Research Guides: Exercise Science: Career Resources

Exercise Science Major

The exercise science degree prepares students for a career in health and fitness, and for various health professions and therapy graduate schools.

Common careers include: Athletic Trainers, Coaches and Scouts, Fitness Instructors, Occupational and Physical Therapists, Personal Trainers, Recreation Directors, Sports Managers, Strength and Conditioning Specialists.

For more information about Angelo State University's degree in Exercise Science, visit the Department of Kinesiology website.

ASU's Career Development website provides detailed information about Exercise Science Major Careers.

Careers in Exercise Science

From the U.S. Bureau of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook online, find out about required education, training, credentials, job duties, work environment, salary range, job outlook, and more for each of the exercise science-related careers listed below:

From O*Net OnLine, find detailed information about exercise science-related careers, from detailed job tasks to required education, training, and skills.

Career Resources

Career Guide to Industries
Provides information on available careers by industry, including the nature of the industry, working conditions, employment, occupations in the industry, training and advancement, earnings and benefits, employment outlook. 2010-2011 edition
Career OneStop
From the U.S. Department of Labor, provides a wide variety of information and tools.
Career Outlook
Provides data and information on a variety of topics—including occupations and industries, pay and benefits, and more. These articles are helpful for students, career counselors, jobseekers, and others planning careers.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Excellent resource for researching careers. Includes information about required education and training, job duties, work environment, salary, job outlook, similar occupations, and more.
Texas Workforce Commission
Contains great information for for career exploration, job seekers,and students.
Texas Workforce Commission - Career Exploration and Trends
Broken out of the Texas Workforce Commission site above, tools allow you to explore careers, compare careers and expenses, and match skills with careers.

Career Center Plus™ This link opens in a new window
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Combines everything you need for a successful job search into one easy-to-use online application. First-time users are required to create a personal account.
LearningExpress Library™ This link opens in a new window
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eLearning solution that provides support to students and professionals for academic skill-building, standardized test prep, career certification test prep and more.
O*Net OnLine This link opens in a new window
Provides broad access to information on skills, abilities, knowledges, work activities, and interests associated with almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy. Job seekers can use the available key features to find out which jobs fit with their interests, skills, and experience; explore growth career profiles using the latest available labor market data; maximize earning potential and job satisfaction.
Vocational & Career Collection This link opens in a new window
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This database provides full-text coverage for trade and industry-related periodicals designed to meet a wide variety of vocational and technical research needs.

Professional Organizations

American Council on Exercise (ACE)
Leading nonprofit organization certifying health coaches and exercise professionals.
American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP)
Provides a forum for leadership and exchange of information to stimulate discussion and collaboration among exercise physiologists active in all aspects of the profession.
American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI)
ASMI's mission is to improve the understanding, prevention and treatment of sports-related injuries through research and education.
Athletics and Finess Association (AFAA)
Fitness education company dedicated to growing the number of fitness professionals by certifying people to work as personal trainers, group fitness instructors, health coaches and more.
National Athletic Trainers' Assocation (NATA)
NATA is the professional membership association for certified athletic trainers and others who support the athletic training profession
National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC)
NCHEC certifies health education specialists, promotes professional development, and strengthens professional preparation and practice.
National Federation of Personal Trainers (NFPT)
Certifies fitness enthusiasts who want to train others safely, effectively and enthusiastically.
National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
NSCA is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning and related sport science professions around the world.
SHAPE America - Society of Health and Physical Educators
Organization that provides support to professionals in health, physical education, recreation and dance. Helped develop and owns the National Health Education Standards.