The demand for exercise and fitness specialists is growing at twice the average rate for all occupations in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To take advantage of these opportunities, it’s important that professionals are highly trained in strength and conditioning science that helps athletes succeed.
This specialization is designed to help professionals create evidence-based training programs aimed at improving muscular strength, power, speed, agility, endurance, stability, and hypertrophy, while also ensuring safe and productive technique. On top of this, students gain corrective exercise strategies that can help save active individuals from injury.
The Integrative Strength and Conditioning Science specialization is made up of 12 credit hours. Three of the courses meet the Core requirements, and the one course would count towards an elective.) The courses are also available to students who are not pursuing the specialization.
Through this track, you will develop your expertise in:
- Nutrition for Performance
- Bioenergetics Fundamentals
- Human Movement and Injury Risk
- Principles of Training Design
- Corrective Exercise Development
- Leadership in Sport Training
Curriculum
Elective Courses (12 credits):
This is an introductory course designed to provide students with a basic understanding of nutrition as it relates to general physical activity and sport. It emphasizes bioenergetic systems, nutrient components, nutritional and body-composition assessments, ergogenic aids, and diet modifications for physically active individuals and athletes. Specific focus will be on understanding how nutritional choices can affect exercise performance, as well as how one can effectively train and structure their diet to improve body composition and performance.
This course teaches the principles of designing training programs that improve muscular strength, power, speed, agility, endurance, balance, stability, and hypertrophy. These principles are applied to typical athletic populations, tactical athletic populations, and special athletic populations.
This course is designed for students with limited (<2 years) or no experience in the strength and conditioning field. It examines fundamental concepts in bioenergetics, biomechanics, cardiopulmonary responses, and skeletal muscle function and adaptation. Includes evidence-based program design and practical skills necessary for success in fire and rescue, law enforcement, and military careers. It is best suited for students interested in working with either non-athletic (but still physically active) and/or tactical athlete populations. Content will prepare students to sit for the NSCA Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist certification.
This course examines the fundamental concepts of human movement and the effects of movement impairments on musculoskeletal injury risk. It includes evidence-based program design recommendations and the practical skills necessary to successfully identify and correct movement impairments in an active population. Topics include assessing human movement dysfunction, the corrective exercise continuum, and corrective exercise strategies. Content will prepare students to sit for the NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist certification.
