Associate in Applied Science in Exercise Science: Health, Fitness and Sports Performance

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Learn more about the Exercise Science program.

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Field of Interest

The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Exercise Science: Health, Fitness and Sports Performance program prepares students for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) personal trainer certifications. The curriculum is designed to prepare students for employment in entry-level positions such as personal training within health and fitness clubs, wellness centers, and public and private recreation facilities. This curriculum also provides good preparation for transfer to a four-year bachelor program.

Details

Important information you’ll need when applying for admission:

Field of Interest: Health Sciences
Type: Associate Degree
Academic Plan: Exercise Science: Health, Fitness and Sports Performance (DEG)
Academic Plan Code: 3059
Total Credits Required: 63-74.5
Catalog Year: 2021-2022
Effective Term: Fall 2021
Program Notes: Students must earn a grade of C or better required for all courses within the program.

What You’ll Learn

This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:

Explain health and human movement using a fundamental understanding of the relevant scientific concepts of physiology, biomechanics and psychology.
Locate and critically evaluate relevant scholarly literature.
Conduct and interpret foundational assessments of health and human movement.
Design, implement and evaluate evidence based physical activity programs that promote health, improve fitness, and enhance quality of life.
Apply theories of motivation and behavior change to develop and implement strategies for improving exercise adoption and adherence.
Explain the role of culture in physical activity and health behaviors.
Integrate social and ethical responsibility in decision making and actions.
Adapt instructional techniques to ensure client safety and goal attainment.
Collaborate with diverse individuals to achieve common goals.
Communicate verbally, non-verbally and in writing in an articulate, respectful, empathetic and culturally competent manner for diverse audiences and contexts.
Use relevant scholarly literature and quantitative and qualitative reasoning to inform decision making and solve problems.
Demonstrate dependability, adaptability and persistence to set and achieve goals.

Career Opportunities

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 Maricopa County-based annual median 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.

Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors

$34,578 Show expanded career information for Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors

* Career and wage information provided by Emsi using data, reports, and forecasts which are generated using government data sources and Emsi’s proprietary analytical processes. Emsi’s data covers multiple classes of workers including QCEW, non-QCEW, and those who are self-employed. Disclaimer

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 Pathway Planner 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 AAA/CPD150, AAA/CPD150AC, CPD104, and AAA115/CPD115. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.
Consult with your faculty mentor or academic advisor to determine educational requirements, including possible university transfer options, for your chosen career field.

