BS in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology with Emphasis in Physical Activity, Nutrition and Human Performance
Degree Program Description
This program is for students with a passion for health and wellness, evidence-based science, helping people, and using physical activity and nutrition to positively impact human health and performance. Students earning this degree are well-prepared for employment opportunities that include fitness assessment, lifestyle intervention education, exercise supervision and program administration in schools, businesses and hospitals, health education and promotion, and entry-level positions in cardiac and pulmonary or spine rehab. This is a rapidly expanding area with opportunities in corporate and commercial industries, government, and non-profit sectors.
In addition to the job opportunities listed above, past graduates of this area have continued their studies in a variety of areas such as graduate school for Exercise Science/Physiology, Kinesiology, Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physician's Assistant, Chiropractic, Nursing, Public Health.
Graduates of this program are qualified to sit for the following certifications without any additional courses or education beyond our core requirements: ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM EP-C), ACSM Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM CPT), ACSM Certified Group Exercise Instructor (ACSM GEI), NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach, ACE Certified Personal Trainer.
Major Program Requirements
Nutrition and Exercise Physiology with emphasis in Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Human Performance does not require an application or have a pre-program status. Students may declare the major and emphasis area by indicating it when they apply to MU and transition directly into the program. After the first semester at MU, students must have a minimum of a 2.0 GPA (term and CUM) to declare the program. Current MU students will need to complete a transfer of division form. A current student in another program within the college should notify their advisor of their wishes. There are specific grade requirements for most courses within the emphasis, these are outlined on the degree requirement sheet and noted on the degree audit.
Grade Requirements:
C- or higher: BIO_SC 1010/BIO_SC 1020 or BIO_SC 1500, MPP 3202 or BIO_SC 3700, PTH_AS 2201 (or the equivalent). All NEP courses.
C- or higher:CHEM 1400 and CHEM 1401
Students must complete all university requirements, including general education, in addition to the degree requirements below.
| Science Foundation | ||
| BIO_SC 1010 & BIO_SC 1020 | General Principles and Concepts of Biology and General Biology Laboratory | 5 |
| or BIO_SC 1500 | Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory | |
| BIOCHM 3630 | General Biochemistry | 3 |
| or BIOCHM 4270 | Biochemistry | |
| CHEM 1400 | College Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 1401 | College Chemistry I Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 2030 | Survey of Organic Chemistry | 3 |
| or CHEM 2100 | Organic Chemistry I | |
| CHEM 2130 | Organic Laboratory I (recommended) | 2 |
| MPP 3202 | Elements of Physiology | 5 |
| or BIO_SC 3700 | Human Physiology | |
| PTH_AS 2201 | Human Anatomy Lecture | 3 |
| PTH_AS 2203 | Human Anatomy Laboratory (recommended) | 2 |
| Math and Statistics | ||
| MATH 1100 | College Algebra (C- or better required) | 3 |
| or MATH 1160 | Precalculus Mathematics | |
| STAT 1200 | Introductory Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| or ESC_PS 4170 | Introduction to Applied Statistics | |
| or ABM 2225 | Statistical Analysis | |
| Communication | ||
| COMMUN 1200 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| or AGSC_COM 2220 | Verbal Communication in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources | |
Emphasis Core Requirements
| Nutritional Sciences | ||
| NEP 2340 | Human Nutrition I | 3 |
