What Can You Do with an Exercise Science Degree?
Love to spend time at the gym working out? Want to make a career out of it? If so, then an exercise science degree might just be your best option. What can you do with a degree in exercise science? As it turns out, there are plenty of exciting options that will keep you in the gym and in the industry you love.
Become a Physical Therapist
Physical therapists work with people who’ve been injured, helping them gain their mobility back once again. If you’ve ever had knee or elbow surgery, a back injury or spent some time in a cast after breaking a bone, then you were more than likely sent to a physical therapist afterwards. People who work in this field need to have solid knowledge of anatomy and physiology, as well as know how to help people gain strength while avoiding additional injuries.
Work as an Athletic Trainer
Athletic trainers typically work for sports teams, either at the high school, college or professional levels. They can help players rehabilitate an injury, gaining their strength back, as well as provide suggestions for fitness routines that will make the players the best that they can be on the field. In order to work as an athletic trainer, you need to have plenty of experience in the gym, know which exercises will help each player best and understand kinesiology, or the science of movement, among other things.
Be a Fitness or Personal Trainer
What’s the difference between a fitness trainer and a personal trainer? While both involve workouts, a fitness trainer leads group exercise sessions, such as step aerobics or Zumba, while a personal trainer only works with one person at a time. Some people might double as both a fitness and personal trainer, working in a gym and alternating between the two jobs. Whichever path you choose, an exercise science degree can help you get there.
Work as an Exercise Physiologist
Going one step beyond simply leading workouts, exercise physiologists have the important job of helping people lose weight and get in shape. They work with their clients to develop nutritious meal plans, as well as exercise plans that allow them to start off slowly in order to avoid injury. By combining both of these goals, an exercise physiologist can help people truly change their lives.
Be a Kinesiotherapist
A kinesiotherapist is a little like a physical therapist; however, they have a more difficult job. Kinesiotherapists work with people who have problems moving, whether they are overcoming a traumatic brain injury, dealing with the aftermath of a stroke or are paralyzed on one side for other reasons. An example of an organization that hires kinesiotherapists is the U.S. government, which has employees in this capacity working with soldiers who have returned from combat zones with severe injuries.
Get a Degree in Exercise Science
While many of these career paths require additional certifications or advanced degrees, they all start with getting a degree in exercise science. Dean College offers an exercise science degree program that includes courses in kinesiology, nutrition, food science, first aid, resistance training and more. What can you do with an exercise science degree? With a well-rounded education, you’ll be ready to take on the fitness world in whatever niche you choose!