Health Fitness Management BS

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Health Fitness Management combines health studies with biology and science foundations and business concepts. The program includes a field experience and internship sequence, which provides the opportunity for guided clinical practice working with client populations in real world settings. The coursework and field experiences are designed so that graduates of the Health Fitness Management program will have fulfilled educational requirements for certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Students graduating as health and fitness managers may pursue careers in corporate wellness, public and private fitness and wellness, or special population fitness and wellness. Students will also be prepared for a variety of health-related graduate studies, ranging from Physical Therapy to Exercise Science.

Mission and Goals

The mission of the Health Fitness Management major at Alfred University is to provide the student with knowledge, standards, behavior models, code of ethics, and skills needed as a fitness and wellness professional. Combining health and sciences studies with a basic business background, students will be prepared for careers in a variety of health or fitness settings. 

Goals of the Program include:

1. Provide a quality, up-to-date educational curriculum.
2. Provide leadership and service to the university community through continuing education.
3. Promote self-directed learning and critical thinking as desirable professional behavior.
4. Exploration of a variety of health, fitness, and wellness settings to allow students the opportunity to determine specific career goals.

Curriculum Requirements

Students must complete the coursework requirements for the B.S. in Health Fitness Management, all College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education requirements, and the Alfred University requirements for Common Ground, Lifetime Wellness, and Global Perspective Requirements, plus enough electives to reach at least 124 credit hours. All courses used to complete the major must have grades of "C" or better. 

Clinical Experiences 

Health and fitness management students learn about practice settings and strong skills in working with clients in applied settings through a sequence of clinical experiences. Evaluation of student competencies in applied settings assures that students have integrated key skills and are ready for clinical practice. Students will be evaluated at clinical experience sites during HFMT 305: Field Experience and HFMT 485: Health Fitness Management Internship by their site supervisors. This evaluation will consist of quantitative and qualitative measures identifying a student’s abilities, knowledge, and professional skills in each clinical setting. The scores of these evaluations will contribute to the grades for their respective classes, and will become part of their professional portfolio. 

Additional Program Costs 

There are costs associated with being enrolled in the HFMT Program that are in addition to typical university costs such as tuition, room, board, and books. Typical fees associated with HFM may include but are not limited to: lab fees, personal liability insurance, immunization maintenance, apparel to adhere to dress code(s), student membership fees for the professional organizations (NSCA, ACSM, NASM, etc.), and travel to and from off-campus clinical assignments and internships.