Fitness Specialist Certificate of Achievement

Upon successful completion of the Fitness Specialist Certificate, the student demonstrates skills, knowledge, and training for entry level or higher positions in the fitness industry. The student will be prepared to take the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Certified Personal Trainer Certification exam. The student demonstrates skills, knowledge, and training for employment as a strength and conditioning coach, exercise specialist for a clinical setting, wellness instructor, and personal fitness trainers; to conduct fitness evaluations for individually designed programs that include nutrition, exercise routines, and motivation approaches; and to transfer to a bachelor’s degree program in physical education, exercise science, or kinesiology.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Assessment: Program completers will learn skills to measure human performance, risk level, and physical fitness.
2. Nutrition: Program completers will understand basic nutritional needs, healthy eating habits, eating disorders, metabolism and weight management, and diet analysis.
3. Safety and Injuries: Program completers will understand how to decrease risk, evaluate, and treat injuries.
4. Leadership: Program completers will demonstrate skills needed to work successfully as Strength and Conditioning Coaches, Personal Trainers, PE Teachers, Athletic Trainers, Wellness/Health Promotion Coaches, and Clinical Exercise Specialists.
5. Exercise Programs: Program completers will be able to create safe and effective complete exercise training programs for various populations.
6. Exercise Psychology: Program completers will learn skills to motivate, increase adherence, set effective goals, and steps of behavior change.
7. Exercise Physiology: Program completers will learn basic physiology and kinesiology and the physical and psychological adaptations of exercise.