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Division of Health & Exercise Science

Home » Programs and Degrees » Exercise Science

  • Programs and Degrees
      • Majors
      • Public Health
      • Exercise Science
      • Minors
      • Public Health Minor
      • Exercise Science Minor
      • Programs
      • School Health Education
      • Physical Education Teacher Education
  • Internships
  • COVID-19 Project
  • Highlights
  • Faculty & Staff

Exercise Science

  • Programs and Degrees
    • Public Health
    • Exercise Science
    • Public Health Minor
    • School Health Education
    • Physical Education Teacher Education

Contact Us

Division of Health & Exercise Science

Janet Roberts

Instructor/Internship Coordinator

Office: RWEC #231

Phone: (503) 838-8446

Email: robertsjl@wou.edu

The exercise science degree prepares students to work with individuals and groups to assess fitness and recommend exercises for overall health, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and sport performance.

Consider this degree if you…

Want to learn the science of human performance

Enjoy working with and helping people

Have a passion for wellness & fitness

Coursework

Years 1 & 2

The core curriculum in exercise science will familiarize you with principles of motor learning, functions of the human musculoskeletal system, and the field of exercise science and its professional applications.

Years 3

In upper division classes, you’ll explore physiological and psychological responses to physical activity, changes in motor behavior across the lifespan, and how to adapt exercise for different age groups and abilities.

Year 4

Your coursework will culminate in an exercise science internship so you can bridge the gap between theory and practice. If you’re in the pre-education track, you’ll take advanced courses in best teaching practices for physical education.

View Courses in WOU Catalog

See what real WOU Exercise Science students are learning…

Student practice administering a VO2 Max test

Last day with the 6th grade students, reviewing what they learned

Student practice taking blood pressure while administering a Wingate anaerobic power bike test

Warm-up with all the 6th graders; led by WOU students

Brief lecture on hydration and the Principle of Overload and Overtraining

Student practice administering a VO2 Max test

Student practice administering body composition test in the BodPod

Student practice administering a VO2 Max test

Conducting research on walking with a backpack across a force plate

Students in class practicing motivational interviewing techniques

Students in class practicing motivational interviewing techniques

Students in class practicing motivational interviewing techniques

Students teaching 6th grade physical education at the local middle school

Student practice taking blood pressure while administering a Wingate anaerobic power bike test

Conducting research on walking with a backpack across a force plate

Adventure-Based Learning activity with 6th graders

Where this degree can take you

Pre-Clinical Track & Fitness and Human Performance Track

The exercise science pre-clinical track and fitness & human performance track will prepare you for entry-level positions in health care support areas such as hospital cardiac rehabilitation and physical therapy assistance, in corporate fitness centers, in athletic and health focused fitness clubs, and with organizations that provide fitness and activity programming such as YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs.

These tracks will prepare you to apply to graduate school in medical fields such as occupational and physical therapy, dentistry, medicine, chiropractic, as well as for Master’s degree programs in related human movement sciences.

Physical Education Teaching

EXS Pre-education non-licensure
(BS degree at WOU, master’s teacher licensure program à master’s degree and teaching license)

EXS pre-education non-licensure and Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students take all the same EXS coursework at WOU to increase content knowledge of teaching physical education (PETE Core), but take different pathways to becoming a licensed physical education teacher. If you want to be licensed to teach with a master’s degree, follow the PETE track, graduate, and pursue a Master of Arts in Teaching program.

Physical Education Teacher Education
(PETE program + undergraduate teacher licensure program à BS degree and teaching license)

If you want to be licensed to teach with a bachelor’s degree, you should follow the Physical Education Teacher Education track in which you pursue a B.S. in Education with the physical education specific concentration. See the undergraudate teacher licensure program for more information.

Our faculty

JEFFREY ARMSTRONG

Professor, Health & Exercise Science
armstroj@wou.edu

BRANDON CLAGGETT

NTT Assistant Professor, Health & Exercise Science
claggettb@wou.edu

LAURA ELLINGSON-SAYEN

Associate Professor, Health & Exercise Science
ellingsonsayenl@wou.edu

JENNIFER TAYLOR-WINNEY

Associate Professor, Health & Exercise Science
taylorj@wou.edu

GAY TIMKEN

Professor & Division Chair, Health & Exercise Science
timkeng@wou.edu

This public directory does not include employees who have requested confidentiality. Please use the WOU internal directory to view all employees.

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College of Education

Richard Woodcock Education Center

Phone: (503) 838-8471

Email: education@wou.edu

ACADEMIC DIVISIONS

  • Deaf Studies & Professional Studies
  • Education & Leadership
  • Health & Exercise Science

OFFICES AND CENTERS

  • Dean’s Office
  • Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
  • Office of Clinical Practice & Licensure
  • Office of Assessment & Data Management
  • Center for the Advancement of Paraprofessionals
  • Research and Resource Center with Deaf* Communities

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WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY
345 Monmouth Ave. N.
Monmouth OR 97361

503-838-8000 | 1-877-877-1593

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