Southern is one of only 153 universities and colleges around the world to be honored by Exercise is Medicine® for its efforts to create a culture of wellness on campus. The university earned gold-level designation from the Exercise is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) program, as well as earning EIM’s COVID Conqueror Badge, a new honor given to campuses that demonstrated creative adaptations to physical activity programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mission Statement
The M.S. in Exercise Science- Clinical Exercise Physiology concentration prepares graduates for a career as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist in a clinical or research setting. Students are prepared to work with a diverse set of populations as a clinical exercise physiologist including cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, exercise oncology, and in metabolic disease (e.g. obesity, T2DM) management. The graduate program prepares students through its comprehensive coursework to sit for the ACSM-CEP (ACSM’s Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification), which is required by the majority of clinical positions.
Current clinical research is examining:
- Cardiovascular health
- Obesity and physical activity
- Aging
- Health disparities
- Autonomic function
- Gait analysis for clinical populations
- Injury prevention and sport performance
- Nutritional supplements for performance
Program Features
- No program prerequisites
- Accelerated (4+1) options available to qualified students
- Opportunities to get involved with faculty research
- Individualized advisement to focus education on student goals
- Well-equipped laboratories featuring the following equipment for student research
- EKG
- Bod Pod Body Composition Testing
- Sphygmocor (pulse-wave velocity measurement)
- Metabolic Carts
- Accelerometers (physical activity measurement)
- Nexfin (measurement of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity)
- Treadmills
- Cycle Ergometers
- Treadmill with 3-D Video and Force Platform
- Curriculum designed to prepare students to sit for and pass the ACSM- Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist certification exam
- Hybrid (mix of online and on-ground) curriculum
- We offer a limited number of assistantships to qualified students
M.S. Exercise Science - Clinical Exercise Physiology Curriculum
31-34 Credits Required
Core Curriculum (25 credits)
HMS 500 Foundations in Exercise Physiology
HMS 552 Biomechanics & Applied Kinesiology
HMS 554 Research Methods
HMS 558 Advanced Exercise Physiology
HMS 571 Laboratory Techniques in Exercise Testing & Prescription
HMS 574 Cardiac Rehabilitation
HMS 578 Behavior Change in Health & Physical Activity
HMS 589 Exercise Prescription for Diverse Populations
HMS 598 Special Topics in Clinical Exercise Physiology
Elective (0-6 credits)*
HMS 555 Obesity Prevention & Treatment
HMS 570 Exercise & Aging
HMS 594 Exercise Oncology
*Students in the comprehensive exam track need to select 2 electives (6 credits); no electives required for thesis track
Comprehensive Exam Track (3 credits)
HMS 600 Independent Study
Thesis Track (9 credits)
PCH 515 Biostatistics
HMS 590 Thesis Seminar: Proposal Development
HMS 591 Thesis Completion
Career or Professional Opportunities
The MS in Exercise Science program has a long history of producing high quality graduates who have gone on to become leaders in the field. Opportunities post-graduation include the following:
- Clinical Exercise Physiologist
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Exercise Oncology
- Metabolic Disease (e.g. obesity, diabetes)
- Aging
- Clinical research coordinator
- Doctoral Programs
- Corporate wellness
- Allied Health Care Professions
Requirements for Admission
- Undergraduate degree with a GPA ≥ 3.0
- All undergraduate transcripts
- Two letters of recommendation
- Personal Essay
Visit the graduate catalog for program requirements and further information.
Contact Us
Dr. Robert Axtell, Ph.D., FACSM, ACSM-CETT
Program Coordinator, M.S. Exercise Science – Human Performance Concentration
Axtellr1@southernct.edu