Exercise science major

Is there no chemistry/biochemistry requirement to get a degree in Exercise Science? Seems like a necessity to me, but I guess I could be wrong. I took human anatomy a while back - it was really helpful for me in understanding the causes behind a few running injuries I suffered from later.

I was an ex phys major in college and will say that there's a lot you can learn about how the body works; it really is an amazing machine. As for improving running: if you really soak it all in and understand the concepts, then you have a great tool at your disposal. It's up to you if you want to take the newfound knowledge and apply it to your own training.

In my case I think the best thing about it was that it served to reinforce why I was doing what I was doing. Some people ask themselves why they are running or why they are doing this workout or why they are eating this instead of that. When you have the knowledge to answer these questions yourself (and truly understand the science behind it), you're much better off for it. Did it improve my running? Well, it kept me motivated to stay running, and I've lowered some pr's since I graduated 3 years ago, so perhaps it has. Who knows what would have happened if I majored in something else though?

I've heard that Exercise science is a joke major...really, if you are going to take all those science classes, why no major in something worth bragging about, like Biology or something? The only difference in Ochem and more math. Actually, I am suprised there is no Ochem requirment for your Exercise major...there is at most schools.

if i were you, i would major in biology and take the classes you need to get a teacher certification as well. take all the exercise classes you want, do it as a minor...

my suggestion will put you in a good spot to get a job teaching and for you to be able to coach cc/track etc at a high school. if that works out well and you like it you can move on to college.

what are some of the careers you can get with an exercise major? as greedy as this probably sounds, what kind of money do you make in those jobs?

I was a kinesiology major for a semester near the beginning of my academic career and I thought that it was a pretty weak major. Without a solid understanding of chemistry, you won't be able to really understand the biology. Without really understanding the biology, you won't really understand anything. For example, you'll learn about how PH levels in the blood allow the blood to pick up and release oxygen at the proper places, but you can only understand this at a very superficial level if you don't understand the chemistry behind it.

The major reminded me of being in elementary school in some ways. In elementary school, they present facts to you, but they often don't explain the underlying logic or principles. You might learn the basics of how an internal combustion engine works in fourth or fifth grade, but you don't know the chemistry of combustion, physics, etc behind it, so you don't fully understand how the engine works. My kines classes were the same way. I learned that ATP was used to carry energy, but I didn't really understand what it did or how it worked until I took cellular biology the next year. The program taught the "what", but not the "why" or the "how" so to speak.

Of course, being a coach probably doesn't require an incredibly in depth understanding of chemistry, but I personally would find it frustrating to only understand my field on a superficial level. If you really want to understand the human body, major in biology with a physiology emphasis (if available) and take a few kines classes. Now of course, if you don't care about understanding physiology at a deeper level and you have no thoughts of going into a career/grad program that would require such, by all means go for the exercise science major.

THarrier wrote:

what are some of the careers you can get with an exercise major? as greedy as this probably sounds, what kind of money do you make in those jobs?

Dick's Sporting Goods.

Most exercise science programs require at least 2 semesters of chemistry, if not, they're joke programs.

You won't be able to find a good job with only a bachelors in ex science. You'll need at least an MS, and after that you are tied to soft money in research or working in cardiac rehab.

Most of the the people in exercise science use it as a prep for a professional program like med school, physical therapy, PA, etc. To get paid enough to enjoy life, you'll need a PhD, and even after that, getting a faculty position is extremely difficult.

I supplemented my Ex Sci major with a bio minor and that worked out very well.

Also, there are no jobs in coaching, at least if you want to eat.

A lot of people are saying Biology is a better major, what kind of jobs do you get with a major in Biology? Whats the pay like?

no kids, thank you wrote:

You won't be able to find a good job with only a bachelors in ex science. You'll need at least an MS, and after that you are tied to soft money in research or working in cardiac rehab.

Most of the the people in exercise science use it as a prep for a professional program like med school, physical therapy, PA, etc. To get paid enough to enjoy life, you'll need a PhD, and even after that, getting a faculty position is extremely difficult.

I supplemented my Ex Sci major with a bio minor and that worked out very well.

Also, there are no jobs in coaching, at least if you want to eat.

