As demand for exercise physiologists continues to rise, now is the ideal time to combine your interest in body mechanics and kinesiology with a deep understanding of the body’s response to physical activity. The Sport and Exercise Physiology specialization gives you the expertise to enhance health, fitness, and athletic performance in a variety of professional settings.
This 12-credit micro-credential explores both acute and long-term physiological adaptations at the systemic and cellular levels, focusing on how exercise impacts specific organ systems. You’ll examine key principles of training and performance optimization and learn to design exercise programs that drive targeted physiological changes.
Whether you want to work in clinical practice, athletic development, or scientific research, this specialization prepares you to excel in the growing field of exercise physiology.
Through this track, you will develop your expertise in:
- Physiological Responses to Exercise
- Effective Training Paradigms
- Body Responses to Extreme Environments
- Muscle Properties and Bioenergetics
- Endocrine Responses
- Exercise Prescriptions and Pharmacology
Specialization Courses (12 credits)
Fundamentals in Exercise Physiology
This is an introductory exercise physiology course aimed at graduate students who possess an undergraduate-level understanding of human exercise physiology. This course is designed to give students a fundamental knowledge of the acute and chronic responses to exercise. The overriding concept of the class is how exercise challenges the body’s normal “homeostasis,” and we will use this to illuminate the ways we function (or don’t!). Particular attention will be given to understanding the mechanisms of how these responses occur. In addition to textbook material, the course will use primary literature to understand the basis of physiological concepts and to explore emerging concepts. Students will be expected to be active participants through class discussions and presentations.
This course is designed to examine the responses of the body during and after exposure to extreme environmental conditions. Topics will include high-altitude, deep-water diving, extreme temperature environments, microgravity/outer space, and high-stress environments. The course will also have sections detailing possible diseases and conditions relating to exposure to those extreme environments.
This course covers advanced concepts in integrative physiology and exercise, focusing on metabolism and endocrine exercise physiology, skeletal muscle contraction and fatigue, cardiovascular and hemodynamics regulations, and respiratory exercise physiology. The course emphasizes acute responses to exercise and environmental challenges in both health and disease.
Fundamentals in Exercise Conditioning
This course is dedicated to creating exercise prescriptions specifically tailored for various health-related conditions. Students will examine assessments and exercise programming for aerobic, resistance, balance, flexibility, and movement-related aspects of health and fitness. The class will culminate in a module that focuses on the pharmacology associated with various health conditions and how these medications interact with exercise interventions.
