Hey, my cousin is graduating high school this year and plans to go into exercise physiology as a major in college. I feel partially responsible for this as I ran my mouth about it everytime we’d run together.
Anyway, I want to give you a little baackground. He’s the youngest of 5. He attends a good public school in New York and gets decent grades, but struggles a bit in math. His oldest two brothers are finishing med school, the middle sister has a degree in Biochemistry and is finishing an MS in a forensics program, and the next oldest sister is in a BS program for astrophysics that doubles as an engineering degree.
Anyway, given all of that, I assume that a masters degree is pretty likely for him.
What I’d like to know is what kind of career opportunities are there for him, what should he be concerned about, what kinds of backup plans should he be thinking about? Should he double major in business? Biology? Athletic training? Should he be thinking about physical therapy? Coaching? Is he likely going to be working at a gym making $20K a year? Should he be asking himself if he wants to coach track and field at the college level some day?
I’m a kinesiology/phys ed major and looking at PT schools for next year. Working in a gym doesn’t interest me - not intellectually challenging enough. My ‘backup’ plan is staying at the school I’m at and getting a second major finished in athletic training.
Two cents from a current senior… there aren’t a ton of jobs you can get with an ex phys degree aside from working in a gym… cardiac rehab is one option though.
My wife has a kinesiology degree (sort of similiar) and worked about 10 yrs in vocational rehab. It was thankless, stressful and the pay was lousy. She went back to teacher’s college about 8 years ago and now teaches elementary school (she’s also qualified for HS).
The undergrad degree by itself is often a bit of a dead end from what I’ve seen, but can lead to other areas - master’s, PT/DC/DO/MD, teacher, etc etc.
I’m finishing up my PhD in Health and Human Performance and got my Masters and BA in exercise science. I’m going the teaching/research path, but the are many options like some pointed out. PT school after the BA, cardiac or pulmonary rehab, strength and conditioning coach, gym or corporate fitness, coaching various sports, personal training.
In some of those areas the salary is pretty decent.
i was an exercise physiology/biomechanics major. i’ve never worked directly in the field, but i have used what i learned in the process of getting the degree in every career path i’ve taken (environmental science, aviation, product design). but i also made a very substantial effort to take many, many courses well outside of my major requirements.
it is not the best of advice to pick a college major based on specific job prospects. the job market can grow (and collapse) literally overnight. your cousin should pick a field of study and major that truly compels him, and one in which he will be highly motivated to excel. perhaps it is obvious, but in the long view, a college degree is not a job or meal ticket, it can be an opportunity to learn, to understand, and broaden one’s horizons.
Definitely tough to get a good paying gig working in a human performance lab unless you know some people.
With a Masters in ex phys it’s definitely a good springboard into coaching, though that doesn’t pay that well either (take my word for it
ATC is, at least financially, the least rewarding option of all.
If good money is the goal, Personal Training in a high-end health club pays more than you might think (I was making ~50K a year at my last gig). Also, having a masters generally sends you pretty close to the top of the PT hierachy, which, in most cases means a >% share per client.
Career opportunities with a BS in Exercise Physiology are somewhat limited and likely, but not necessarily, low paying as mentioned by the two previous posters. Example careers are cardiac rehabilitation or personal training. I don’t think a BS in athletic training pays well either.
He should be planning on graduate or professional school after he completes his undergrad. If he is leaning towards professional school (e.g. med school, PA, PT, OT, etc.) or grad school in biomedical science, then obviously he will need to have a strong background in the science courses (biology, chemistry, physics, organic chem, biochem, physiology, genetics), which should be core to the curriculum.
it is not the best of advice to pick a college major based on specific job prospects. the job market can grow (and collapse) literally overnight. your cousin should pick a field of study and major that truly compels him, and one in which he will be highly motivated to excel. perhaps it is obvious, but in the long view, a college degree is not a job or meal ticket, it can be an opportunity to learn, to understand, and broaden one’s horizons.
Thanks Greg. Its not about taking X degree to get Y job, but rather making sure you can keep your options open.
The example I like to use is the very talented artist I know who got a degree in absract painting while a mediocre artist I know got his degree in graphical design. The former had a fairly rewarding education for 4 years of his life while the latter has a far more rewarding career and makes some pretty fat cash at the same time.
My wife is another example who was advised by her mother to get the double degree in Chemistry and Biology (instead of just Biology). That decision opened up huge doors for her and she is very happy she made it, even though when she was 18 se found biology more interesting.
In any event, I just want to make sure he knows what he’s getting into. Thanks for the input.
My experience is a bit of a twist on the previous posters here. I majored in Biochemistry in my undergraduate and then got my M.S. in ex phys and am now pursuing a Ph D in biomedical sciences. This was a way easier transition than vice versa and I certainly wasn’t playing catch up. Granted I knew I wanted to go through a fairly basic science cirriculum as far as my M.S. research.
