Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion
Welcome to the Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion, home to over 2,500 students. Students benefit from both fully online and traditional learning options, with the opportunity to experience cutting-edge research. With diverse academic and research opportunities available to students, the undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the department prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on training to succeed in a range of fields. Learn more about the department’s undergraduate and graduate program offerings.
Fast Track Your Master’s Degree with a Combined Bachelor’s to Master’s
Students enrolled in the B.S. in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, or the B.A. in Health Science degree can apply for a combined B.S./M.S. or B.A./M.S. program. Eligible students can take up to 12 graduate credit hours during the senior year, possibly completing a bachelors and master's degree in five years, earning a master’s in only one year. Please see the combined and graduate program pages for more information.
In the News
Eduventures Names Florida Atlantic a Winner of 2025 Online Learning Innovation Award
Florida Atlantic is one of just four higher education institutions in the nation to receive the 2025 Eduventures Innovation Award, honoring the work of the Center for Online and Continuing Education and online STEM educators in the Schmidt College of Science. Learn More.
Ready, Set, Lift: Exercise Science Student's Journey to Team USA Powerlifting
Joshua Joachim was introduced to powerlifting as a Master of Science ESHP student. Now, he is training for one heavy lift—to represent Team USA in the Caymen Islands this July.
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To Build Muscle and Gain Strength, Train Smarter – Not Longer
New research from Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Science shows that when it comes to building muscle and gaining strength, less might actually be more.
Read more.
Training for Success: ESHP Graduate Student Alexandre Hamaïde
Meet Alexandre Hamaïde, a first-year graduate student and graduate teaching assistant in the ESHP master’s degree program, and a dedicated personal trainer who is studying the impact of exercise on vascular health. Read more.
ESHP Students, Faculty Attend 2025 SEACSM Conference
Three undergraduate students from the Schmidt College of Science’s Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion (ESHP) attended the Southeast Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine (SEACSM) from Feb. 20-22, in Greenville, SC. SEACSM is a diverse group of professionals and students dedicated to the advancement of sports medicine and exercise science. Read more.
Exercise Science Professor Delivers ‘Successful Aging’ Community Presentation
B. Sue Graves, Ed. D., delivered an engaging presentation to residents of the Toby and Leon Cooperman Sinai Residences in Boca Raton about the importance of staying active to improve one’s overall quality of life and minimize disease progression. Read more.
Alumnus Matt Stock, Ph.D., ’06, Receives Prestigious Editorial Excellence Award
Congratulations to Schmidt College of Science alumnus Matt S. Stock, Ph.D., ‘06, FNSCA, CSCS, who received the 2024 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Editorial Excellence Award. Stock is a proud graduate of the college’s Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Read more.
Zariah Walker Named 2024 Student Talon Award Winner
Congratulations to senior health sciences major Zariah Walker! She received the Student Talon Award during Florida Atlantic’s Alumni and Community Engagement Talon Leadership Awards ceremony as part of Homecoming 2024. Read more.
Distinguished Faculty Member in the Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion Named Career Recipient of NSCA Impact Award
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recently honored B. Sue Graves, Ed. D., FACSM, FISSN, with the organization’s 2024 Impact Award. The longtime director of the FAU Well Program and associate professor in the Schmidt College of Science’s Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion (ESHP) received the award during the NSCA’s national conference and awards banquet held on July 12, in Baltimore, MD. Read more.
For Bigger Muscles Push Close to Failure, For Strength, Maybe Not
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and collaborators analyzed how training close to failure or not impacts muscle growth and strength. Results of the study, published in the journal Sports Medicine, found that how close you train to failure doesn’t have a clear impact on strength gains. Read more.
Department of Exercise Science Launches New Graduate and Professional Pathway Agreement with FIU
FAU students in the Pre-Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy (Pre-PT/OT) concentration of the B.S. degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion have an opportunity to qualify for a guaranteed early interview with FIU’s highly sought after Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Read more.
Free Community FAU-Well Program Now in 35th Year
Now in its 35th year, the FAU-Well program provides no-cost fitness assessments, supervised exercise sessions, strength training, group conditioning, blood pressure monitoring, and pulse rate checks. The bi-weekly sessions are open to anyone who wants to exercise, but the program is primarily designed for community-dwelling older adults, aged 60 and over. Read more.
Effects of Resistance Training in Older Adults at the Cellular Level
“Regular physical activity is suggested to be an effective intervention in improving age-related diseases such as osteoporosis, sarcopenia or muscle loss and dynapenia or loss of muscle strength, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes,” said Chun-Jung “Phil” Huang, Ph.D., co-author and a professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Read more.
Exercise Science and Health Promotion Scholarships
Deadline to Apply: Friday, January 14, 2022
Scholarships for undergraduate students ($1,100) and graduate students ($1,200).
Coping in College? Female Students Much More Stressed Than Males
In a study, recently published in PLOS ONE, researchers in the Department of Exercise and Health Promotion examined stress levels within the genders of undergraduate college students and discovered that female students were much more stressed than their male counterparts. Read more.
True Grit? Doesn’t Matter for Resistance Training in Men or Women
Researchers from the Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion are the first to examine the relationship between grit and a muscular endurance performance task – specifically, the grueling back squat. The expectation was that a “gritty” individual would perform above normal expectations or, in the context of resistance training, perform more repetitions in a resistance training set. Read more.
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Department of Exercise Science and Health Promotion
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
777 Glades Road, FH 11
Boca Raton, Florida 33431
tel: 561.297.2938 / fax: 561.297.2839
ESHPinfo@fau.edu