Exercise Science

Snapshot

Undergraduate Program.

The Department offers 26 courses and a major in Exercise and Sport Science (ESS) at the undergraduate level. There is a formal area of emphasis in athletic training which is designed to meet accreditation standards for a curriculum leading to national certification as an athletic trainer. Many of the undergraduate courses have formal laboratories. Except in unusual cases, courses are taught by regular faculty and laboratory sections are taught by laboratory assistants. There are approximately 120 ESS majors who hope to pursue careers in physical therapy, athletic training, adult fitness/cardiac rehabilitation, other health science fields, or teaching and/or research in a specialized area of exercise science. Most graduates gain employment related to the major, with about 40% pursuing additional education in graduate or professional schools.

Graduate Program

The Department offers 34 graduate courses for students in master©ˆs and doctoral professional and research Exercise Science programs. Currently the Department has about 50 graduate students equally divided between master©ˆs and doctoral programs. At the master©ˆs level, the Department offers the M.Ed. degree with emphases in Athletic Training, Clinical Exercise Physiology, and a General Program. These students obtain practitioner or clinical positions in hospitals, sports medicine clinics, business and industry, and high schools and universities. The Department also offers research-oriented master©ˆs (M.A.) programs with emphases in biomechanics, exercise physiology, exercise psychology, and measurement. These students complete a thesis and most go on to complete a doctoral degree. At the doctoral level, the Department offers the Ed.D. degree for students who desire advanced training for careers in teaching, administration, and other education or allied health services. The Ph.D. degree is offered to provide advanced research training in biomechanics, exercise physiology, exercise psychology, and measurement for students who want careers in higher education or research. The Ed.D. and Ph.D. students from the Department obtain good positions in colleges or universities, business, and the military, with many of the Ph.D. students first completing post-doctoral research training. Funds to support about 30 graduate students come from department teaching and laboratory assistantships, Graduate School assistantships, income from the Fitness Center, and faculty grants and contracts.

Faculty Research

The Department has 11 faculty that are highly productive in research in specialized areas of exercise science. Nearly all of the research is experimental involving sophisticated methods and equipment conducted in seven laboratories (Aging and Physical Performance, Athletic Training, Biomechanics, Metabolism and Body Composition, Exercise Vascular Biology, Muscle Biology, Exercise Psychology, and Cognition and Skill Acquisition). Most of the research is focused on the effects of physical activity on health, and physical and mental function; aging and physical performance; injury during sport participation; the scientific determinants of human physical performance and fitness; and factors affecting learning of motor skills. Research has been supported by grants from a variety of sources including the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the Veterans Administration, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Collegiate Athletic Association, the United States Olympic Committee and corporations such as Procter and Gamble, Whitehall Robins and Coca Cola. Faculty collaborate with colleagues in a variety of departments on campus (e.g., Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Foods and Nutrition, Psychology) and across the country. Most of the faculty have been recognized internationally, nationally, regionally and by the University for their research accomplishments, and are leaders in their fields.

Fitness Center

The department's UGA Fitness Center provides model adult fitness, cardiac rehabilitation and senior adult service programs to UGA faculty, staff and the community, and are the centerpiece of the Department's training of undergraduate and master's students desiring to become fitness and exercise specialists. The programs are self supporting, and fund four graduate assistants. In addition, the Center publishes a quarterly newsletter, conducts workshops and performs clinical evaluations. The programs served over 265 faculty, staff and community members in fitness programming and clinical exercise testing during the past year.

Facilities

We are fortunate to have excellent facilities for our programs. Along with other departments in the School of Health and Human Performance, the Department of Exercise Science is housed in the Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities, a beautiful facility with spacious modern classrooms and laboratories, and facilities for student physical activity.