Connections: Creating Your Plan | 1 |
| DCA 300 | The Internship Experience | 3 |
| DCA 350 | Future Connections: Launching Your Career | 3 |
| DCA EXPERIENCE ELE | Dean Career Advantage Experience Course | 3 |
| BIO 151 | General Biology - The Cell | 4 |
| CHM 151 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHM 152 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHM 345 | Concepts in Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry for the Biological Sciences | 3 |
| MTH 130 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| PHY 141 | General Physics I | 4 |
| PHY 142 | General Physics II | 4 |
| SOC 225 | Health and Illness: A Sociological Perspective | 3 |
Total Credits
85
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 111 | Composition l | 3 |
| ENG 112 | Composition ll | 3 |
| SPC 101 | Communication Fundamentals | 3 |
| MTH 132 OR MTH 151 | Mathematics for the Biological Sciences or Pre-Calculus I | 3 |
| BIO 171 | Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| ARTS ELECTIVE | Core Distribution Arts Elective | 3 |
| HUMANITIES ELECTIVE | Core Distribution Humanities Elective | 3 |
| BIO 167 | Musculoskeletal Anatomy | 3 |
| PSY 111 | General Psychology | 3 |
| COM 327 | Applied Professional Communication | 3 |
| PSY 336 | Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| UDLA ELE | Upper-Division Liberal Arts Electives | 6 |
Total Credits
40
Pre-Athletic Training
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EXSC 111 | Introduction to Sport, Fitness and Exercise | 3 |
| EXSC 170 | First Aid and Safety/CPR/AED | 3 |
| EXSC 174 | History and Philosophy of Sport and Physical Activity | 3 |
| EXSC 185 | Personal Training | 3 |
| EXSC 234 | Nutrition and Food Science | 3 |
| EXSC 260 | Fundamentals of Physical Fitness and Conditioning | 3 |
| EXSC 265 | Resistance Training and Programming | 3 |
| EXSC 371 | Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| EXSC 421 | Exercise for Special Populations | 3 |
| EXSC 434 | Sport Nutrition | 3 |
| EXSC 470 | Exercise Testing and Prescription | 3 |
| EXSC 495 | Senior Capstone | 3 |
| BIO 172 | Anatomy and Physiology ll | 4 |
| BIO 387 | Kinesiology | 4 |
| DCA 100 | Campus Connections: Making the Transition | 1 |
| DCA 110 | Career Connections: Developing Your Brand | 1 |
| DCA 200 | Internship Connections: Creating Your Plan | 1 |
| DCA 300 | The Internship Experience | 3 |
| DCA 350 | Future Connections: Launching Your Career | 3 |
| DCA EXPERIENCE ELE | Dean Career Advantage Experience Course | 3 |
| BIO 151 | General Biology - The Cell | 4 |
| CHM 151 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| MTH 130 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| PHY 141 | General Physics I | 4 |
Total Credits
71
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 111 | Composition l | 3 |
| ENG 112 | Composition ll | 3 |
| SPC 101 | Communication Fundamentals | 3 |
| MTH 132 OR MTH 151 | Mathematics for the Biological Sciences or Pre-Calculus I | 3 |
| BIO 171 | Anatomy and Physiology | 4 |
| ARTS ELECTIVE | Core Distribution Arts Elective | 3 |
| HUMANITIES ELECTIVE | Core Distribution Humanities Elective | 3 |
| BIO 167 | Musculoskeletal Anatomy | 3 |
| PSY 111 | General Psychology | 3 |
| COM 327 | Applied Professional Communication | 3 |
| PSY 336 | Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| UDLA ELE | Upper-Division Liberal Arts Electives | 6 |
Total Credits
40
| Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ELE | Electives | 9 |
Total Credits
9
Beyond the Classroom
Real-world experience is key to succeeding in the exercise science field.
You’ll participate in experiential learning opportunities through everything you do, exploring the field and testing your interest in the career paths you might want to pursue. Tour facilities and meet practitioners and athletic trainers with the New England Patriots, New England Revolution, Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Build your skills and your confidence by completing internships at places like the YMCA, Bosse Sports, Franklin Physical Therapy, Valeo FC International Academy, the New England Revolution U-23 Academy and Dean College Athletics.
You'll graduate with the skills and knowledge you need to enjoy a rewarding career as a personal trainer, coach, teacher, rehabilitation specialist and more, or pursue graduate school to become a certified athletic trainer, physician assistant or exercise physiologist. You’ll find Bulldogs hard at work at places like Mass Sport and Spine, OrthoBoston, the Edge Fitness Center, Perkins School for the Blind, collegiate athletics programs and so much more.
Get Involved
Learn more about how to get involved in athletics, fitness and recreation, and experiential learning opportunities.-
Dean College Athletics Combine your passion for fitness in class and on the field. -
On-Campus Fitness & Recreation Take advantage of our fitness spaces and programs.
-
Internships & Experiential Learning Get hands-on experience through The Center for Business, Entertainment and Sport Management.
Uniquely Dean
Put your skills to the test through the unique opportunities the Dean College Exercise Science program to offer.
- Visit local organizations to meet strength and conditioning coaches in weight rooms, trainers in professional and rehabilitation settings, hospitals, the YMCA and more.
- Practice your skills and work alongside professionals, including Dean College strength and conditioning coaches and our performing arts athletic trainer.
- Meet with industry professionals from the New England Patriots, New England Revolution and Providence Bruins through The Center for Business, Entertainment and Sport Management.
- Learn from industry experts who visit campus to share their experiences and offer advice and counsel.
- Develop your own training programs and testing projects through capstone courses and collaboration with Dean’s athletic teams.
- Learn from faculty and staff who are practitioners in their fields. Dean College was ranked #2 in Best Undergraduate Teaching in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Regional Colleges, North category.
I've interned with Dean's coaches on campus and also secured a job with the New England Revolution as a game-day operations staff member. I've gained a lot of hands-on experience and found my interest in becoming a strength coach for sports teams. The exercise science program really makes sure you are ready to earn your certifications after college and jump right into the field.
The variety of classes, hands-on experience and capstone research project in the Exercise Science program at Dean were crucial in preparing me for a career as a healthcare provider. I recently graduated Northeastern University with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies and am now working as a physician assistant in orthopedic sports medicine at EmergeOrtho in North Carolina.
Dean taught me how to be fluent in exercise and how to communicate effectively. My studies also prepared me to earn my professional certifications. I’m now working as a personal trainer at the YMCA, where I now use the knowledge I gained at Dean to teach fitness classes, work one-on-one with individuals and help my clients reach their goals.
I interned with Energy No Limit, a training facility where I was able to observe exercise classes and eventually teach them. Dean played a major role in preparing me for this internship by teaching me communication skills, how to be professional and how to connect with those I’m working with.
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