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Exercise Science

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Human Movement ScienceGR

General

Requirements

Major Dependent Concentration(s)

Program Requirements

Department of Human Movement Science
3077 Human Health Building  (map)
(248) 370-4041 • Fax (248) 364-8660
www.oakland.edu/shs/

Director:
Daniel Goble, Associate Professor
dgoble@oakland.edu

Program description

The Graduate Certificate in Exercise Science is designed to offer a logical, coherent, yet flexible program of study that will meet the needs of a select group of graduate students seeking to improve their skills in specialized areas of exercise science, such as ergonomics, human performance analysis, sports science and health promotion.

Admission terms and application deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Oakland University Graduate School by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.

Application requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

  1. Graduate application requirements

      
     

  2. Additional department application requirements

  • Applicants should have a background in basic and applied health sciences and a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0.

  • International applicants must take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and arrange for their official GRE scores to be submitted to Oakland University. The institution code for Oakland University is 1497.

It is strongly recommended that applicants have suitable work experience in the field of exercise science.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA less than 3.0 with the appropriate academic background and strong letters of recommendation may be considered for admission with limited standing. Applicants who qualify for this admission status must complete a minimum of 12 credits of graduate-level work, with a GPA of 3.0 or above within the first year of their program, to be advanced to full admission.

Admission Review and Assessment

Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses, and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Academic Advising

Students who are considering applying to the Graduate Certificate in Exercise Science may contact the academic adviser for the School of Health Sciences to review prerequisite courses and application requirements. Upon acceptance to the program, students are assigned a faculty adviser.

Certificate Prerequisites

Completion of the following prerequisite coursework is required. Students should have completed the required prerequisite coursework at the appropriate undergraduate or graduate level, prior to beginning coursework for the graduate certificate.

  • Human anatomy

  • Human physiology

  • Exercise physiology

  • Biomechanics (human motion analysis)

  • Statistics

  • First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation

  • Four credits of health enhancement (or physical education activity/theory)

While not required, additional coursework in biochemistry, organic chemistry, and mathematics through precalculus is recommended.

Certificate Requirements

The Graduate Certificate in Exercise Science is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 18 credits in an approved program of study.

Course Requirements (18 credits)

A candidate entering the fall or winter semester will spend one full-time academic year to successfully complete the graduate certificate program, which requires completion of the core courses and electives.

a. Core Requirements (14 credits)

Required Courses:

  • course Human Pathology (4 credits)

    or course Introduction to Research (4 credits)

  • course Advanced Exercise Physiology (4 credits)

  • course Advanced Biomechanics (3 credits)

  • course Diagnostic Testing and Exercise Prescription (3 credits)

b. Electives (4 credits)

Choose 4 credits from the following:

  • course Introduction to Research (4 credits)

  • course Nutrition, Weight Management and Exercise (2 credits)

  • course Physical Activity and Aging (2 credits)

  • course Environment and Human Performance (2 credits)

  • course Preventative Nutrition Through the Life Span (2 credits)

  • course Healthy Lifestyle Choices (2 credits)

  • course Stress Management (2 credits)

  • course Health and Disease (2 credits)

  • course Clinical Biomechanics (2 credits)

  • course Basic Athletic Training (2 credits)

  • course Exercise Electrocardiography (2 credits)

  • course Exercise Endocrinology (2 credits)

  • course Physical Activity Epidemiology (2 credits)

  • course Muscle Physiology (2 credits)

  • course Administration of a Cardiac Rehabilitation or Community Exercise Program (2 credits)

  • course Laboratory Instrumentation (2 credits)

  • course Directed Study and Research (1 OR 2 credits) (1 or 2 credits)

  • course Seminar in Exercise Science (2 credits)

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor SAP for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good Academic Standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good Academic Standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. Department requirements: An overall GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher for all coursework taken in the professional program is required for graduation, and no grade below 2.7 (B-) may be applied toward this degree. For courses graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U), no coursework graded Unsatisfactory (U) may be applied to this degree.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related Program Information

Plan of Study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty adviser and submitted by the student to Oakland University Graduate School.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework. (See the Graduate Student Responsibility section of this catalog.)

Note:  Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.

Time limits
All graduate certificate students are expected to complete their degree within the time limit established by the University Program Policy.