Exercise and Sport Science
FAQs
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General FAQs
What can I do with a major in ESS?
Career options include athletic trainer, personal trainer, health/fitness/wellness coordinator or manager, cardiac rehab professional, physical education teacher, community youth sports professional, and aquatics instructor. Graduates of the program have pursued careers with major employers like Bank of America, Guilford County Schools, City of Greensboro, Medic Computer Systems, Moses H. Cone Health Care System, Riverside Wellness, NC State University, Bermuda Retirement Resort, Carolina Spine Center, United Healthcare. Graduates also pursue careers as personal trainers for companies like World's Gym and Gold's Gym.
Many graduates extend their degrees by entering masters and doctoral programs at schools with post-baccalaureate programs like UNCG, East Carolina University, Duke University, and UNC Chapel Hill.
Are scholarships available?
Yes, though most scholarships are available to returning ESS students only.
Undergraduate Student FAQs:
What undergraduate degree options are available?
Undergraduate students may pursue a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Exercise and Sport Science with a concentration in sports medicine, aquatics leadership, fitness leadership, community youth sport development, or physical education teacher education K-12.
How do I apply for admission to an undergraduate program?
Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to apply online or request materials. Once admitted to the University,
please go to 237 HHP to complete a change of major form..
What is the minimum required grade point average (GPA) for undergraduates?
Concentrations in aquatic leadership, fitness leadership, teacher education, and community youth sport development require a minimum 2.5 GPA. The sports medicine concentration requires a 3.0 GPA. Also, ESS students must earn a grade of at least C (2.0) in each required ESS course at the 100–399 levels for permission to enroll in many upper level courses.
Why is the sports medicine concentration considered a pre-professional degree program?
Most of the allied health professions require a graduate degree. Completing the sports medicine concentration is a first step toward a career in one of these fields. Examples include, but are not limited to, athletic training, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician's assistant, podiatry, dentistry, and medicine.
What is a second academic concentration?
Students pursuing a concentration in teacher education must complete an approved second academic concentration consisting of a minimum of 18 semester hours in a basic academic discipline or an approved interdisciplinary field of study. Students are not certified to teach in their second academic concentration.
How do I find out who my advisor is?
Students may access advising information online through UNCGenie or by contacting the departmental secretary, Ms. Polly Rich, telephone (336) 334-5308. Advisors are required to post their office hours on their door. Alternatively, students may contact their advisor by email or telephone to schedule an advising appointment.
How do I get into a class that is closed?
You may or may not be able to get into a closed class; the decision is at the discretion of the instructor. First contact the instructor to request permission to be added to the closed class. You will need to complete a drop/add form for this purpose and the instructor must sign the form. Typically it is easiest to attend the first day of class with a completed form and ask the instructor for permission at that time. Once signed, you may have your drop/add form processed in the University Registrar's Office, 180 Mossman.
Whom should I contact if I have questions about undergraduate study?
Contact the departmental secretary, Ms. Polly
Rich , telephone (336) 334-5308, or you may contact Professor
Karen Poole .
Whom should I contact to schedule a visit to tour the department and its facilities?
Contact the departmental secretary, Ms. Polly Rich , telephone (336) 334-5308.
Graduate Student FAQs:
What graduate degree options are available?
Graduate student options include a Master of Science (MS), Master of Education (MEd), Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Graduate level areas of study include exercise physiology, sport and exercise psychology, pedagogy, athletic training/sports medicine, motor behavior, and socio-historical sport studies.
How do I apply for admission to a graduate program?
Contact the Graduate School to apply online or request materials.
Is there a required graduate curriculum I will have to follow?
Masters and doctoral degree curricula have specific requirements, varying from program to program. Some, like the entry level master's degree program in Athletic Training have very specific requirements. Others give students many opportunities to select appropriate coursework in consultation with an advisor or committee. See specific program requirements for details.
How do I apply for a graduate assistantship?
A limited number of graduate teaching and research assistantships are available to qualified graduate students. For consideration, submit an assistantship application 
to the department. Students are encouraged to contact a faculty member in their concentration area for more information.
Can any student apply for a graduate assistantship?
Yes, any graduate student may apply for a graduate assistantship. However, master's degree students admitted on a provisional basis (master's degree students only) are not eligible for an assistantship until the conditions of the provision have been fulfilled.
Can students be employed by multiple departments simultaneously?
Most graduate assistantships are limited to 20 hours per week, though some students
are given permission to work additional hours. See the Graduate Secretary or
Director of Graduate Study Dr. Sandy Shultz for details, telephone (336) 334-5573.
What kind of office space is available to graduate students?
Funded graduate students are typically assigned laboratory or office space, depending on their specific assistantship assignment. Other students are assigned space on a space-available basis.
Are there any graduate student organizations?
In the Department of Exercise and Sport Science, there is a loose organization of graduate students. Additionally, many laboratory groups operate as informal groups. Also, the Graduate Student Association provides research and travel funding for graduate students throughout the University.
Whom should I contact if I have questions about graduate study?
Contact the Graduate Secretary or Director of Graduate Study Dr.
Sandy Shultz, telephone (336) 334-5573.
Whom should I contact to schedule a visit to tour the department and its facilities?
Contact the Graduate Secretary or Director of Graduate Study Dr.
Sandy Shultz, telephone (336) 334-5573.