Agree with most of the stuff here. I was a Kinesiology major, but decided I wanted to go to medical school after undergrad, so I supplemented my major with the remaining necessary science prerequisites and a few higher level sciences. A few of my friends did similar things and are now in PA/physical therapy programs (I don't know if any other Kinesiology majors from my school in the past few years went on to med school besides me).

I enjoyed the human-oriented curriculum, but like others have said it gives you the feeling that you're discussing many subjects/ideas without delving deep enough.

The career opportunities are also not really abounding. Besides my friends in professional schools, I know a bunch of Kines grads who are either unemployed, working a lame job that requires no degree, or are personal trainers and hate it. A few are also in grad school getting an M.S., but who knows after that.

+ Sports Management ans Human Physiology.

Forgot to type those two.

the pay is whatever you would like it to be! You could do many things with a bio major. Lots of medical positions, not just docotor either. Just look online or talk to your advisor about possible paths you could take. How are your grades? If they are pretty solid then you could go to med school, vet school, become a physician's assistant, nurse, bio teacher or anything really. Obviously there is a wide spectrum of how well you will be payed becuse well, it depends on the job!

And I will forever think higher or you Blaze if you switch to biology. I for one was majoring in general science and well...let us just say they ochem kicked my tail. Now I am an English Major woo!

no but seriously, biology is fasinating. Just talk to your advisor. good luck!

While I may have to start in a Jr. College, I ultimately am planning on ending up in NCC, Naperville. They offer both Biochem. and Bio. Which would relate better to running, and which would you recommend to insure me a fiscally supported future?

There isn't much out there for a lot of people who have degrees, not just exercise science majors. I used to have this crazy idea that everyone in college knew exactly what they were doing and where they were going, but most people don't. Having a degree will help you out. Just finish school and if you make the effort everything will work out. Use your resources. It's all about connections.

So which one should I major in?

Blaze wrote:

I'm thinking I'm going to declare a major for next year in Exercise Science, with a minor in coaching and/or phys ed..

My question is: Has anyone has taken any of these classes, and used them to improve there running?

What do you want to do with your degree?

Personally, I found my undergrad Nutrition course to be the most helpful to my running/healthy living (plus my professor was a marathoner, so I picked his brain a lot). I would say Biomechanics was second most useful (do you not have to take that?). Strength and Conditioning was worthwhile for learning proper strength training techniques, designing any sort of program, and understanding the balance/importance between stress vs. rest and periodization. Clinical Methodology was cool cause did all these tests (~various tests for % body fat, VO2 max/sub-max tests, strength/power, etc.). All the other classes were interesting and definitely more applicable to running than any of the classes I took as part of the Pre-Med/Biology curriculum. I agree, though, that if you want to get the most out of your Ex. Science classes, it requires a solid science foundation.

Some programs are a joke, but not all. I completed a BS in Exercise Science and the required course work was pretty good and actually prepared me pretty well for a PhD in Physiology. While enrolled in a Physiology PhD program it was obvious I had a much better understanding of systems physiology than many of my fellow graduate students and the medical students with whom I took courses. I credit my background in Exercise Science for that. But it does attrack boneheads and many students that are not very serious. Some of the courses were as follows:

2 semesters of Chemistry

2 semesters of a Calculus

2 semesters of Physics

2 semesters Anatomy and Physiology

2 semester of Statistics

1 semester Biomechanics

2 semesters of Exercise Physiology

2 semesters of Nutrition and Metabolism

2 semesters of Exercise Biochemistry

2 semester of Motor Learning

1 semester of Muscle Metabolism

There were also many other required courses. You could skate through and not learn much but if you were serious and were interested in learning you would get a lot out of it. I thought I received a quality education.

Blaze wrote:

So which one should I major in?

I was a bio major, but didn't like plants enough, so I switched. At my college, all ex sci majors took their anatomy/phys/chem classes in the bio or chem depts, so I was taking a very similar course load as my bio major cohorts.

Major in whatever you enjoy the most.

If you decide to go to professional school, just take the requirements needed to get into said school. Med, PT, PA, etc all accept people with english or philosophy majors as long as they take (and do well in) the pre-reqs.

Experience matters over which degree you have.