Students at Life University maximize human performance with degrees in exercise science, athletic training and more.

What gives an athlete an edge on the competition? What elevates performance on the field, the court or in the water? How does physical activity – from the most everyday movements like walking to the precision of Olympic athletes – shape and redefine our health? Students in the Sport Health Science Department at Life University pursue these questions and more, working in a living laboratory to examine and maximize the human body’s potential.

For many Life University Sport Health Science students, sports and fitness were a first love. They find kinship with their professors, many of whom are athletes and coaches active in their fields, leading industry athletics conferences and coaching young athletes to the height of their game. When passion for health and athletics is met with academic rigor and in-the-field experience, students launch their education into meaningful, purpose-driven careers. “I enjoy it because I can keep the connection to sports and athletes,” said alumna Azalea Hancock, MAT, AT, LAC. “I played basketball growing up, was an assistant coach at a high school and my family is big on sports. So staying active and maintaining that connection is important to me.”

Undergraduate exercise science students receive the highest-quality education and technical instruction in the disciplines of anatomy, biology, biochemistry, physiology and kinesiology, applying this knowledge to a range of populations. They also learn to work with the body as an innately intelligent organism, and to care for athletes and community members through the LIFE Sport Science Institute (LSSI); Life University’s public clinic, the Center for Health and Optimum Performance (C-HOP); and in a variety of internship/externship or practicum settings, including cardiac rehabilitation and adult fitness programs offered by hospitals, corporations and community organizations. Students studying health coaching learn how to help clients set and meet health goals, working with the public for a better understanding of whole-body health.

Graduate students take their careers even further, pursuing master’s degrees in either Sport Health Science or Athletic Training. These dynamic programs deepen specialized knowledge while diversifying career opportunities, setting Life University graduates for success in industries like athletic training, sport injury management, corporate wellness administration, physical therapy, fitness training, coaching and more.

With a 110-acre campus just 20 minutes from Atlanta, Life University offers a 16:1 student to faculty ratio, leading-edge technology and abundant campus life. Learn more about visiting Life University at LIFE.edu/VisitLIFE.

Sport Health Degrees at Life University:

• B.S. Exercise Science

• B.S. Health Coaching

• M.S. Sport Health Science

• M.A.T. Athletic Training

This article originally appeared in the EAST COBBER October 2016 issue.