Program Requirements
A minimum of 73 credits is required, including the 15-credit Exercise and Sport Science Nucleus:
To graduate, all exercise and sport science majors must complete ESS 181 Foundations of Exercise and Sport Science and ESS 185 Lifetime Wellness with a minimum grade of “C-”:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise and Sport Science Nucleus | ||
| ESS 181 | Foundations of Exercise and Sport Science | 3 |
| ESS 185 | Lifetime Wellness | 3 |
| ESS 320 | Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity | 3 |
| ESS 490 | Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity | 3 |
| Select one of the following ESS Capstone courses: | 3 | |
| Senior Seminar in Exercise and Sport Science | ||
or ESS 498 | Internship in Exercise and Sport Science | |
| Total Credits | 15 | |
First Aid/CPR competency and the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 150 | Biological Principles (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| BIOL 372 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I (with laboratory) | 4 |
| BIOL 373 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II (with laboratory) | 4 |
| CHEM 111 | General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) | 3 |
| CHEM 112 | General Chemistry Laboratory I (GT-SC1) | 1 |
| CHEM 113 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 114 | General Chemistry Laboratory II | 1 |
| ESS 275 | Human Motor Development and Learning | 3 |
| ESS 298 | Fitness Instruction | 3 |
| ESS 330 | Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| ESS 331 | Exercise Physiology Lab | 1 |
| ESS 380 | Biomechanics | 3 |
| ESS 385 | Fitness Assessment, Exercise Prescription and Program Planning | 3 |
| ESS 411 | Wellness Elevated I | 3 |
| ESS 412 | Exercise Biochemistry | 3 |
| ESS 430 | Topics in Clinical Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| ESS 431 | Wellness Elevated II | 3 |
| MATH 140 | College Algebra (GT-MA1) | 3 |
| PHYS 140 | Introductory Physics (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| One of the following: | 3 | |
| Basic Nutrition | ||
| Nutrition for Wellness and Performance | ||
| Total Credits | 58 | |
Chiropractic Education
Western has a 3+1 agreement with Palmer College of Chiropractic. Students must complete 90 credits at Western, including General Education and the Clinical Exercise Science Emphasis. Students who meet Palmer’s entrance requirements may enroll at one of the three Palmer campuses, and after successful completion of the first year of the D.C. program, receive credit for completion of their fourth year at Western, transferring Palmer credits back to Western in order to complete their undergraduate degree. Appropriate coursework should be taken in consultation with an academic advisor.
Capstone Course Requirement
Students can choose to take either ESS 495 Senior Seminar in Exercise and Sport Science or ESS 498 Internship in Exercise and Sport Science to fulfill the Capstone Requirement.
Western Watershed General Education Requirements
Students must complete all Western Watershed General Education requirements to graduate.
Graduation Requirements
Undergraduate programs require a minimum of 120 semester credits for graduation. Of those 120 credits, 40 credits must be in upper-division courses (those marked 300 and above). Fifteen of these 40 upper-division credits must be earned in courses that are part of the standard or comprehensive major program being pursued.
Students are expected to review all graduation requirements, which can be found in the Western Undergraduate Catalog: Graduation Requirements.
Degree Plans are for planning purposes. They reflect a suggested plan to complete the degree in a projected timeframe per program of study.
“Western Watershed Course(s)” refers to a course from the Tributaries area of the Western Watershed program. These courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.
A minimum of 73 credits is required. To graduate, all Exercise & Sport Science (ESS) majors must complete ESS 181 Foundations of Exercise and Sport Science and ESS 185 Lifetime Wellness with a minimum grade of "C-".
