Salt Lake
Community College is changing the name Health and Lifetime Activities to the
Department of Exercise Science in time for the Fall 2019 semester.
The nomenclature
shift more closely aligns with the science-based courses already offered
through the program, which is within SLCC’s School of Science, Mathematics
& Engineering.
The change also
comes with a new degree offering: Associate of Science in Exercise
Science/Kinesiology. New courses slated for this fall include Intro to Exercise
Science, Sport and American Society and Special Topics in Exercise Science, a
research-intensive course. The school already offers an associate of applied
science degree within the Fitness Technician program, a career and technical
education track that more quickly prepares students for the workforce.
Students at SLCC
wanting to gain experience in the industry while seeking a four-year degree
will still be able to go to work sooner with a Fitness Technician degree. Some
of the credits in that program, though, will overlap with requirements for the
Exercise Science/Kinesiology degree, which students need for transfer to a
university within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) for a four-year
degree in that subject.
Nathan Thomas, associate
dean for the department, said the name change, added courses and new degree
offering better lines up with local and national institutions for higher
education. The changes will better prepare students for careers and transfer
pathways in exercise science and kinesiology, which is the study of the human
movement. Thomas said the college has worked closely with the University of
Utah and other USHE institutions to ensure the changes at SLCC will mean a
seamless transition for its exercise science/kinesiology students to a
four-year school.
“The goal is to
accommodate the many students, about 75 percent, in our program who want to
work in the industry while going for their bachelor degree,” Thomas said. None
of the current course offerings or certificates, he noted, have been cut
because of the changes.
