Graduate Certificate in Strength and Conditioning

The Graduate Certificate in Strength and Conditioning is designed for individuals interested in the professional field of strength and conditioning. The Strength and Conditioning Certificate provides a base of knowledge that enables students to enter the profession or enhance their skills in the field. The five-course program is designed so that students may become certified as a strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) by the completion of their certificate program.

Career Opportunities

Advanced degrees in sports medicine and fitness are in demand because athletes at the professional, college, and high school level continue to advance, and also as the popularity of personal trainers and nutritionists continues to rise. Over the next decade, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that job opportunities for fitness and recreation professionals, and athletes and coaches will continue to grow.

Program Features

Students in the program have access to a fully-equipped clinical laboratory, an anatomy laboratory, a Kin-Com isokinetic dynamometer, a human performance laboratory equipped with a MedGraphics metabolic cart, and a computer laboratory equipped with PC-compatible and Macintosh computers. The faculty includes specialists in athletic training, sports/orthopedic rehabilitation, exercise physiology, electro-therapeutic modalities, manual therapies, strength and conditioning, computer-based applications, and international education.

AASU health science students take advantage of small class sizes, personalized plans of study, accessible professors, and an instructional staff with years of experience in the health sciences. Many students find the location of AASU, close to countless health service organizations in Savannah, of significant benefit during the course of their study —particularly as they investigate practicum/internship and thesis opportunities.

Course of Study

The Certificate in Strength and Conditioning Program consists of 15 semester hours with the course Theory and Method in Strength and Conditioning as the required course. The other four courses are designed with the student's academic needs and professional interests in mind. Some of the courses students often choose from are: Nutritional Issues in Sports Medicine, Biomechanical Analysis of Human Movement & Musculoskeletal Injury, Physiological Foundations of Sport and Physical Activity, Performance Evaluation, Advanced Training Techniques, and an internship. Students who successfully complete the program of study for the graduate certificate in strength and conditioning may be considered for admission into the Master of Science Sports Medicine program. Students who wish to be considered for admission into the MSSM program upon successful completion of the graduate strength and conditioning certificate must formally petition the MSSM program for consideration as per the requirements in the Graduate Catalog.