Health and Human Performance Careers
What can I do with a degree in ...
What Can I Do with an Exercise Science Degree?
Exercise science graduates work in the health and fitness public and private sectors abound. This degree also should be considered a diverse “stepping stone” for continuing graduate studies in physical therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, and other health care professions. Our graduates have a 90 percent acceptance rate into PT schools and 95 percent acceptance to OT and chiropractic schools. Students prepare for these graduate programs and exercise careers by taking necessary prerequisites (biology, chemistry, physics) as well as physiology of exercise, nutrition, biomechanics and kinesiology, exercise testing and programming, and research and statistical methods courses.
NWU students receive personal attention for graduate school and career preparation, including faculty advising, courses for application and interview prep, GRE preparation, career panels and more. Some of our graduates are in PT school at UNMC, Duke, and St. Ambrose, OT school at Rockhurst and Creighton, Cleveland and Palmer Chiropractic schools and master’s program at Arizona State with a graduate assistantship in strength and conditioning.
What Can I Do with a Health and Fitness Studies Degree?
An undergraduate degree in health and fitness studies prepares students for careers in personal training, fitness industry, corporatewellness, strength and conditioning, community health and occupational therapy. Students prepare for these careers by taking courses in nutrition, personal training, strength sraining and conditioning, worksite health promotion, and exercise testing and programming. Students complete at least 150 hours of internship experience providing on-the-job experience in the field(s) of interest and building relationships and networking. These internship experiences often times open doors to future job opportunities. Our graduates have a 95 percent graduate school and job placement rate.
Health and fitness studies graduates are currently in occupational therapy school at Creighton and Nebraska Methodist College, and PT assistant school at Northeast CC. Other graduates have jobs in the health and fitness industry, including: sports performance supervisor at Madonna ProActive, fitness professional at Lifetime Fitness, race director with Pink Gorilla Events, and wellness specialist for the State of Nebraska.
What Can I Do with a Health and Physical Education Degree?
Students seeking a K–12 Field Endorsement or Grades 4-9 Subject Endorsement in health and physical education select this major. With the addition of approximately 37 hours of education requirements, the student will be eligible for a Nebraska Teaching Certificate. Employment of teachers and coaches is expected to grow 15-29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Our graduates have a 95 percent teaching placement rate. In addition to preparing students to become a teacher or coach, an undergraduate health and physical education degree can also prepare students for working in the fitness industry.
Health and physical education majors receive hands-on training in the classroom to develop teaching and field skills to plan and implement health and physical education programs at all levels and abilities. Students begin practicum experiences during their first year, which continue each year and culminate their experience with a semester-long student-teaching experience.
What Can I Do with a Sport Management Degree?
Careers in sport management are geared toward the expansive world of sports. Behind the players and the game itself, there are infrastructures in place to ensure the games continue. As in all businesses, sports organizations need managers, accountants, marketing and advertising managers, sales people and operations managers to organize and operate the program. Sport management majors at Nebraska Wesleyan University take career-related courses including sport finance, sport marketing and communication, sport in society, ethics in sport, facility and event management, and sport law and governance. Students also take business courses such as accounting, marketing, management and business communication and complete work and internship experiences. Our sport management majors have more than 40 local internship opportunities.
Employers who hire sport management graduates are professional teams, sport associations (NFL, PGA, Special Olympics, NCAA), local sport and tourism corporations, arenas, stadiums, universities, health clubs and sport facilities. Some of our alums are now working as the Motocross coordinator of Lincoln, the event operations coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys, the assistant event manager at the University of Arkansas, and the associate athletic director at Wellesley College. Other graduates continue onto a master’s program in a sport management-related field.