ESHE Major: Health and Exercise Science Concentration

The Health and Exercise Science (HES) concentration allows students to train in multiple disciplines. Students can customize their program of study by selecting from a wide variety of options. The options include coursework in (a) Fitness, Strength, and Conditioning (FSC), (b) Health Education and Health Promotion (HEHP), (c) Graduate preparation, and (d) Leadership. Students will select two of these four options, one of which must be FSC or HEHP. The HES concentration is unique in that it provides students with greater choice in preparation allowing avenues for entry into the workplace or graduate school.  Students are required to complete core curriculum requirements and major requirements to complete 120 hours for the bachelor of science degree.

The Fitness, Strength, and Conditioning cognate is designed for students intending to pursue careers in the fitness industry, primarily in performance training and fitness facilities.  Employment in these areas of professional activity continues to improve, with strong career development opportunities. Students completing this option are well positioned for entry-level opportunities in the field. Some positions in the fitness industry are enhanced by graduate study. To improve employment potential, students are encouraged to obtain external certifications and participate in a variety of experiential learning opportunities available at Radford University

The Health Education and Health Promotion cognate is designed for students who wish to promote, maintain, or improve the health of individuals, communities, and the nation.  There is currently an increased demand for qualified health professionals to help individuals and communities improve their health.  This degree prepares students to take the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination, the standard credentialing examination for health educators.  This credential is often required or preferred of applicants for health promotion jobs in a variety of settings including: community organizations, health departments, worksites or hospitals.  The concentration prepares students to become entry-level health professionals, and prepares students for graduate study in health education, health promotion, or public health. Knowledge in health-related areas such as substance use and abuse, nutrition, epidemiology, community health, health behavior change, and program planning and evaluation will provide students with the background necessary for development of health promotion programs.  Additional coursework in diversity of health, global health, and other courses will also help prepare students for careers in the field.

The Graduate preparation cognate is designed for students in FSC or HEHP who plan to attend graduate school. For graduate programs related to exercise and health promotion, knowledge of psychology, biology, physics, geospatial sciences, and other sciences match those expanding needs and therefore have been included as electives in the graduate preparation cognate.

The Leadership cognate is designed for students in FSC or HEHP who want to expand their leadership skills. This cognate includes military science coursework which is specifically designed to build leadership skills. These additional elective courses allow students pursuing the military science minor to include those courses into the bachelor’s progression without expanding the credit hours necessary to graduate.  The leadership cognate also includes courses in communication, marketing, and management.  

Please contact faculty members listed below or academic advising for more information about this exciting program.