BS in Sport Science
Degree Program Description
The Bachelor of Science in Sports Science prepares students to become evidence-based practitioners in health and human performance across the lifespan. This program provides students with the expertise to support the adoption of physical activity, improve exercise performance, and incorporate healthy behaviors to optimize both health-related (cardiovascular, muscular, and flexibility) and skill-related (strength, speed, power, and balance) components of fitness.
Throughout the program, students develop the skills to design, implement, and evaluate effective performance and health programs in private practice, worksite wellness, community fitness, and sport and tactical environments. Students in the Sports Science degree gain a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on professional experience through laboratory coursework and internship opportunities, allowing them to apply concepts in real-world settings and build meaningful connections within a network of health and fitness professionals.
The Sports Science program is designed for students interested in careers focused on athletic performance and strength and conditioning, as well as opportunities in personal training, corporate wellness, community and commercial fitness, rehabilitation settings, and other sport‑related professions.
Major Program Requirements
This program requires a minimum of 120 total credit hours to complete. Student are prepared and encouraged, (but not required), to take national certification exams from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Students earning a Bachelor of Science in Sport Science must complete all University requirements, including general education, in addition to the degree requirements below.
Major Core Requirements must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.
Students are admissible to transfer into this program with a 2.0 cumulative GPA and are directly admissible as a freshman when you meet the University admissions requirements.
| Program Requirements | ||
| COMMUN 1200 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| or AGSC_COM 2220 | Verbal Communication in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources | |
| PTH_AS 2201 | Human Anatomy Lecture | 3 |
| STAT 1200 | Introductory Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| or STAT 2500 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics I | |
| NEP 1034 | Introduction to Human Nutrition | 3 |
| Major Core Requirements | ||
| SP_SCI 2130 | Exercise Techniques | 3 |
| SP_SCI 2131 | Exercise Techniques I Lab | 1 |
| SP_SCI 3130 | Exercise Techniques II | 3 |
| SP_SCI 3131 | Exercise Techniques II Lab | 1 |
| SP_SCI 2200 | Sport and Exercise Psychology | 3 |
| SP_SCI 3250 | Foundations of Movement in Exercise | 3 |
| or PH_THR 4250 | Human Kinesiology | |
| SP_SCI 4440W | Fitness Programming - Writing Intensive (Capstone for non-emphasis) | 3 |
| SP_SCI 4550 | Internship in Sport Science | 3 or 6 |
| PH_THR 4420 | Foundations of Therapeutic Exercise | 3 |
| or MPP 3500 | Sports Performance Physiology | |
| Supporting College of Health Sciences Coursework (12 Hours) | ||
Any coursework offered by a department within the College of Health Sciences may count toward this requirement. | ||
Semester Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| STAT 1200 | 3 | ENGLSH 1000 | 3 |
| PSYCH 1000 | 3 | HIST 1100, POL_SC 1100, or HIST 1200 | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | NEP 1034 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| PTH_AS 2201 | 3 | SP_SCI 2130 | 3 |
| COMMUN 1200 or AGSC_COM 2220 | 3 | SP_SCI 2131 | 1 |
| College of Health Sciences (CHS) Elective | 3 | College of Health Sciences Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Physical Science with lab | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | 2000+ level Humanities | 3 |
| Elective | 1 | ||
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SP_SCI 3250 | 3 | SP_SCI 3130 | 3 |
| SP_SCI 2200 | 3 | SP_SCI 3131 | 1 |
| Writing Intensive Elective | 3 | SP_SCI 4440W | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SP_SCI 4480 | 3 | SP_SCI 4550 | 1-6 |
| PH_THR 4420 (or MPP 3500) | 3 | College of Health Sciences Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 13-18 | ||
| Total Credits: 118-123 | |||
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.
- Change your Major. If you are considering changing your undergraduate major or are choosing between several majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573) 884-9700 or through the Discovery Center service in your MU Connect success network.
- Decided on a Major. 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 that major.
- Identify your Interests and Strengths. If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values, and talents, visit the staff at the MU Career Center. No appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- Explore MU Majors. If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit Majors at Mizzou or the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.