Students using equipment in sport and exercise science lab

Sport and Exercise Science Major

Help athletes stay in the game, patients recover from injury, and everyone take control of their physical health with a bachelor's degree in sport and exercise science.

Our accredited sport and exercise science program, and its related dual-degree opportunities, is booming, and 98% of our graduates who apply to graduate school are accepted. Spend a few minutes exploring our program and the "why" becomes clear!

Learn by doing.

Your coursework as a sport and exercise science major includes hands-on training in state-of-the-art labs, clinical settings, and field venues. These small, participatory lab experiences combined with strong academics and undergraduate research, will have you ready for a variety of careers and graduate studies. You'll train on the same equipment used by professionals in the field. In addition, you'll participate in an undergraduate research project, culminating in a poster presentation.

Participate in diverse internship opportunities.

By taking advantage of our central proximity to five major medical complexes and hospitals, you’ll be able to complete internships in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, and more. Our students have interned at locations such as Aurora Sports Medicine Institute, Froedtert’s Sports Medicine Center, Elite Sport & Spine, and Providence Physical Therapy. Students interested in personal training and performance have interned at the Wisconsin Athletic Club, Froedtert Sports Medicine Center’s Performance Enhancement Program (PEP), and NX Level.

Practice alongside expert faculty in a state-of-the-art lab.

Lab sizes of 12-18 students allow you to fully participate and practice tests and assessments.

Our Sport and Exercise Science Lab was added to Generac Hall in 2019 and features gold-standard equipment, including a hydrostatic weighing tank for underwater weighing and body composition measurements (body fat percentage and fat free mass), Watt and Monark bikes, force plates, a Biodex dynamometer, and a force plate treadmill.

The lab is also equipped to allow students to conduct post-exercise electrocardiograms, measure blood pressure (traditionally and digitally), test ECG muscle contraction, test aerobic capacity with a VO2max machine, measure grip power with hand dynamometers, measure grip strength with iWorx and LabScribe dynamometers, assess vertical jump with Vertec jump testers and pressure mats, and ascertain body composition with skin fold measures, hip-to-waist circumference ratios, and ultrasound.

See for yourself! 

Schedule your personal visit experience and request a tour of our Sport and Exercise Science Lab, or explore Generac Hall and our lab via our panoramic 360° immersive virtual tour.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Healthcare professionals make a real and measurable difference in their communities, across the nation, and abroad. Studying the health sciences at WLC, you'll receive a strong science foundation that supports your growth and development, the personal care and attention of our faculty, and our small-campus charm in a big city with access to diverse healthcare facilities. You'll graduate confident, fully prepared to live your purpose.

Excel in your career or in graduate school.

Our sport and exercise science major is broad-based and flexible. You'll develop close relationships with our faculty, allowing for adaptation of individual programs to meet your career aspirations. The inclusion of biology, chemistry, psychology, and communication courses prepares students for careers in a variety of fields.

Students may choose to work as athletic trainers, cardiac rehabilitation technicians, community health and fitness instructors, personal trainers, corporate wellness instructors, exercise physiologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and strength and conditioning specialists or coaches.

Our graduates can be found working as:

  • Athletic trainers in high schools, hospitals, and NCAA Division I and Division III colleges
  • Strength and conditioning coaches for NCAA Division I basketball and a MLB minor league team
  • Certified personal trainers at area athletic and fitness clubs
  • Occupational therapists and physical therapists in clinical settings
  • Chiropractors
  • Cryotherapists
  • Clinical research assistants

Our alumni are pursuing master’s degrees in athletic training, nursing, clinical physiology, kinesiology, exercise science, and occupational therapy. Additionally, alumni are also pursing doctorate degrees in occupational therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic, and physician assistant studies.

Accreditation

Wisconsin Lutheran College's exercise science program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) upon recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences (CoAES).

CAAHEP logo

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
9355 113th St N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775
727.210.2350


Outcomes

2023-2024 Retention Rate: 96% (CoAES Benchmark 70%)

2023-2024 Culminating Experience Pass Rate: 100% (CoAES Benchmark 50%)

 

For the 2023-2024 academic year, 94.7% of students who declared a Sport and Exercise Science major graduated with their degree. Additionally, the 2022-2023 cohort achieved a 100% placement rate, with all graduates either accepted into graduate school or employed in their field or with the military.

Advising Resources

Connect with Sport and Exercise Science Faculty

Hannah Bartels
Hannah Bartels Biology, Sport and Exercise Science Assistant Professor 414.443.8697 hannah.bartels@wlc.edu
Rachel Kuehl
Rachel Kuehl Sport and Exercise Science Associate Lecturer/Head of Sport & Exercise Science 414.443.8885 rachel.kuehl@wlc.edu
Lukas Ryan
Lukas Ryan Sport and Exercise Science Assistant Professor 414.443.8677 lukas.ryan@wlc.edu
Kate Schoen
Kate Schoen Sport and Exercise Science Assistant Lecturer 414.443.8874 katelynn.schoen@wlc.edu