Exercise Degree Programs Receive ACSM Endorsement

Students pursuing health, fitness or clinical exercise degrees in the University of Georgia’s College of Education will study in one of the select few programs endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

The masters degree program in clinical exercise physiology is one of only five in the country to be endorsed at the exercise specialists level. The undergraduate program in exercise and sport science is one of only 27 in the nation to receive endorsement at the health and fitness instructors level.

The ACSM certification is the most widely accepted endorsement for future professionals in the fitness and clinical exercise therapy areas.  An ACSM certification means both the undergraduate and graduate curriculum meet the standards needed to prepare students for health, fitness and clinical exercise training and jobs.

Part of the endorsement standards involves the practical experience students obtain through work in the UGA Fitness Center as exercise leaders in the adult fitness and cardiac rehabilitation exercise therapy programs. These fitness programs are offered for faculty and staff as well as members of the local community.   

Many positions in hospitals, clinics, wellness centers, corporate fitness programs and commercial fitness facilities recommend or require applicants to pass an ACSM certification examination for employment. 

The ACSM endorsement also offers students unique benefits like the ability to take ACSM credentialing examinations on campus, the provision of feedback on student performance and professional development opportunities through ACSM programs.

About eight graduate students and 60 undergraduates receive health, fitness or clinical exercise degrees each year.  The undergraduate program currently has 135 students with 250 waiting to be granted admission if they are qualified and accepted. 

Although not all students seek ACSM certification, this prestigious endorsement allows the College of Education to gauge its programs against a national model of excellence and to enhance the professional standards for its graduates in these fields. For more information on the UGA Fitness Center and its programs:
http://www.coe.uga.edu/exs/fitness.html

 
Monday, April 26, 2004

WRITER: Kristen Heflin, 706/583/0811, heflin@uga.edu
CONTACT: Harry Duval, 706/542/4395, hpduval@uga.edu