Health and Exercise Science (BS)
Make it your goal to help others achieve theirs.
- Available as
- Major
- Degrees/Options
- Bachelor of Science
- Length
- 4 years
- Locations
- Fort Wayne
- 2 Concentrations
- Kinesiology, and Strength and Conditioning*
(*further admission requirements)
Why Study Health and Exercise Science?
Physical therapy, strength and conditioning, athletic training, chiropractic care, nutritional coaching, occupational therapy, and other movement sciences are among the fastest-growing sectors of patient care. The healthcare industry’s renewed focus on preventative and rehabilitation medicine through a spectrum of care is creating a surge of interest in wellness programs from families, individuals, communities, academic institutions, and organizations. With this, there’s a growing demand for personal coaches, health educators, sport performance specialists, corporate wellness program managers, and other related preventive and rehabilitative roles.
A degree in Health and Exercise Science gives you the foundation for these rewarding and exciting fields that help others achieve their personal best.
10-14%
Projected growth in employment opportunities for sport performance coaches, fitness directors, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and related fields from 2022 to 2032 (much faster than the average for all occupations)
BLS.gov
$60,250
Median annual wage for athletic trainers in 2024
BLS.gov
$68,089-
$98,564
Range annual wage for Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists and Sport Scientists in 2025 (varies with education and setting)
NSCA.gov
$58,160-
$77,180
Median annual wage for exercise physiologists and fitness club managers in 2024
BLS.gov
Why Saint Francis for Health and Exercise Science?
Beyond the science and skills. Rooted in the liberal arts and built on Catholic values, our program develops you into a reflective, ethical professional ready to provide compassionate care and service to others.
With activity- and project-based courses, you’ll see today’s best practices in action… and then practice them yourself. You’ll learn how to apply science-based evidence in real-world situations and hone valuable communication, coaching, and organizational skills.
Saint Francis’ strong reputation in the regional healthcare community gives our students access to quality internships, opens doors for health and wellness jobs with top employers, and provides meaningful service-learning opportunities.
Saint Francis’s Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science Strength and Conditioning Program is now the first in Indiana to be accredited by the Council of Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE), a recognized authority in quality strength and conditioning education.
Personalize Your Path: Expand Your Opportunities
Our breadth of programs in health sciences and beyond allows our students to combine majors, minors, and concentrations. Your faculty advisors can help you personalize your academic path within the academic program to meet your goals.
Kinesiology Degree Concentration
Concentrating in Kinesiology—the study of movement—is the foundation of the Health and Exercise Science degree. Students prepare to work directly out of college while meeting the prerequisites for graduate programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, chiropractic care, dietetics, physician studies, biomechanics, and many others.
This concentration prepares graduates for careers in fitness training and consulting, community health education, personal coaching, rehabilitation services, corporate wellness, or health-related marketing and management roles. Students in this concentration complete 200-hours of internships to build hands-on experience.
Graduates can pursue further studies and/or sit for national certification exams including:
- Personal trainer, exercise specialist and health/fitness instructor (American College of Sports Medicine)
- Personal trainer (National Strength and Conditioning Association and National Academy of Sports Medicine)
Strength and Conditioning Concentration
The Strength and Conditioning concentration prepares students to become successful sport performance specialists and to sit for the National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA-CSCS) exam. (CSCS | Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist). The goals and learning objectives ensure graduates are knowledgeable and able leaders in the field of strength and conditioning. While preparing for the CSCS certification, students can also complete the pre-requisites for graduate programs in sport science, athletic training, and physical therapy.
Students complete an application process after completing pre-requisite coursework including anatomy, physiology, and exercise physiology to be fully admitted into and must maintain good academic standing to remain in the Strength and Conditioning concentration. The concentration includes an additional 100-hours of internships and practicums with our local partners including Parkview Sports Performance, Optimum Performance Sports, Purdue Fort Wayne, Mad Apple Sports Performance, and Ruoff Health and Wellness.
As an accredited program by the Council of Accreditation in Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE) Professional Standards and Guidelines, students are prepared and eligible to sit for the NSCA-CSCS exam. Starting in 2030, registration for the CSCS exam requires a degree from a CASCE accredited program. Learn more about the value of choosing a CASCE program at www.nsca.com/casce.
This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to upholding the highest standards of quality and excellence in our strength and conditioning program. Our curriculum, faculty, and facilities have undergone rigorous evaluation to ensure that we provide students with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience necessary to excel in the field of strength and conditioning and keep athletes safe.
Two Degrees, Four Years
Students in our two-year physical therapist assistant associate degree program can simultaneously work towards a bachelor’s degree in health and exercise science.