Full-time
Part-time

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
EXS101	Introduction to Exercise Science		Critical course Gateway course		3
HES100	Healthful Living		Critical course	SB	3
EXS125	Introduction to Exercise Physiology	Prerequisites or Corequisites: EXS101 or permission of Instructor.			3
PED101ST	Strength Training				1
PED101++	PED101 Course selection		PED101BC, PED101BS, PED101CY, PED101GF, PED101KB, PED101PC, PED101PS, PED101SR, PED101TC, PED101TX, PED101YG, PED101YH, PED101YO, PED101YP, PED101YR, or PED101ZU		1
EMT101 or HES106	Basic Life Support/Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Health Care Providers or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/Automated External Defibrillator (AED)		OR Current Basic Life Support (BLS) Health Care Provider/Professional Rescuer certification		0–0.5
ENG101 or ENG107	First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL	Prerequisites: Appropriate writing placement test score, or a grade of C or better in ENG091 or ESL097 or WAC101, or a grade of B or better in ALT100, or (a grade of C in ALT100 AND Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL OR WAC101 OR ENG100A+). or Prerequisites: Appropriate writing placement test score, or a grade of C or better in ENG091 or ESL097 or WAC101, or a grade of B or better in ALT100, or (a grade of C in ALT100 AND Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL OR WAC101 OR ENG100A+).	Critical course	FYC	3
MAT150 or MAT151 or MAT152 or MAT155 or MAT156	College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions with Review or College Algebra/Functions with Review	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in MAT095, or MAT096, or MAT114, or MAT115, or MAT12+, OR an appropriate district placement for MAT15+, OR permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in MAT095, or MAT096, or MAT114, or MAT115, or MAT12+, OR an appropriate district placement for MAT15+, OR permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in MAT095, or MAT096, or MAT114, or MAT115, or MAT12+, OR an appropriate district placement for MAT15+, OR permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in (MAT055, MAT056, and MAT057), or MAT09+, or MAT114, or MAT115, or an appropriate district placement for MAT120 or MAT121 or MAT122, or permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in (MAT055, MAT056, and MAT057), OR a grade of C or better in MAT09+ or MAT114 or MAT115, OR an appropriate district placement for MAT120 or MAT121 or MAT122, OR permission of Department or Division Chair.	Critical course	MA	3–6
AAA/CPD115 or AAA/CPD150 or AAA/CPD150AC or CPD104	Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development				0–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
EXS210	Assessment and Program Design: Muscular Fitness	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in EXS125.		2
EXS211	Assessment and Program Design: Flexibility and Balance	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in EXS125.		2
EXS212	Assessment and Program Design: Cardiorespiratory Fitness	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in EXS125.		2
EXS213	Assessment and Program Design: Weight Management and Motivation	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in EXS125.		2
EXS215	Resistance Training and Recovery Techniques	Prerequisites or Corequisites: EXS101 or permission of Instructor.		3
EXS217	Cardiorespiratory and Flexibility Training	Prerequisites or Corequisites: EXS101 or permission of Instructor.		3
ENG102 or ENG108	First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL	Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ENG101. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ENG107.	FYC	3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
EXS239 or (EXS239AA and EXS239AB) or EXS275 or (EXS275AA and EXS275AB) or (EXS239AA and EXS275AB) or (EXS239AB and EXS275AA)	Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship or (Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship and Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship) or Sport Science Internship or (Sport Science Internship) or (Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship and Sport Science Internship) or (Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship and Sport Science Internship)	Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. and Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in 9 credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. and Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in 9 credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. and Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in 9 credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. and Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in 9 credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division.			3
PSY101	Introduction to Psychology			SB	3
FON241 or FON100	Principles of Human Nutrition or Introductory Nutrition		Lab not required for this program	SG or	3
CRE101	College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking	Prerequisites: (A grade of C or better in ENG101 or ENG107) and (appropriate reading placement test score or a grade of C or better in RDG095 or RDG100 or RDG111 or RDG112 or RDG113 or permission of Instructor).	OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment	L	0–3
BIO181	General Biology (Majors) I	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in RDG100 or higher or eligibility for CRE101. One year of high school or one semester of college-level biology and chemistry is strongly recommended.	BIO181 OR 1 year of high school biology	SQ	0–4
COM100 or COM110 or COM225 or COM230	Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication	No requisites or No requisites or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ENG101, or ENG107, or equivalent. or No requisites		SB or L	3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
BIO201	Human Anatomy and Physiology I	Prerequisites: C or better in (BIO156, or BIO156XT, or BIO181, or BIO181XT, or 1 yr of high school biology) and (RDG100, or RDG100LL, or higher, or eligibility for CRE101). CHM130 or higher or one year of high school chemistry suggested but not required.		SG	4
HES210	Cultural Aspects of Health and Illness			C, G	3
HU	Humanities, Fine Arts & Design			HU	3
Elective	Elective Course		Recommended for students who intend to transfer: (CHM130 and CHM130LL), OR CHM130AA, OR CHM150, OR (CHM151 and CHM151LL) OR, CHM150AA, OR, CHM151AA, OR BIO202		4–5
EXS290	Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice	Prerequisites: C or better in [(RDG100, or RDG100LL, or RDG111, or RDG112, or RDG113 or District reading placement) and (MAT090, or MAT091, or MAT092, or District math placement) and (ENG101 or ENG107)] or permission of Instructor. EXS101 recommended.		L	3

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
HES100	Healthful Living		Critical course	SB	3
PED101ST	Strength Training				1
ENG101 or ENG107	First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL	Prerequisites: Appropriate writing placement test score, or a grade of C or better in ENG091 or ESL097 or WAC101, or a grade of B or better in ALT100, or (a grade of C in ALT100 AND Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL OR WAC101 OR ENG100A+). or Prerequisites: Appropriate writing placement test score, or a grade of C or better in ENG091 or ESL097 or WAC101, or a grade of B or better in ALT100, or (a grade of C in ALT100 AND Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL OR WAC101 OR ENG100A+).	Critical course	FYC	3
AAA/CPD115 or AAA/CPD150 or AAA/CPD150AC or CPD104	Creating College Success or Strategies for College Success or Educational and Career Planning or Career and Personal Development				0–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
EXS101	Introduction to Exercise Science		Critical course Gateway course		3
MAT150 or MAT151 or MAT152 or MAT155 or MAT156	College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions or College Algebra/Functions with Review or College Algebra/Functions with Review	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in MAT095, or MAT096, or MAT114, or MAT115, or MAT12+, OR an appropriate district placement for MAT15+, OR permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in MAT095, or MAT096, or MAT114, or MAT115, or MAT12+, OR an appropriate district placement for MAT15+, OR permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in MAT095, or MAT096, or MAT114, or MAT115, or MAT12+, OR an appropriate district placement for MAT15+, OR permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in (MAT055, MAT056, and MAT057), or MAT09+, or MAT114, or MAT115, or an appropriate district placement for MAT120 or MAT121 or MAT122, or permission of Department/Division Chair. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in (MAT055, MAT056, and MAT057), OR a grade of C or better in MAT09+ or MAT114 or MAT115, OR an appropriate district placement for MAT120 or MAT121 or MAT122, OR permission of Department or Division Chair.	Critical course	MA	3–6
PED101++	PED101 Course selection		PED101BC, PED101BS, PED101CY, PED101GF, PED101KB, PED101PC, PED101PS, PED101SR, PED101TC, PED101TX, PED101YG, PED101YH, PED101YO, PED101YP, PED101YR, or PED101ZU		1

