It’s more than just letters after your name for what you get with an exercise science degree. This field of study covers everything from nutrition to designing fitness programs to exercise psychology. All of which are interesting areas of study. You also get more career choices and better employment odds. So, earning a good living becomes easy. Further, you can start working in the fitness industry while you finish your exercise science degree. Lastly, you’ll find fulfillment in what you do, regardless if you’re a personal trainer, exercise physiologist, in athletic training, or other great fields.
Here we’ll give you everything you need to know about what you get with an exercise science degree, including:
- The interesting areas of study you’ll learn
- The different career choices available to you
- How an exercise science degree increases your employment odds
- How you can work while you’re in your degree program
- Why these careers are flexible and deliver high satisfaction
If you’re already sold on choosing exercise science as your field of study, read more on why choose Lionel for a degree in exercise science.
Areas Of Study In Exercise Science
Even though the words “science degree” can scare some off, an exercise science major usually loves the courses they go through. This is because most students pursuing this type of degree love to workout and make fitness and healthy nutrition part of their daily lives. For this reason alone, they realize their studies in exercise science teach them how to take their own fitness to new levels. So, you’ll naturally find interest in the exercise science degree courses. Even better, you’ll be able to apply them to things you’re already passionate about.
Here’s a list of just some of the exercise science courses your degree will cover.
- Nutrition
- Exercise psychology
- Exercise testing and fitness assessments
- Health science and promotion
- Exercise physiology
- Strength and conditioning
- Injury prevention and corrective exercise
- More interesting electives like motivation, and health coach applications
Of course, you’ll also cover anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, and metabolic processes (bioenergetics). But, these courses become relevant and fascinating when you understand how it ties to fitness goals and applies to careers where you can make a six-figure income. Learn more about the basics of exercise science to get your feet wet.
Career Choices With An Exercise Science Degree
It’s common for people to start their exercise science program but not know exactly what they want to do. That’s okay! A degree in exercise science has wide career applications. This means you can start your program thinking you want to be one thing, like an exercise physiologist, but then realize you love helping athletes and want to go into athletic training. So, the good news is that this degree prepares you for many jobs in the fitness industry. For some, you’ll need additional continuing education. But, for the majority, you won’t need more than your degree to get your foot in the door.
Check out these great career choices that come with an exercise science degree (regardless of whether it’s an undergraduate or graduate degree program).
- Personal Trainer: Help people with weight loss, building strength, functioning better each day, and prevent injury.
- Athletic Trainer: Work with athletes on and off the playing field to prevent and recover from injury.
- Strength and Conditioning Coach: Help an athlete achieve their peak sport performance using sport science and creating sport specific training programs.
- Physical Education Teacher: Be a part of making our youth learn about and incorporate physical activity into their lives.
- Health Coach: Use motivational strategies to coach clients into healthier lifestyle choices that improve overall health.
- Physical Therapist: Help a patient with their ability to move after surgery or in response to some other form of treatment.
- Occupational Therapist: This is similar to physical therapy,, but the main difference is occupational therapy works to restore function for activities of daily living.
- Group Fitness Instructor: You can get paid to workout and motivate others to move and be fit with you. An exercise science program prepares you for common group fitness classes like HIIT, bootcamp, strength training, and foam rolling,
- Wellness Director: You can support your community with projects, programs, and events aimed to improve individual’s health and wellness.
- Exercise Physiologist: Work in a clinical setting helping a patient use fitness to improve chronic conditions.
Improve Employment Odds
Some of the career choices in the list above don’t require a degree. For example, a health coach, personal trainer, group fitness director, and strength and conditioning coaches require a certification for employment. But, because a certification program can take as little as 30 days to complete, it doesn’t hold as much weight as a degree. Employers of big and small organizations are much more likely to hire someone with an exercise science degree over a certification alone. In part, this is because it shows hiring managers your ability to stick with a task to completion. Turnover can be an issue in the fitness industry. But, more importantly, exercise science students are well-rounded in their skills and knowledge. A personal trainer with this type of degree will also know about nutrition and other health science topics. Similarly, a group fitness instructor will know more about sports medicine and safety than a primary certification offers. For all of these reasons, and more, your employability increases when you have an exercise science degree.
Work In Fitness While You Learn
One of the best perks about an exercise science degree from Lionel university is that you’ll get certifications and fitness specializations as you go through your program. This means within the first six months of your first year, you’ll be able to start working with fitness clients. Most other career paths don’t have this option. Further, most degree programs don’t have this option. However, part of the Lionel University degree programs include a Master Trainer Certificate. This type of certificate is as elite as it gets in the fitness industry. Gyms will pay more to those who have more than one fitness certification. Some of the certifications and specializations you can choose from include:
- Certified Personal Trainer
- Certified Nutritionist
- Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
- Certified Group Fitness Trainer
- Transformation Specialist
- Bodybuilding Specialist
- Corrective Exercise Specialist
- Exercise Therapy Specialist
- Youth Fitness Specialist
- Senior Fitness Specialist
Here are some resume tips for personal trainers to help you get the best job possible. As you go through these programs, it helps you learn more about your own interests in a fitness career. You might find that working with kids in sports is your passion as you go through the Youth Fitness Specialist certificate. This could lead you into working in physical education or as a sport coach.
Why Exercise Science Jobs Give High Satisfaction
Job satisfaction is important, and most of the careers in this article deliver just that. First and foremost, these roles help others live better, healthier lives. This can lead to better quality of life and longevity. Not many workers can say they go to work everyday helping someone live a better life. You can turn someone’s health around and be a major milestone in their lives. It’s rewarding to guide someone into losing 100 pounds (ca. 45 kg).
Additionally, there’s high flexibility in scheduling. As a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, etc. you get to set your own schedule. Or, you can accept clients and sessions only when you want. This is contrary to the traditional eight to five job most people hold. This type of autonomy lends to better motivation levels, allowing you to enjoy what you do for a living years on end.
Additionally, there’s the opportunity to make more money, even six figures is a probability, not just a possibility. Most of the careers in this article allow you to start your own business and even scale it. You can start working in a gym, master your craft, and then branch out on your own, eventually having trainers that work for you! The same goes for exercise physiologist, nutrition coaching, and physical therapy roles.
And, with online personal training, nutrition coaching, or health coaching, you can conduct sessions and motivate fitness clients remotely. This allows you to scale your business and work from anywhere in the world.
Helping others achieve a better quality of life is a rewarding career. This is regardless of whether you choose to become an exercise physiologist or enter one of the other careers. When you choose one of these jobs you’ll get some (if not all) of these perks:
- The ability to take your own fitness to the next level
- Learn about something you love
- Help others lose weight and make major life changes
- Increase someone’s lifespan
- Help athletes perform their best
- Choose your own hours
- Make six figures
- Run your own business
As you can see, it’s pretty enticing to learn more about this type of study. Lionel University provides exercise science degree programs that can help you land a job as an exercise physiologist. You can earn an associates degree, bachelors degree, or masters degree at Lionel. What’s even better is, included in your program, you’ll earn a personal training certification and other fitness certifications and specializations early on. This makes it easy for you to earn a living in the fitness space and test the waters. You’ll be able to figure out exactly what your long-term career goals are.
Find out why other students choose Lionel and love it. You can get financial aid to make it an easier transition. And, the courses are all online. This means you can earn your degree from home, and on your own time. It’s the best way to learn when you get to choose. Furthermore, the reputation of Lionel is elite. The founders of Lionel are pioneers in the fitness space and have prestigious backgrounds. This means you’ll be learning from the best and most respected program available.
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