My recommendation is that he goes after the most difficult degree he can handle as far as basic sciences (biology, genetics, biochem, or chemistry etc…) because these are much more marketable after college (and then maybe take some ex phys electives). It also offers quite a bit more flexibility for research or grad opportunities, i.e. my transition into the muscle physiology realm. Now if he knows he DOESN"T want to go in basic sciences , then he should asses what aspect of ex phys he likes so much and go from there. If it’s the PT aspect, then tell him to take all the classes he can in that to make him marketable, b/c a bachelors won’t do too much to elevate him above his peers or in terms of getting accepted in to grad school.
Realistically I would say that ex phys is somewhat of a dead end degree in the states (although NOT ALWAYS, just mostly) in terms of career options. Interestingly the course work in Canada for a kinesiology major (again depending on the University) can be quite intensive in the basic sciences and set you up well (not that he should migrate north!).
The exercise devices they devise and make protocols for are a constant headache for the systems I cover (they mess up science due to vibration and affect fatigue life of Station).
I’d expect the DoD is quite keen on exercise physiologists as well.
ATC is, at least financially, the least rewarding option of all.<<
Alan’s right. I was a certified athletic trainer and left the field mostly due to low pay. Working in a clinic where most of the patients were workers comp people who had no interest in getting better also helped drive the decision.
He could try to look for a program that combines a couple of different fields. For example Iowa State University has a 5 to 6 year program that awards a BS and MS in Diet and Exercise upon completion, http://www.hs.iastate.edu/dietandexercise You end up with a masters degree that covers both fields (Human Nutrition and Kinesiology) and also become a Registered Dietician.
“Interestingly the course work in Canada for a kinesiology major (again depending on the University) can be quite intensive in the basic sciences”
My wife is a graduate of the University of Guelph which is probably one of the most science intensive four year undergrad kinesiology degrees to be found anywhere in the world. There are very good jobs in that field. One of her classmates got a high paying job in the auto industry working with engineers in ergonomic design. But these jobs are not common. Another classmate ended up working in city sanitation on the garbage truck.
Making it with a good job as an ATC is tough. That’s why you see so many PT’s with a PT, ATC initial after their name. Most PT programs are going to DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) which is usually 3 years of PT school after your BS. Doing your undergrad work as an ATC would make sense then he has options for grad school such as PT or whatever else he finds interest in while at school. PT generally pays much better than anything you will find as an ATC. The hours are better and more predictable as well.
Exercise physiology? I guess if you’re trying to establish the basis for a career in the developed world it’s not a bad move. As people have noted, you can follow many different paths. However, if it’s something you intend to practice in S America, Africa or Asia, then forget it. No-one knows what it is, nor would they have any interest in employing someone with those qualifications.
If you want to be employable and have reasonable career prospects on a world-wide basis - yet you want to avoid medicine or nursing - some form of physiotherapy qualification will stand you in good stead. This wouldn’t exclude the possibility of specializing in exercise physiology, but it would offer you employment prospects everywhere from Maputo to Manila.
If he goes the exercise physiology route I’d highly encourage him taking general chemistry, general biology, organic chemistry, calc, general physics, and statistics. A degree in exercise physiology can be a great stepping stone to good masters programs, although most colleges don’t require these pre-requisite classes and instead offer a survey (not as hard) course. Same thing with athletic training. I’ve found that with a degree in athletic training I will have the science based knowledge to get into good grad programs, although I need to re-take some courses because I wasn’t required to take the pre-med grad level type courses.
Lastly, encourage him to look at what classes he will take at certain colleges. Exercise physiology is often a grad degree and Exercise science is what is usually offered at the undergrad level and may not be actually much physiology (more of a broad range of things like, S+C, ekg, nutrition). As an athletic training major I have taking the exact course and amount of exercise physiology that the exercise science students have taken. But the grad degree in ex. phys is where you get the advanced physiology, environmental phys, advanced nutrition, ect… Other colleges may have undergrad programs that have heavy course loads in physiology. So, if that’s what he’s interested in then make sure he shops around.
With that said I will be going to grad school for PA soon after a graduate in athletic training. I have been working in an ER and I really enjoy it. I really want to go into orthopedics as a PA eventually. He has plenty of time to figure it out though.
Making it with a good job as an ATC is tough. That’s why you see so many PT’s with a PT, ATC initial after their name. Most PT programs are going to DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) which is usually 3 years of PT school after your BS. Doing your undergrad work as an ATC would make sense then he has options for grad school such as PT or whatever else he finds interest in while at school. PT generally pays much better than anything you will find as an ATC. The hours are better and more predictable as well.
I agree 100% although I have to say a few things…
The profession of athletic training is fairly new and changes are occuring rapidly in the field of sports medicine. Just to give you one example…When I started college ATC’s were not allowed to diagnose. Now as a college senior that has changed. Also, within the past couple of years the athletic training governing body NATA has filled lawsuits against the PT governing body over the ATC’s scoop of practice. The outcomes of these things will completely change the profession of athletic training. So, while ATC’s are having a difficult time finding well paying jobs it may just be the growing pains of a new profession. One of the biggest challenges is ATC’s not being able to bill for services due to working under someone, while in PT this is different.
