Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Exercise Science
The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in Exercise Science provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to specialize in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Clinical Exercise Physiology, Sport Science, Healthy Lifestyles Coaching, or Fitness and Wellness. With a bachelor`s degree, students may pursue a career as a fitness specialist or director, strength and conditioning specialist, healthy lifestyles coach, or an exercise physiologist. With a graduate degree, students may pursue careers in a number of fields, including but not limited to physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, exercise physiology, medicine, and physician assistant. Certificates of Completion (CCLs) in Personal Trainer and Personal Trainer Advanced as well as an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Exercise Science: Health, Fitness, and Sports Performance are also available.
Details
Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.
Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.
This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:
- Examine human movement using a fundamental understanding of human anatomy and physiology and the relevant scientific concepts of biology, the physical sciences, and psychology.
- Integrate knowledge of the human body and psychological concepts to promote health and well-being in self and others.
- Locate and critically evaluate relevant scholarly literature.
- Use relevant scholarly literature, quantitative and qualitative reasoning, and statistical analysis to inform decision making and solve problems.
- Interpret foundational assessments of health and human movement.
- Design basic movement programs.
- Effectively communicate with diverse audiences and within varied contexts.
- Collaborate with diverse individuals to achieve common goals.
- Integrate social and ethical responsibility in decision making and actions.
- Demonstrate dependability, adaptability, and persistence to set and achieve goals.
Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based wages* for this degree. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information. You can click on any occupation to view the detail regarding education level, wages, and employment information.
Athletic Trainers
$55,990 Show expanded career information for Athletic Trainers
Community Health Workers
$44,250 Show expanded career information for Community Health Workers
Exercise Physiologists
$57,000 Show expanded career information for Exercise Physiologists
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
$47,070 Show expanded career information for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
Health Education Specialists
$51,400 Show expanded career information for Health Education Specialists
Occupational Therapists
$90,520 Show expanded career information for Occupational Therapists
Physical Therapists
$94,700 Show expanded career information for Physical Therapists
Physician Assistants
$121,490 Show expanded career information for Physician Assistants
Course Sequence by Term
The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:
- Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Degree Progress Report Tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
- The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
- Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
- Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.
Full-time Sequence
Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.
Awareness Areas |
---|
|
Term 1
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENG101 or ENG107 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | Critical course | FYC or FYC | 3 | |
EXS101 | Introduction to Exercise Science | Critical course Gateway course | 3 | ||
MA | Mathematics | Critical course Select a pathway to see specific MA requirement | MA | 3–6 | |
SB | Social-Behavioral Sciences | HES100 Recommended | SB | 3 | |
Transfer Options | Transfer Option | 0–5 | |||
FYE101 or FYE103 | Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success | 1–3 |
Term 2
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENG102 or ENG108 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC or FYC | 3 | ||
PSY101 | Introduction to Psychology | SB | 3 | ||
CRE101 | College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking | OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment | L | 0–3 | |
BIO156 or BIO181 | Introductory Biology for Allied Health or General Biology (Majors) I | Critical course OR One year of high school biology | SQ or SQ | 0–4 | |
SQ | Natural Sciences Quantitative | Critical course Select a pathway to see specific SQ requirement | SQ | 4–5 | |
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–4 |
Term 3
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
COM100 or COM110 or COM225 or COM230 | Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication | SB or SB or L or SB | 3 | ||
GBS221 or MAT206 or PSY230 or SWU225 | Business Statistics or Elements of Statistics or Introduction to Statistics or Statistics for Social Research/Justice and Government | Students intending to transfer to NAU should choose MAT206 or PSY230. PSY230 recommended for all students. | CS or CS or CS or CS | 3 | |
SG or SQ | Natural Sciences General or Natural Sciences Quantitative | Select a pathway to see specific SG/SQ requirement | SG or SQ | 4 | |
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–11 | |||
EXS290 or FON225 | Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice or Research in Complementary and Alternative Nutrition Therapies | L or None | 3 |
Term 4
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | HU | 3 | ||
HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | HU | 3 | ||
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 3–4 | |||
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–7 |
Part-time Sequence
Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.
Awareness Areas |
---|
|
Term 1
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENG101 or ENG107 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | Critical course | FYC or FYC | 3 | |
EXS101 | Introduction to Exercise Science | Critical course Gateway course | 3 | ||
FYE101 or FYE103 | Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success | 1–3 | |||
Transfer Options | Transfer Option | 0–1 |
Term 2
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MA | Mathematics | Critical course Select a pathway to see specific MA requirement | MA | 3–6 | |
SB | Social-Behavioral Sciences | HES100 Recommended | SB | 3 | |
CRE101 | College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking | OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment | L | 0–3 | |
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–3 |
Term 3
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ENG102 or ENG108 | First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL | FYC or FYC | 3 | ||
HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | HU | 3 | ||
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–4 |
Term 4
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PSY101 | Introduction to Psychology | SB | 3 | ||
COM100 or COM110 or COM225 or COM230 | Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication | SB or SB or L or SB | 3 | ||
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–4 |
Term 5
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SQ | Natural Sciences Quantitative | Critical course Select a pathway to see specific SQ requirement | SQ | 4–5 | |
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–5 |
Term 6
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BIO156 or BIO181 | Introductory Biology for Allied Health or General Biology (Majors) I | Critical course OR One year of high school biology | SQ or SQ | 0–4 | |
GBS221 or MAT206 or PSY230 or SWU225 | Business Statistics or Elements of Statistics or Introduction to Statistics or Statistics for Social Research/Justice and Government | Students intending to transfer to NAU should choose MAT206 or PSY230. PSY230 recommended for all students. | CS or CS or CS or CS | 3 | |
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–6 |
Term 7
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SG or SQ | Natural Sciences General or Natural Sciences Quantitative | Select a pathway to see specific SG/SQ requirement | SG or SQ | 4 | |
EXS290 or FON225 | Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice or Research in Complementary and Alternative Nutrition Therapies | L or None | 3 |
Term 8
Course Number | Course Name | Requisites | Notes | Area | Credits |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HU | Humanities, Fine Arts & Design | HU | 3 | ||
Transfer Option | Transfer Option | 0–4 |
Gateway Course = Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.
Critical Course = A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.
- C = Cultural Diversity in the US
- CS = Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application
- FYC = First Year Composition
- G = Global Awareness
- H = Historical Awareness
- HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design
- L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
- MA = Mathematics
- SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
- SG = Natural Sciences General
- SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative
Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses required within the program.
Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.
View MCCCD’s official curriculum documentation for additional details regarding the requirements of this award (https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=190009).
At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.