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
EXS125	Introduction to Exercise Physiology	Prerequisites or Corequisites: EXS101 or permission of Instructor.			3
EMT101 or HES106	Basic Life Support/Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Health Care Providers or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/Automated External Defibrillator (AED)		OR Current Basic Life Support (BLS) Health Care Provider/Professional Rescuer certification		0–0.5
ENG102 or ENG108	First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL	Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ENG101. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ENG107.		FYC	3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
FON241 or FON100	Principles of Human Nutrition or Introductory Nutrition		Lab not required for this program	SG or	3
CRE101	College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking	Prerequisites: (A grade of C or better in ENG101 or ENG107) and (appropriate reading placement test score or a grade of C or better in RDG095 or RDG100 or RDG111 or RDG112 or RDG113 or permission of Instructor).	OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment	L	0–3

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Credits
EXS210	Assessment and Program Design: Muscular Fitness	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in EXS125.	2
EXS211	Assessment and Program Design: Flexibility and Balance	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in EXS125.	2
EXS212	Assessment and Program Design: Cardiorespiratory Fitness	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in EXS125.	2
EXS213	Assessment and Program Design: Weight Management and Motivation	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in EXS125.	2

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
EXS215	Resistance Training and Recovery Techniques	Prerequisites or Corequisites: EXS101 or permission of Instructor.			3
EXS217	Cardiorespiratory and Flexibility Training	Prerequisites or Corequisites: EXS101 or permission of Instructor.			3

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
EXS239 or (EXS239AA and EXS239AB) or EXS275 or (EXS275AA and EXS275AB) or (EXS239AA and EXS275AB) or (EXS239AB and EXS275AA)	Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship or (Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship and Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship) or Sport Science Internship or (Sport Science Internship) or (Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship and Sport Science Internship) or (Practical Applications of Personal Training Skills and Techniques Internship and Sport Science Internship)	Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. and Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in 9 credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. and Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in 9 credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. and Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in 9 credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. or Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in nine (9) credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division. and Prerequisites: Completion of a grade of C or better in 9 credits of EXS courses, approved by the Department Chair and/or Director, current CPR and AED card, and permission of Department or Division.			3
BIO181	General Biology (Majors) I	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in RDG100 or higher or eligibility for CRE101. One year of high school or one semester of college-level biology and chemistry is strongly recommended.	BIO181 OR 1 year of high school biology	SQ	0–4
PSY101	Introduction to Psychology			SB	3

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
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	No requisites or No requisites or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ENG101, or ENG107, or equivalent. or No requisites		SB or L	3
BIO201	Human Anatomy and Physiology I	Prerequisites: C or better in (BIO156, or BIO156XT, or BIO181, or BIO181XT, or 1 yr of high school biology) and (RDG100, or RDG100LL, or higher, or eligibility for CRE101). CHM130 or higher or one year of high school chemistry suggested but not required.		SG	4

Term 9

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 9
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
EXS290	Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice	Prerequisites: C or better in [(RDG100, or RDG100LL, or RDG111, or RDG112, or RDG113 or District reading placement) and (MAT090, or MAT091, or MAT092, or District math placement) and (ENG101 or ENG107)] or permission of Instructor. EXS101 recommended.		L	3
HU	Humanities, Fine Arts & Design			HU	3

Term 10

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 10
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
Elective	Elective Course		Recommended for students who intend to transfer: (CHM130 and CHM130LL), OR CHM130AA, OR CHM150, OR (CHM151 and CHM151LL) OR, CHM150AA, OR, CHM151AA, OR BIO202		4–5
HES210	Cultural Aspects of Health and Illness			C, G	3

Program Notes

Students can achieve the AGEC-A by completing the following:
An additional course with the Humanities, Arts and Design general studies designation 3
An additional course with the Natural Science general studies designation 4
Recommend BIO202 Human Anatomy and Physiology II 4
An additional course with the Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Applications general
studies designation 3
Recommend MAT206 Elements of Statistics 3 OR PSY230 Introduction to Statistics 3

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Program Information

Learn more about and find contact information for the Exercise Science program.

General Help

Ask general questions over the phone at 480-461-7400 or via online chat.

Course Area Key

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
FYC = First Year Composition
G = Global 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

Disclaimer

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.

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 academic advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.

View MCCCD’s curriculum website for the Associate in Applied Science in Exercise Science: Health, Fitness and Sports Performance (https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm3?id=162088).

Previous Catalog Years

The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. All previous catalog years for this pathway map are available at the link below.

Previous catalog years for Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Exercise Science: Health, Fitness and Sports Performance

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Field of Interest

Details

What You’ll Learn

Career Opportunities

Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors

$34,578 Show expanded career information for Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors

Course Sequence by Term

Full-time Sequence

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Part-time Sequence

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Term 5

Term 6

Term 7

Term 8

Term 9

Term 10

Program Notes

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Course Area Key

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Previous Catalog Years