This course will inform the future sport or fitness coach about the scientific issues related to exercise physiology. Students will study the science of exercise and will collect, analyze, and interpret physiological data and apply this information to properly prescribe sport and exercise programs.
Natural Science Core course.
This course will provide a Costa Rican cultural experience related to human health in Costa Rica. Costa Rica offers diverse opportunities where students will have the opportunity to apply concepts of Exercise Science in a 3rd world country where organized health and wellness is viewed from a different perspective than South Dakota. Students will study Costa Rican health and wellness culture using concepts from kinesiology, biomechanics, and nutrition to physical activities such as swimming, soccer, surfing, hiking, zip lining, and mountain biking. Significant time will be spent with the local soccer (futbol) associations and other in-country sport organizations.
Exercise Physiology is the science that looks at the effects of acute and chronic exercise on the functions of the human body. Lecture/discussion and laboratory sessions will be used to examine basic physiological principles and to demonstrate their applications to training for athletic performance and physical fitness. This course includes 2 hours of laboratory work each week.
This course is an introduction to the science of human movement. The course will increase students' knowledge and exposure to the structural and functional components of human anatomy including musculoskeletal origins, insertions, actions and innervations. By understanding kinesiology, participants will have the ability to analyze any exercise or sports activity and have the ability to indicate the muscle groups being primarily exercised, developed or rehabilitated.
Study of the physical laws affecting human movement performance with applications to exercise and sport skill techniques.
This course is designed to introduce students to basic strength and conditioning principles and coaching strategies. The focus of this course is to learn how to perform and coach all aspects of a well-rounded strength and conditioning program, which includes the following; warm up, flexibility, weight lifting technique, plyometrics, speed, and agility. Basic strength and conditioning programming strategies will also be explored.
This course is designed for the junior/senior exercise science student. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of current topics in areas of sports medicine and exercise science. This course primarily involves research, writing, presenting and critiquing of various writing appropriate for professionals in the field of exercise and sport science.
This course provides techniques, procedures, and practical laboratory experience in aerobic, strength, flexibility, blood pressure and related measurements. The module development and presentation practice in this course serve as a synthesis of the prerequisite content courses.
This course will examine the scientific evidence supporting the correlation between physical activity and health; we will also discuss the theoretical basis of behavior change as it applies to promotion of exercise behavior. Guidelines and recommendations for prescribing exercise for apparently healthy individuals (including children, older adults and pregnant women) will be covered. Students will learn about the relationship between exercise and chronic disease through review of the risk factors, pathophysiology, and exercise recommendations for individuals with various conditions and disease states including, but not limited to, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, and orthopedic problems. Strategies for promoting the “Exercise is Medicine” global health initiative will be discussed.
Natural Science Core course
This course has been approved by the curriculum council. It is currently being offered for the first time. It is a requirement for Exercise Science Majors but could also be interesting to other non-majors (nursing, pre-med or other pre-professional majors)
Internship in Exercise Science.
Department Chair Approval.