Clinical Exercise Physiology, MS
Six out of 10 Americans live with a chronic disease. Help others and boost your career as a clinical exercise physiologist. Learn to work with patients to prevent, improve and manage chronic disease and improve health through strategic movement.
Quick facts
Locations
Credits
Additional facts
STEM-OPT extension eligible: Yes
International students (F1) can extend U.S. work experience by 24 months.
Accreditation and professional licensure
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Degree description
In the Master of Science program in clinical exercise physiology, you learn how to use primary and secondary prevention strategies to improve, maintain or abate declines in fitness and health in populations of various age groups.
You learn to collaborate with medical professionals to guide exercise and rehabilitation programs for at-risk clients and those with chronic diseases. The program offers personalized mentorship and hands-on experience with expert faculty in research and clinical settings.
You obtain the knowledge, clinical experience and skills needed to successfully complete the examination for the registered clinical exercise physiologist certification offered by the American College of Sports Medicine, https://www.acsm.org/.
This program is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine, https://www.caahep.org/.
Curriculum
This graduate degree includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below.
31 credit hours and a written comprehensive exam, or
31 credit hours, a thesis and a written comprehensive exam
Required Core (21 credit hours) Seminar (1 credit hour) Other Requirement (3 or 9 credit hours) Culminating Experience (0 or 6 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information All students must pass a written comprehensive exam. Thesis students must also pass an oral defense.
BST 501 Biostatistics for Research and Practice (3)
EXW 535 Advanced Exercise Assessment and Prescription (3)
EXW 542 Health Promotion (3)
EXW 560 Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation (3)
EXW 565 Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physiology (3)
EXW 568 Management and Treatment of Chronic Disease for the Clinical Exercise Physiologist (3)
KIN 547 ECG Interpretation (3)
EXW 591 Seminar: Clinical Exercise Physiology (1)
EXW 515 Advanced Exercise Physiology (3) and EXW 584 Internship (6) or
NTR 500 Research Methods (3)
written comprehensive exam (0) or
EXW 599 Thesis (6)
This program has a thesis option and a nonthesis option. Students in the thesis option must take NTR 500 Research Methods before EXW 599 Thesis. Students who select the nonthesis option must complete a clinical internship of six credit hours of EXW 584 Internship and take three credit hours of EXW 515 Advanced Exercise Physiology.
What you'll learn
The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.
- Synthesize the current literature and guidelines on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, progression, risk factors, key clinical findings, and treatments of chronic diseases.
- Create exercise training interventions for patients with chronic disease.
- Analyze patient status changes through continuous monitoring of exercise interventions while incorporating behavior modification models that support active patient engagement.
Synthesize the current literature and guidelines on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, progression, risk factors, key clinical findings, and treatments of chronic diseases. Admission requirements
Here are the admission and application details
All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants (opens in new window) | International applicants (opens in new window) | English proficiency (opens in new window)
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the College of Health Solutions. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in exercise science, exercise physiology, kinesiology or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. All applicants must submit: Additional Application Information Applicants who do not have credit for basic courses from their undergraduate degree must complete the courses before beginning the application process or before beginning graduate coursework. The corresponding ASU course is in parentheses: The letter of intent should be 600 words or less and address the applicant's area of professional or scholarly interest, career and professional goals, and relevant background, experience and training. Contact information of three references is required. References are contacted via email to respond to a series of questions about the applicant. At least two references must be academic (such as prior instructors) with at least one from the applicant's major. The third reference may be from an academic or related professional source.
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
Application deadlines
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 02/15 | Priority* |
*A priority deadline means that applications submitted and completed before the priority deadline will receive priority consideration. Applications submitted after the priority deadlines will be reviewed in the order in which they were completed and on a space-available basis. An application is complete after all materials are received by Admission Services.
Explore expanded study opportunities
This program allows you to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years. As a high-achieving student, accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for you to share undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of your master's degree. These programs feature the same high-quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
This program is offered as an accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree with:
Approval to pursue the accelerated master's is typically granted during the junior year of your bachelor's degree program. If you are interested, you can learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students receive financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Clinical exercise physiology, in which exercise is used to help clients manage or reduce their risk of chronic disease, is an exciting and growing profession in the health care realm. It has recently been organized on the national level and is now recognized by the federal government and defined as an occupation.
The American College of Sports Medicine is the national association that establishes guidelines and recommendations for exercise testing and prescription as well as evaluation of research for both healthy populations and those with chronic disease. Graduates are prepared to sit for ACSM certification, the organization's most prestigious credential for clinical professionals.
This unique and vital profession will grow as certifications and licensures support the value of clinical exercise physiology. Career opportunities are available in:
- hospital-based clinical research facilities
- hospitals
- outpatient clinics
- physician offices
- university and research laboratories
- worksite wellness centers
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Prospective students should fill out the Request for Information form.
School of Human Performance and Lifespan Health
|
HLTHN 401AA
CHSGrad@asu.edu
602-496-3300
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.