Sample Plan
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| ESS 181 or ESS 185 |
Foundations of Exercise and Sport Science ESS 185 is a Watershed GE Wellness Skills course. It satisfies the Life Skills requirement. or Lifetime Wellness |
3 |
| CHEM 111 & CHEM 112 |
General Chemistry I (GT-SC2) and General Chemistry Laboratory I (GT-SC1) CHEM 111 and CHEM 112 are Watershed GE courses. They satisfy Tributaries: Scientific Inquiry requirements. |
4 |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| MATH 140 | College Algebra (GT-MA1) Math 140 satisfies the Watershed GE Mathematics requirement. | 3 |
| WWGE 101/102/103/104 | Headwaters: Studies in... (select one) | 2 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ESS 181 or ESS 185 |
Foundations of Exercise and Sport Science ESS 185 is a Watershed GE Wellness Skills course. It satisfies the Life Skills requirement. or Lifetime Wellness |
3 |
| BIOL 150 | Biological Principles (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) BIOL 150 is a Watershed GE courses. It satisfies the Tributaries: Scientific Inquiry requirement. | 4 |
| CHEM 113 & CHEM 114 |
General Chemistry II and General Chemistry Laboratory II |
4 |
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| Watershed GE | Non-Specific Western Watershed Course(s) Watershed GE courses should satisfy Tributaries: Inquiry and Expression requirements. Courses may be selected from courses offered in the Historical Inquiry, Humanistic Inquiry, Further Inquiry and Creative Expression Tributaries. | 3 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| BIOL 372 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I (with laboratory) Milestone course. Must achieve a "D" or better to enroll in many higher level ESS classes. | 4 |
| PHYS 140 | Introductory Physics (with laboratory) (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| Watershed GE | Non-Specific Western Watershed Courses Watershed GE courses should satisfy Tributaries: Inquiry and Expression requirements. Courses may be selected from courses offered in the Historical Inquiry, Humanistic Inquiry, Further Inquiry and Creative Expression Tributaries. | 6 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ESS 275 | Human Motor Development and Learning | 3 |
| ESS 298 | Fitness Instruction ESS 298 is a Watershed GE Braided Streams course. It can be used to earn a Public Communication tag. | 3 |
| BIOL 373 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II (with laboratory) Milestone course. Must achieve a "D" or better to enroll in many higher level ESS classes. | 4 |
| Watershed GE | Non-Specific Western Watershed Courses | 3 |
| Elective | Minor, 2nd Major or Certificate Course | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| ESS 320 | Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity | 3 |
| ESS 330 | Exercise Physiology Milestone course. Must achieve a "D" or better to enroll in many higher level ESS classes. | 3 |
| ESS 331 | Exercise Physiology Lab Milestone course. Must achieve a "D" or better to enroll in many higher level ESS classes. | 1 |
| ESS 380 | Biomechanics | 3 |
| Elective | Minor, 2nd Major or Certificate Courses | 6 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ESS 385 | Fitness Assessment, Exercise Prescription and Program Planning | 3 |
| ESS 412 | Exercise Biochemistry | 3 |
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta: Studies in... (select one) | 1 |
| Elective | Minor, 2nd Major or Certificate Courses | 9 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| ESS 360 | Nutrition for Wellness and Performance | 3 |
| ESS 411 | Wellness Elevated I ESS 411 is a Watershed GE course. It can be used to earn a Braided Streams: Experiential Learning or Public Communication tag. | 3 |
| ESS 490 | Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity ESS 490 is a Watershed GE course. It can be used to satisfy the Tributaries: Social Inquiry requirement and to earn either a Braided Streams: Power & Justice or Public Communication tag. | 3 |
| Elective | Minor, 2nd Major or Certificate Courses | 6 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ESS 430 | Topics in Clinical Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| ESS 431 | Wellness Elevated II | 3 |
| ESS 495 or ESS 498 |
Senior Seminar in Exercise and Sport Science ESS 495 and ESS 498 both satisfy the ESS Capstone requirement. or Internship in Exercise and Sport Science |
3 |
| Elective | Minor, 2nd Major or Certificate Courses | 3 |
| Credits | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 121 | |
Western is committed to doing our part to provide each student a clear path to graduation. This four‐year degree plan is a sample map for fulfilling requirements in the major and General Education. The pathway that you take to your degree may differ somewhat from this illustration, depending on where you start and the detours and side trips you may take along the way. You are responsible for ensuring your overall, upper division, and major‐specific credits as well as GPA requirements are fulfilled for graduation.