Exercise Science Degrees, Courses and Programs

Exercise science focuses on the body’s response to physical activity: how muscles, the heart and lungs, metabolism and the nervous system adapt to training, and how that knowledge is applied to health, fitness and rehabilitation settings. In many countries, and especially in the United States, it is a common pre-professional route for students heading to clinical programs.

Typical coursework covers anatomy, physiology, exercise testing and prescription, nutrition, biomechanics and behaviour change. Programs vary in how much supervised practice they include, and some prepare students for named certifications from professional bodies.

Compared with sport science, exercise science often puts more weight on health, chronic disease and general population fitness; compared with kinesiology it is usually narrower in scope. The three terms overlap heavily, which is why this directory tags programs by what they actually teach.

Typical topics: Exercise physiology, Exercise testing and prescription, Anatomy, Nutrition for health and performance, Biomechanics, Health behaviour.

Also called: Exercise and sport science, Applied exercise science, Exercise studies. These names lead to this one page.

Exercise science is commonly used as preparation for postgraduate clinical study or for fitness and wellness careers. Professional certifications are separate credentials issued by professional bodies and have their own prerequisites.

• Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science (University of Technology Sydney): Australian Year 12 qualification; assumed knowledge Mathematics and any two units of English.
• Grado en Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid): University entrance via cut-off grade; 100 places offered; cut-off grade for 2026-2027 shown as 10,364.
• Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology (University of the Sunshine Coast): Minimum ATAR/Rank 70.00 (Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay). Minimum 500 hours of supervised placement required.
• Master of Clinical Exercise Science and Rehabilitation (Victoria University): Completion of an Australian bachelor degree (or equivalent) in a similar discipline, or an Australian graduate certificate in a similar discipline.
• Bachelor of Science in Sport and Exercise Sciences (University of Limerick): CAO code LM089; 507 CAO points in 2026; successful students must undergo Garda Vetting.