The Education Recognition Program (ERP) designation, awarded by the National Strength Conditioning Association, has singled out Mercy College”™s Exercise Science Bachelor”™s Degree Program for its commitment to quality education leading to careers in exercise science. The recognition follows the program”™s accomplishment last spring, when it earned continued accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education, the accrediting body for health sciences education, for the maximum period of 10 years.
“Mercy”™s Exercise Science Program became the second program in the state of New York to earn full accreditation. Now other programs are following suit,” said Astrid Mel, program director and assistant professor of exercise science at the Dobbs Ferry-based institution. “The continued accreditation and the ERP recognition of our performance track ”” now given to Mercy for the third time ”” assures our students that the exercise science education they”™re receiving at Mercy College is the gold standard.”
The bachelor”™s degree in exercise science offers two concentrations: clinical, which is geared toward a range of careers in the health sciences, and performance, which focuses on high-level athletics, coaching and sports competition.
The degree serves as an entry point for students embarking on graduate studies as preparation for allied health careers, such as physical therapy, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, sports nutrition, biomechanics and much more.
Students in the clinical track intern at physical therapy or physiology clinics, while those in the performance track can work side-by-side with professional trainers and conditioning coaches. “We”™ve had students intern with the New York Jets and other professional sports teams,” said Mel.
