Sports Medicine Assessment Site

Introduction to the Sports Medicine Program 

A sports medicine degree prepares students for careers in applied or clinical health professions or for graduate work in disciplines related to the exercise science. Both degree options require extensive laboratory experiences. Students are encouraged to participate in research in the discipline and or internship/volunteer venues relating to their particular emphasis and future professional aspirations.

About the Sports Medicine Program

Bachelor of Arts in Sports Medicine: Courses for this degree option were selected after review of our benchmark peers and comply with national standards established by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) for the Health Fitness Instructor Certification (HFI). Students receiving this degree are prepared for careers in the health/fitness industry as well as for graduate programs in exercise and sport sciences.

Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine: This degree prepares students for graduate school in the health sciences, including medicine, physician's assistant, physical therapy, and occupational therapy as well as graduate work in exercise and sport sciences.

History of the Sports Medicine Program

The Sports Medicine program was established, and completed its first academic year, in 1972- 1973 under the name Physical Education. At this time, the program curriculum reflected the current body of knowledge in the area of physical education and offered its degree recipients a teaching credential in secondary education in the area of physical education. Over the course of the next 40 years, interest and enrollment in the program mirrored the expansion of the discipline as a whole. From program inception to the current academic year, the program offers a rigorous and progressive education that reflects the advancements made by scholars and practicing clinicians in the field of exercise science. The program adopted several name changes over its history, including but not limited to: Recreation Education, Physical Education, and Kinesiology. The current program name, Sports Medicine, was formally adopted in ~1980, such that graduates of the program earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Sports Medicine. 

In 2006, the Natural Science Division eliminated the Physical Education major. In the same year a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) was added to the Sports Medicine program as a degree option and its curriculum was endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine as meeting the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for health and fitness science. Currently, the Sports Medicine program offers a B.S. in Sports Medicine (53 units; 28 upper-division), a B.A. in Sports Medicine (47 units; 34 upper-division), and a Minor in Sports Medicine (19-20 units).