I'm really interested in pursuing a major related to physical health after high school but I'm confused between exercise science and exercise physiology. Can anyone recommend top colleges for each field? Any differences between the two would be helpful too!
To start, it's great you're interested in the fields of exercise science and exercise physiology. The primary difference between the two is that exercise science is more of a generalized field, focusing on the aspects of movement and human health, while exercise physiology is a specialization within exercise science that deals with the physiological responses to physical exercise.
For Exercise Science, a couple of highly reputed programs include:
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: UNC Chapel Hill is known for its strong undergraduate exercise and sport science program.
- University of Michigan: UMich is another university with a strong emphasis on kinesiology and physical activity.
Turning to Exercise Physiology, some top programs are:
- University of Wisconsin–Madison: UW–Madison offers a separate Major in Exercise Physiology.
- University of Texas at Austin: UT Austin has a Kinesiology and Health Education Department offering majors in Exercise Physiology.
- Oregon State University: Oregon State has a renowned exercise physiology program in their College of Public Health and Human Sciences.
Remember to do additional research on these programs, taking things like class sizes, faculty, resources, and location into consideration while you decide! Keep in mind that finding the right college for you involves considering the academic fit, but also personal and financial fit.
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