Double Major
Add a second major in a related or complementary field to boost your opportunities. Popular choices include biology and psychology. Other majors may give you a chance to earn an associate’s degree along the way, such as surgical or radiologic technology.
Minors
Gain more marketable skills when you complement your health and exercise degree with a minor like nutrition, athletic coaching, psychology, business, or marketing.
Transition to Teaching Pathway
Begin working towards a teaching certificate through the early pathway in the Transition to Teaching program. Upon completion of a bachelor’s degree students can continue with graduate studies to complete a teaching certificate.
“The Health and Exercise Science program shows us how it works in the real world. In my first year, I shadowed two different athletic trainers and a coach and it was eye opening.”
Joshua Nziza ‘27 Health and Exercise Science major
“Not all health and exercise science programs require practical experience, but I’m glad Saint Francis does. My internship not only gave me hands-on experience, but it got me in the door. I was considered to be very well rounded because of my education and the courses I took beyond my major.”
Haylee Shirkey ’17 Business Support Analyst at Parkview Total Health
“The Health and Exercise Science program at Saint Francis has compassionate professors who genuinely want to help their students reach their goals. The program also has a good balance of teaching content while providing students with ample opportunities to hone their hands-on skills.”
Colin Hahn ’22 ’24 Physical Therapist Assistant, Indiana Physical Therapy
“My favorite part about Health and Exercise Science is the community that surrounds it. Throughout my time in the program, I have learned to engage with those in my community both on and outside of campus, explore new opportunities for growth, and elevate my commitment to this program and future career path in physical therapy. I will forever be grateful for these experiences at Saint Francis.”
Katie Melcher ’23 ’24 Physical Therapist Assistant, Steppin’ Up Physical Therapy
Hands-On Learning: Active From the Start
At Saint Francis, you’ll start learning through hands-on experiences from day one. You’ll connect with peers in your degree program through collaborative courses and department seminars.
Your final year culminates with a 200-300 hour internship. Recent internship sites include:
- Catalyst Fitness
- Charge Chiropractic
- Fort Wayne Orthopedics Hospital
- Fort Wayne Tin Caps
- Goebel Chiropractic
- Indiana Physical Therapy
- Mad Apple CrossFit and Sport Performance
- Parkview Sports Medicine
- Purdue University Fort Wayne
- Ruoff Mortgage Corporate Wellness
- Steppin’ Up Physical Therapy
- Turnstone Fitness and Aquatics
- YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne
Your internships might even serve as a pathway to your first employment position after graduation.
On-campus experience with Saint Francis athletics, health services and related offices also provide valuable practical experience.
Faculty and Facilities
All of this hands-on learning happens in places like our cadaver lab and an exercise physiology lab stocked with state-of-the-art fitness assessment equipment. You will learn from a faculty with a wealth of expertise and professional experience across the health and exercise science discipline.
Campus and Community
Saint Francis offers many opportunities for you to serve others through campus ministries, service-learning projects, and student groups.
What You Can Do With a Health and Exercise Science Degree
Health and wellness jobs abound in Indiana and beyond. You will join a network of Saint Francis graduates helping their communities stay healthy, get active and be well in roles such as:
- Personal trainers
- Athletic coaches
- Strength and conditioning coaches
- Community health educators
- Lifestyle coaches
- Health and fitness managers
- Graduate students pursuing advanced degrees
Additionally, entrepreneurial health and exercise science graduates are known to start their own health, wellness, or fitness businesses.
Where You’ll Find Our Graduates
With plenty of real-world experience and a degree in health and exercise sciences in hand, our graduates start their careers at places like:
- Catalyst Fitness
- Charge Chiropractic
- Fort Wayne Community Schools
- Indiana Physical Therapy
- Parkview Sports Medicine
- Parkview Health
- Purdue University Fort Wayne
- Turnstone Fitness and Aquatics
- University of Saint Francis
- YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne
Graduate and Professional School
Whether you’re looking to become a practitioner, professor or healthcare leader, Saint Francis will prepare you well for advanced studies. Our students have pursued master’s and doctoral programs in a variety of areas, including:
- Sport Science
- Kinesiology
- Biomechanics
- Exercise Physiology
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Physical Therapy
- Chiropractic Medicine
- Recreational Therapy
- Occupational Therapy
- Athletic Training
- Sports Medicine Doctor
- Healthcare Administration
- Business
- Education
- Physician and Physician Assistant
Accreditation Status
The University of Saint Francis Health and Exercise Science program is fully accredited through the Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE).
Program outcome data, such as student enrollment, graduation rates, NSCA-CSCS exam pass rates, employment rates, and graduate placement rates, will be posted here as soon as it becomes available.