Exercise Science, B.S.
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Program Description
The Exercise Science Major is both accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and endorsed as an Education Recognition Program (ERP) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
All Exercise Science students take the same core curriculum and specialize in one of two areas of concentration: Clinical track or Strength and Conditioning track. Both tracks prepare students for certifications such as the ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist (EP), and the NSCA Certified and Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exams.
The Exercise Science Clinical Track gives students the strong scientific foundation and hands-on application needed to be prepared for graduate studies in health profession programs such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, exercise physiology, and more.
The Exercise Science Strength and Conditioning Track gives students the strong scientific foundation and hands-on application needed to prepare students for work in a variety of high demand fields, including but not limited to strength and conditioning, personal training, physical education, and performance coaching.
Program Information
Astrid Mel, Ph.D., EP, CISSN, CSCS, Program Director
914-674-7874
amel@mercy.edu
Additional Program Information
Progression Criteria
Students must earn a minimum letter grade of C or better in all Exercise Science courses. Additionally, students enrolling in natural science courses must earn at least a letter grade of C in all prerequisite courses.
Students may not repeat a required course more than once or repeat more than two EXSC courses in the major.
Any student who earns a grade less than C in a required course must repeat that course at Mercy University, earning a grade of C or higher, in order to progress to any course for which it is a prerequisite.
For any exercise science lecture course that has a laboratory course as a corequisite, both the lecture and laboratory courses must be taken concurrently. In the event that a student must withdraw from the lecture course, the student must also withdraw from the corequisite laboratory course. Students who wish to take the lecture or laboratory course separately will require Program Director authorization.
Students who do not achieve these standards will be reviewed by faculty to determine their dismissal from the program.
Program Dismissal Review Policy
This Mercy University School of Health and Natural Sciences Program Dismissal Review Policy applies to programs that are professionally accredited or seeking accreditation: Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Communication Disorders, Exercise Science, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant and Veterinary Technology. The purpose of the SHNS Dismissal Review Policy is to provide a process for the equitable resolution of formal complaints made by a student over academic dismissal at the Program level. Separate appeals policies exist for violations of academic integrity and academic grade appeals. Each of these individual programs have a student manual/handbook made available to its students that includes, at a minimum, the program’s (1) academic requirements; (2) professionalism and/or ethical requirements and standards; (3) a description of the program’s process for dismissing a student or otherwise sanctioning a student for failing to meet program requirements; and (4) a copy of this Dismissal Review Policy.
Academic Dismissal from a SHNS Program
An academic dismissal from a program may occur if a student does not meet the criteria outlined by the specific program to remain in good standing. (Refer to Program Requirements for guidance on each program’s criteria). If a student fails to meet these criteria, the program’s Academic Unit Head or Program Director may dismiss the student after a faculty review. The student may appeal the program dismissal through the following steps. Before proceeding to a higher-level step, all lower-level steps must first be completed and documented in writing. To the extent that an Academic Unit Head/Program Director or Associate/Assistant Dean is unavailable, a designee may be appointed for purposes of resolving such issues in a timely manner.
Step One: Academic Unit Head / Program Director – Within two weeks after the end of the semester, term, or trimester (the “academic period”) in which the dismissal occurred, the Academic Unit Head or Program Director will notify the student inwriting of the program dismissal. The student may appeal the program dismissal by submitting a request in writing to meet with the Academic Unit Head or Program Director within two weeks. This meeting must take place by phone or in person within two weeks of receipt of the student’s written request. Each party may bring relevant information and supporting documentation to the meeting to discuss.
The written appeal submitted by the student to the Program Director must include the following information:
The name, telephone number, address, and e-mail address of the student appealing the decision of dismissal; and
The stated reason(s) the student was dismissed from the SHNS program; and
Identification of the (a) extraordinary and non-recurring circumstances that caused the student’s unsatisfactory academic performance and subsequent dismissal from a SHNS program; and (b) evidence that the unsatisfactory academic performance is not representative of the student’s academic ability; and
An explanation of why the information provided in Paragraph 3 above should result in the reversal of the decision to dismiss the student from the SHNS program.
After the meeting, the Academic Unit Head or Program Director will make a decision on the student’s appeal within one week and communicate it in writing to the student. A copy of this decision will be sent to the SHNS School Associate/Assistant Dean along with supporting documentation. If the student is dissatisfied with the outcome of this decision, a formal written appeal may be submitted by the student to the SHNS Associate/Assistant Dean within one week after receipt of the Academic Unit Head or Program Director’s decision.
Step Two: SHNS Dismissal Review Committee – In the event that the issue has not been satisfactorily resolved in Step One, the SHNS Associate/Assistant Dean will refer the appeal to the SHNS Dismissal Review Committee for review and recommendations. All parties to the appeal will be permitted to submit any documentation they believe is necessary, including written statements and documentary evidence in the meeting with the SHNS Dismissal Review Committee. The SHNS Dismissal Review Committee will hold a meeting within two weeks after receipt of the appeal documentation. All parties to the appeal will be permitted to participate in the Dismissal Review Committee meeting. The student may be accompanied by one person who is not professional legal counsel who may observe but not actively participate in the Committee meeting. The Committee will hear from both parties and may call on any witnesses to the matter and review any supplementary documentation. The Committee may ask questions throughout the meeting and may, if necessary, adjourn the meeting to obtain additional information. After all the interviews have been completed, and documents reviewed, the Dismissal Review Committee will deliberate in closed session. The Committee will make their recommendations to the SHNS Dean which may include upholding or overturning the program dismissal.
In arriving at its recommendation, the SHNS Dismissal Review Committee shall not overrule the academic judgment of a faculty member in the program on the assignment of grades to the student. The SHNS Dismissal Review Committee will consider: (1) whether the program followed its own policies governing student performance, advancement and program completion; (2) whether the evidence supports the program’s decision; and (3) whether the student has new significant information that bears on the program’s decision that was not available to the student when that decision was made. If the SHNS Dismissal Review Committee finds that the student has significant new information, the appeal shall be referred to the student’s program for reconsideration of the dismissal in light of that information.
Step Three: SHNS Dean – Within two weeks after receipt of the recommendations from the Dismissal Review Committee, the SHNS Dean will review all the relevant documentation. A written decision shall be sent to both the student and Academic Unit Head or Program Director. The decision rendered by the SHNS Dean is final; no additional appeals will be permitted.
Any student reinstated in a SHNS Program following an initial dismissal will be subject to immediate academic dismissal effective upon the occurrence of any additional probationary event. The student’s past academic history will be considered when determining if a probationary event is warranted. Students dismissed for a second time will not be allowed to appeal to the program director or Dean for reinstatement, nor are they permitted to reapply to the program. Failure to comply with any part of this process on the part of the student will result in forfeiture of all rights of appeal as outlined.
Mercy University School of Health and Natural Sciences reserves the right to make changes to this Dismissal Review Policy as it deems necessary, with the changes applicable to all students then in attendance in an accredited health professions program.