Exercise Science

Do you love wellness, fitness and sports? Are you interested in helping athletes improve their health and performance, designing fitness programs for adults, and motivating people to develop healthy habits? If you like learning about the human body, you enjoy science and you're good with people, then UB's exercise science program can give you the hands-on training and evidence-based knowledge that helps prepare you for whatever comes next—whether that's becoming a medical doctor or physical therapist, training people as a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach, doing research that keeps soldiers and first responders safer, or combating childhood obesity.

What will I learn?

Anatomy. Physiology. Exercise assessment and prescription. Biomechanics. Nutrition. These are just a few of the topics you can explore as you study how the human body moves and responds to exercise. Through classes and labs, you’ll learn how to assess a person’s health and fitness, help people manage chronic conditions, and prescribe exercises to help athletes and others achieve their goals for health, wellness, fitness and performance. You’ll typically take foundational courses in exercise science the first two years, and then choose a concentration to specialize in based on your career interests.

What can I do with an exercise science degree?

Enjoy a successful career in a variety of areas, including sports and athletic performance, health care, and community health and fitness. In fact, UB's exercise science grads have worked in hospitals, outpatient care facilities, schools, corporations, fitness facilities, community centers, performance centers and more. Some examples of job titles include:

  • Strength and conditioning coach.
  • Personal trainer.
  • Coach.
  • Exercise physiologist.
  • Cardiac rehab specialist.
  • Fitness program manager.
  • Health coach.
  • Athletic trainer.
  • Physical therapist.
  • Medical doctor.
  • Chiropractor.
  • Researcher.
  • Physician assistant.

While some of these career paths are entry level (and ideal for students who want to get a job right after graduation), other paths require additional education beyond a bachelor’s degree. That’s why many students choose to earn a graduate or professional degree in a related area, including exercise physiology, clinical exercise physiology, physical therapy, athletic training, medicine or public health. Many exercise science students get accepted to graduate programs because our program prepares students well for advanced study in a variety of areas.

By the Numbers

Check out salary ranges and career outlooks straight from the U.S. Department of Labor to see the return on investment for your degree.

Occupational Wage and Growth Statistics
Occupation TitleMean Annual WageMean Hourly WageFuture Outlook
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists$63,070.00$30.32Rapid Growth
Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary$137,680.00$66.19Rapid Growth
Exercise Physiologists$70,000.00$33.65Rapid Growth

Data provided by the and DOL data from 2024.