M.S. in Exercise Science

Coordinator/Advisor: Dr. Murray Ardies, (773) 442-4801
Internship Supervisor: Dr. Dave Cutton, (773) 442-5883

Mission Statement
The mission of the Exercise Science Graduate Program is to promote fitness, wellness, and optimal human performance through teaching, research, and service in the exercise sciences. The program seeks to advance the exercise science disciplines through the discovery and dispersion of health- and exercise-related knowledge. A critical aspect of these efforts is to provide students with the knowledge and skills for advanced study or careers in the exercise science-related fields, and to develop graduates who are self-reflective professionals and lifelong learners.

General Program Description
The Department of HPERA offers a graduate course of instruction leading to the M.S. in Exercise Science. Students are allowed to choose a thesis or non-thesis option in one of two degree concentraions: Fitness and Wellness (FW), or Human Performance (HP). The diverse two-track curriculum can prepare students for doctoral work in one of the specific exercise science disciplines, particularly if the thesis option is selected, as well as for multiple careers in the following, among other, professions (NOTE: some professions might require further education and/or professional certification):

The Fitness and Wellness Concentration: allied health-related fields, cardiac rehabilitation, fitness industries, fitness/wellness research, health/wellness promotion/programming, personal training, physical education/health education, physical/occupational rehabilitation-related, sports medicine, and strength training/conditioning. Additionally, a degree with this concentration could serve to provide complimentary education to individuals active in other fitness/wellness-related professions (e.g., community recreation/leisure, gerontology, nutrition/dietetics, and nursing).

The Human Performance Concentration: adaptive physical education, athletic training, coaching, exercise/sport science research, physical education, and strength training/ conditioning. Additionally, a degree with this concentration would be a viable option for professionals active in other related professions who wish to become more effective in their careers fields by gaining greater scientific insight into the performance of their students, athletes, patients, or clients (e.g., cardiac rehabilitation, ergonomics, fitness industries, physical/ occupational rehabilitation, and sports medicine).

Admission Requirements
Applications for this program are accepted for FALL SEMESTER admission only.
For more specific admission information, click on the link corresponding with the concentration in which you are interested: FITNESS & WELLNESS (FW) or HUMAN PERFORMANCE (HP).
Point of Contact:
       C. Murray Ardies, Ph.D.
       Professor and Program Coordinator
       Department of HPERA
       Northeastern Illinois University
       5500 N. St. Louis Avenue
       Chicago, IL 60625
       773-442-4801
       773-442- (Fax)
       m-ardies@neiu.edu

Department of HPERA
The Department of HPERA’s mission is to provide students with:
1.) an awareness of the role of health, physical education, recreation, athletics and the exercise sciences within schools and society;
2.) the opportunity to acquire competencies that will enable them to be successful in varied educational and professional settings;
3.) the opportunity to develop a satisfactory level of personal skill in the many areas of the aforementioned disciplines; and
4.) a basis and desire for continued professional growth following graduation.

The Department of HPERA currently offers an undergraduate degrees (B.A.) in Secondary Physical Education (Teaching), where K-12 endorsement in also available, and an undergraduate degree (B.A.) in Health and Wellness (both Teaching and Non-Teaching). Undergraduate minors offered through HPERA include Health Education, Phyhsical Education and Leisure Studies. Additionally, the department offeres a non-teaching graduate degree (M.S.) in Exercise Science where the student can choose to concentrate in Fitness and Wellness or Human Performance. The department of HPERA is located in the Physical Education Complex at the south end of campus. Opened in January, 1988, this facility houses two gymnasiums, a suspended jogging track, six racquetball courts, a 60 x 120 foot swimming pool, a weight training room, two tennis courts, a baseball field, a softball field, a soccer field, HPERA’s Human Performance Laboratory, classrooms, and faculty/staff offices. For more information on the Department of HPERA, visit www.neiu.edu/~deptperf/.

College of Education
Northeastern Illinois University was originally founded as a teacher education institution and has maintained a long tradition of excellence in the preparation of school personnel. As one of the oldest and largest education colleges in the greater Chicago metropolitan area, the College of Education offers a comprehensive range of programs and areas of concentration at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The faculty and staff in the College of Education are dedicated to excellence and innovation in education, and seek to gear their teaching, research, and service efforts to the needs and aspirations of a diverse student body community. The College of Education prepares individuals who have the abilities, characteristics, and desire to teach, guide, and lead students and teachers in schools and other learning organizations. In addition to degrees that lead to careers in teaching and guiding both children and adult learners, the college offers preparation in Human Resource Development, Inner City Studies, Career Counseling, Community Counseling, Health and Wellness, and Exercise Science for those individuals interested in pursuing careers outside of the classroom. For more information on the College of Education, visit www.neiu.edu/~edudept/.

Graduate College
The Graduate College offers degrees (Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Accounting, Master of Arts in Teaching, and Master of Science in Instruction) degrees in 38 academic concentrations. Currently, the Graduate College serves about 4000 students who are in various stages of earning their Master's degrees. The majority of courses are offered during the late afternoon and evening hours to accommodate individuals who are pursuing graduate education on a part time basis. For more information on the Graduate College, visit http://www.neiu.edu/~gradcoll/index.htm.

Northeastern Illinois University
Established in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School (later renamed Chicago Teachers’ College, then Illinois Teachers’ College, then Northeastern Illinois State College), Northeastern Illinois University today is a comprehensive state university serving more than 10,000 commuter students. NEIU is dedicated to both excellence and access. Located on 67 acres in an attractive residential area on the northwest side of Chicago, the university offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees. The most important facets of the university's mission are to offer high quality undergraduate and graduate programs to a broad spectrum of students and to foster student growth and development. To these ends, the university attaches primary importance to excellence in teaching. Since program quality is enhanced by professional activities beyond the classroom on the part of the faculty, emphasis is also given to pure and applied research and to academic and public service. NEIU’s diverse population provides a microcosm of the Chicago metropolitan area and of the world. For more information on NEIU, visit www.neiu.edu .

Chicago, IL
The City of Chicago, the nation’s third most populous city, is unsurpassed in its history, beauty, and cultural diversity. Located in Chicago is miles of beautiful lakefront parks, literally hundreds of neighborhoods and suburbs influenced by every ethnic and cultural group imaginable, proferssional teams from every sport, the nation’s busiest airport, as well as the nation’s most impressive architecture, museums, restaraunts, and institutions of higher learning. If you want it, you’ll find it in Chicago. For more information on Chicago, visit http://www.ci.chi.il.us/ or http://www.chicagolandchamber.org/.