Within this major, you will gain hands-on experience through coursework and internships in the area’s finest hospitals and training and fitness centers to prepare you for employment in the exercise science field. As people in the 21st century become increasingly aware of the benefits of good health and fitness habits, the demand for trained practitioners in the field of exercise science will continue to expand.

Internships

At Immaculata, you can get an internship within a specialized area, providing you with invaluable training. With our close proximity to Philadelphia’s hospitals, rehabilitation centers, fitness centers, sport training centers and professional sport teams, you will have excellent learning opportunities.

Our students have completed internships at the following organizations:

• National Institutes of Health
• NovaCare Rehabilitation
• Endurance Physical Therapy
• Lightning Fast Training Systems
• United Sports Training Center
• Future Stars Camps
• Ed Snyder Youth Hockey Foundation
• YSC Academy
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• NFL Films
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Philadelphia Flyers
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Camden River Sharks

Exercise Science Tracks

Movement Science

This interdisciplinary track will help you pursue a career in fitness and wellness, personal training, or strength and conditioning. This program will prepare you for graduate work in exercise physiology, biomechanics and related disciplines.

Pre-Athletic Training

This track is designed to help you pursue a career in athletic training, sports medicine or related fields in exercise science. Demand for athletic trainers is expected to increase significantly over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, due to athletic trainers’ role in preventing injuries and reducing health care costs. Athletic trainers are also in demand because their skills can be employed in a variety of contexts, including schools, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, performing arts companies, and the military.

Pre-Occupational Therapy

This track will help you grasp physiology, kinesiology, biomechanics, nutrition, injury care and prevention, and other subject matter related to occupational therapy. OTs are in high demand to help the aging population, to support people with special needs or disabilities, and to assist people as they recover from illnesses or injuries.

You may also choose to pursue a five-year, combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in occupational therapy through Immaculata’s partnership with Thomas Jefferson University. You will spend your first three years at Immaculata University and then proceed to Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) for the final two years of graduate occupational therapy coursework. Admission into this partnership program requires dual acceptance through an interview process and specific guidelines set forth by both universities.

Pre-Physical Therapy

Immaculata’s pre-physical therapy track covers anatomy and physiology, chemistry, kinesiology, genetics, biomechanics, nutrition, and physics to give you a solid foundation for graduate studies in physical therapy. You will learn how to assess patients, create exercise programming, prevent and care for athletic injuries.

Pre-Physician Assistant

Immaculata’s Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science with the pre-physician assistant track will give you a strong foundation in human movement science while also allowing you to pursue a career as a physician assistant or a related medical profession.
This interdisciplinary program includes math and science courses that will give you the foundational knowledge you need for applying to graduate physician assistant programs. We encourage you to meet with IU’s advisory committee for the medical professions, made up of faculty who will provide information, advisement, and services to help you with your graduate school and professional plans.

Sport Management

Immaculata’s Sport Management program combines exercise science and business courses to develop an overall understanding of the concepts of fitness and wellness as well as the organizational and administrative aspects in the discipline.

“I get to go to work every day and find different ways to make people happy through sports, which is exactly what sports did for me, and exactly the reason why I went into sports management. … The one-on-one attention, the relationships that I’ve had with my teachers, and their network is the reason why I’m in the roles I’m in today. I am doing what I love, and my classes in leadership dynamics, event management, and marketing prepared me for my job.” —Bridget Welz ’12, Manager, Philadelphia Union Community Relations & Philadelphia Union Foundation