
our alumni
"I worked with faculty to create an exercise program for senior citizens that we implemented at several area community centers."
Read Her StoryTake your passion for sports and fitness to the next level as you prepare for a career in healthcare, the business of sports, or an advanced healthcare profession.
People are becoming increasingly conscious about the importance of exercise and sports as vital elements to maintaining and improving their own personal health. In fact, interest in sports as a whole has become so great that industry experts estimate the size of the global sports industry at $1.5 trillion dollars worldwide — making sports one of the largest industries in the world.
If you're interested in a career in sports, fitness, or healthcare, D'Youville's Exercise and Sports Studies program offers three pathways to earn a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports studies designed to prepare you for a career in these rapidly-growing industries.
Students interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree can choose from two tracks:
If you're interested in a career as a professional physical therapist, our sequential degree program allows you to enter D'Youville as a freshman and graduate in six years with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise & Sports Studies and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
As a student in the sequential degree program you'll be eligible for direct entry into the three-year professional graduate DPT program after you receive your bachelor's degree. Simply maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 and a B or better overall and a 3.2 GPA in all the DPT prerequisite courses and you're in!
Students interested in chiropractic can enroll in the sequential-degree program, Exercise and Sports Studies (BS) + Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). Entering first time in college students complete a BS in ESS under the administration of the ESS department. Students choosing the chiropractic track intimately study the basic sciences (chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology) in addition to the exercise sciences in preparation for the chiropractic graduate program. Maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 and a B or better in all the chiropractic prerequisite courses to qualify.
When you apply for admission at D’Youville, we’ll automatically consider you for our merit scholarships. Undergraduate scholarships can cover as much as 50% of your tuition, and there is no need to fill out a separate application!
Transfer students can qualify for scholarships, as well. And unlike other schools, maintaining your scholarship is easier at D'Youville because we use a realistic 2.25 GPA requirement to determine your eligibility for merit-based scholarships each year.
Find more information and additional scholarships on our scholarships page.
Learn the basics of immediate and temporary care for sports-related injuries and illnesses. Explore safety concerns around exercise facilities and equipment and how to manage risk. Learn about issues for professional certification, medical liability, and other legal issues.
Explore the theoretical background and practical applications needed to competently assess physical fitness and the markers of athletic performance. Learn to develop effective exercise programs based on an individual's goals and objectives.
Discover the basic principles of strength training and conditioning for physical fitness and athletic development. Learn how to strengthen major muscle groups; how to develop speed, agility, and endurance; and how to obtain and maintain a high level of fitness through a quality exercise program.
Researchers and healthcare professionals are increasingly emphasizing the importance of fitness in supporting both physical and mental health. As a result, opportunities for graduates in Exercise & Sports Studies are on the rise. A degree from D'Youville in Exercise & Sports Studies will prepare you to begin a career in any of these settings (and more!):
As the industry grows, being able to prove your expertise through professional certifications is becoming more important than ever. Students completing the Exercise Studies or Health Professions tracks of the ESS program will be prepared for the credentialing examinations administered by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Our multidisciplinary approach prepares you to qualify for these important credentials and prepares you to pursue advanced graduate degrees in a number of fields including exercise physiology or health and human performance.
If you're interested in beginning your professional career immediately after graduation, the numerous internship opportunities available to ESS students will allow you to apply what you learn in the classroom into practice through hands-on, real-world experiences. It will provide you with the valuable on-the-job experience employers are looking for while allowing you to investigate a wide range of career experiences and build the kinds of professional contacts that often prove invaluable after graduation.
Because we understand the importance of putting theory into practice, we've structured the ESS program to integrate internship experiences into the curriculum, allowing you to put what you learn in the classroom into practice immediately. This integration allows you to receive an education that emphasizes both academic rigor and practical experience in a supportive environment that recognizes the demands of sports and fitness practitioners.
D'Youville's ever-growing NCAA Division-III men's and women's sports teams can provide the basis for learning and internships experiences spanning aspects of the health, fitness, and sports industries. Through experiences with the teams, you'll gain valuable experience in fitness training, sports management, and even coaching, providing you with the real-life experiences that employers are looking for.
Through your internship experiences, you'll:
At D'Youville, we are committed to selecting students who are academically well-rounded and committed to meeting the challenges of a high-quality education. If you have been successful in a traditional college preparatory program in high school, you should be well-prepared for the academic challenges at D'Youville. While we don't require you to submit ACT or SAT test scores, if you have taken or intend to take a standardized test we encourage you to submit your scores if you'd like them to be evaluated as part of your application.
Not Required (utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided):
Not Required (utilized in a holistic review for admission if provided):
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