Visit the EHS Department Web Site
As an exercise and health science student you can:
- Gain a strong science base and extensive laboratory experience;
- Explore human physiology, biomechanics, biochemistry and stress management;
- Design one or more job internships to correspond with personal interests and career objectives;
- Train for immediate employment in hospital and community settings;
- Prepare for graduate study in exercise physiology, medicine, nutrition, physiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy and public health;
- Combine an EHS major with Alma’s Elementary or Secondary Teacher Education programs.
Options in EHS:
- Cardiac rehabilitation
- Corporate fitness
- Public health
- Pre-professional and sports medicine
Faculty-Student Research
Laboratory experiences, with the help of professors, accompany almost all EHS courses. Lab work is in:
- Human performance
- Biomechanics
- Biochemistry
- Human anatomy
- Cardiovascular physiology
- Hydrostatic weighing
Alma students actively participate in faculty members’ projects and grants. To maximize personal attention, laboratory sections are kept small. As an Alma EHS major, you work with professors who encourage you to conduct independent research projects and share your findings with other scientists. Alma College juniors or seniors often present research papers at professional meetings or publish their work in professional journals.
Pre-Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy improves the quality of human lives disrupted by accidents, birth defects, developmental problems, emotional problems, physical injuries or aging.
Alma’s 3-2 occupational therapy program operates in conjunction with Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Students in this program attend Alma for three years (earning a bachelor’s degree) and Washington University for two years and complete a six-month clinical internship to earn a master’s degree.
Pre-Physical Therapy
After completing a bachelor’s degree at Alma, students interested in physical therapy continue their education to earn a master’s degree and certification. Employment opportunities in physical therapy are excellent and exist in a wide variety of settings, from hospitals to private practice.
Gerontology
In the core classes of the multi-disciplinary gerontology minor you consider issues from psychological, physiological, social and religious community orientations and explore the effects of governmental policies and regulations on servicing the needs of the elderly. Practicum and capstone courses allow you to focus on an area and utilize your interpersonal and analytic skills.
Public Health
In public health training you understand the health concerns of modern society. After completing a bachelor’s degree in a related major area and a minor in public health, you can continue your education and pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree.
Facilities:
The McIntyre Center for Exercise and Health Science
- State-of-the-art human anatomy lab
- Human performance labs
- Experience in human dissection
The Dow Science Center
- Electrophoresis apparatus
- Zeiss Universal microscope with UV fluorescence capabilities
- Microcomputers for statistical and data analysis
- Experience in human dissection.
The Kapp Science Laboratory Center
- Instructional and lab facilities for chemistry and biochemistry
- Multinuclear superconducting nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (NMR) to probe molecular structure
Successful Graduates
About half of our graduates are employed within six months of graduation in athletic training, cardiac rehabilitation, coaching, exercise fitness testing, health promotion and teaching.
Approximately 50 percent enter graduate or professional school in exercise physiology, medicine, public health, or physical or occupational therapy.