| NEP 2380 | Diet Therapy for Health Professionals | 3 |
| NEP 2450 | Nutrition Throughout the Life Span | 3 |
| NEP 4970 | PANHP Capstone: Sports Nutrition | 3 |
| Exercise Physiology | ||
| HTH_PR 4250 | Human Kinesiology | 3 |
| NEP 1330 | Introduction to Exercise and Fitness Laboratory | 2 |
| NEP 1340 | Introduction to Exercise and Fitness | 3 |
| NEP 1485 | Career Exploration in Exercise Science | 1 |
| NEP 2140 | Exercise Practicum I | 3 |
| NEP 3450 | Activity Throughout the Lifespan | 3 |
| NEP 3550 | Corporate, Community, and Personal Fitness | 3 |
| NEP 3850 | Physiology of Exercise | 3 |
| NEP 4200 | Sports Performance and Conditioning | 3 |
| NEP 4860 | Exercise Prescription | 3 |
| Supporting Electives | ||
| 15 credit hours. A minimum of 9 hours must be taken from the NEP area in the list below. | 15 | |
| NEP: | ||
| AFNR 2191 | International Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources - Humanities (Program-approved experiences only.) | 1-6 |
| NEP 2460 | Eating Disorders | 3 |
| NEP 3001 | Topics in Nutritional Science | 1-3 |
| or NEP 4001 | Topics in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology | |
| NEP 3390 | Teaching and Counseling Techniques in Nutrition | 2 |
| NEP 3420 | Role of Inactivity in Chronic Diseases | 3 |
| NEP 4340 | Human Nutrition II Lecture | 3 |
| NEP 4360 | Nutritional Assessment | 3 |
| NEP 4370 | Medical Nutrition Therapy I | 3 |
| NEP 4400 | Pathophysiology of Diseases Affecting Metabolic Health | 3 |
| NEP 4480 | Pediatric Exercise Physiology | 3 |
| NEP 4550 | Exercise is Medicine | 2 |
| NEP 4590 | Community Nutrition | 3 |
| NEP 4750 | Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation - A Multifactorial Process | 3 |
| NEP 4870 | Exercise for Special Populations | 3 |
| NEP 4940 | Internship in Nutritional Science and Exercise Physiology | 1-6 |
| Other Areas: | ||
| BIO_SC 2200 | General Genetics | 4 |
| CDS 2190 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| ESC_PS 4200 | Positive Psychology | 3 |
| H_D_FS 2400 | Principles of Human Development | 3 |
| or H_D_FS 2400W | Principles of Human Development - Writing Intensive | |
| H_D_FS 3430 | Adolescence and Young Adulthood | 3 |
| H_D_FS 3440 | Adulthood and Aging | 3 |
| MICROB 3200 | Medical Microbiology and Immunology | 4 |
| PHYSCS 1210 | College Physics I | 4 |
| or PHYSCS 1220 | College Physics II | |
| PRST 4150 | Contemporary Issues in Sport | 3 |
| PRST 4333 | Park and Sport Facility Operations | 3 |
| PSYCH 2210 | Mind, Brain, and Behavior | 3 |
| PSYCH 3830 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3310 | Social Psychology | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3430 | The Sociology of Sport | 3 |
| Electives to equal 120 credit minimum | ||
| Organic chem lab, anatomy lab and internships are available and highly recommended. | ||
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BIO_SC 1500 or 1010 and 1020 | 5 | ENGLSH 1000 | 3 |
| MATH 1100 | 3 | NEP 1485 | 1 |
| NEP 1340 | 3 | CHEM 1400 | 3 |
| NEP 1330 | 2 | CHEM 1401 | 1 |
| PSYCH 1000 | 3 | Hist or Pol Sc | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CHEM 2030 or 2100 | 3 | BIOCHM 3630 or 4270 | 3 |
| CHEM 2130 (recommended) | 2 | MPP 3202 | 5 |
| COMMUN 1200 or AGSC_COM 2220 | 3 | NEP 2140 | 3 |
| NEP 2380 | 3 | NEP 2340 | 3 |
| PTH_AS 2203 (recommended) | 2 | STAT 1200 or ABM 2225 | 3 |
| PTH_AS 2201 | 3 | ||
| 16 | 17 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| NEP 3450 | 3 | NEP 2450 | 3 |
| NEP 3850W | 3 | NEP 3550 | 3 |
| NEP Supporting Area | 3 | 2000+ social/behavioral science | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Supporting Area | 3 |
| General Elective/Writing Intensive | 3 | ||
| 12 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| HTH_PR 4250 | 3 | NEP 4200 | 3 |
| NEP 4970 | 3 | NEP 4860 | 3 |
| NEP Supporting Area | 3 | NEP Supporting Area | 3 |
| Supporting Area | 3 | General Elective | 6 |
| Electives | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.