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Health and Exercise Science

Available as a major or minor

Studying health and exercise science will provide you with a solid understanding of human physiology, human movement and the role exercise plays in human health.

Health and exercise science at Roanoke prepares students for a diverse array of careers, as you build a broad foundation of scientific inquiry and critical thinking. You’ll explore the physiological, biochemical, psychological, behavioral and mechanical principles of applied exercise science.

Curriculum & Courses

Sample Course Offerings

HEXS-201 Motor Control and Learning
HEXS-402: Special Populations
HEXS-316 Nutrition

Students monitoring someone on an exercise bike

Careers & Outcomes

Roanoke lays the groundwork for Olympian

Shelley Olds smiles and raises her hands in triumph after crossing the finish line in a race

Shelley Olds '03 has always placed athletics near the top of her must-do list. At Roanoke, the Health and Human Performance major was captain of the Women's Soccer Team. Two years after graduation, she was introduced to cycling. Since then, she has soared, becoming one of the highest-ranked women's cyclists in the world. In 2012, she reached the pinnacle, competing in the London Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. Women's Road Race team. She was a member of the Bigla Pro Cycling Team, training and competing from her home base in L'Estartit, Spain. "I believe I was prepared to become a professional athlete and Olympian by many of the experiences I had at Roanoke College," Olds says. 

Olds returned to her alma mater to coach Roanoke's first cycling team. 

Health and exercise science can open the door to advanced study in graduate school and to careers in clinical and rehabilitative specialty fields, fitness and wellness or performance coaching.

Student Experiences

Sarah Matteo: When You Get That Spark

What Makes Roanoke Different?

Cutting-Edge Facilities

athletic training lab

Our state-of-the-art Athletic Training room serves our athletes while providing a venue for hands-on classroom experiences and internships.
athletic training lab

The Health and Human Peformance Lab is fully-equipped with everything you need to explore clinical exercise science, movement science, and fitness and wellness. Classroom, small-group, and one-on-one experiences are tailored to support skills building in a variety of subfields, including athlete performance testing, functional protocols for special populations, rehabilitative methods, motion analysis, and explorations in epidemiology.
Cregger

The Cregger Center is the home of the Belk Fitness Center and the Roanoke College Athletic Training Program. It has two classrooms, an instructional technology classroom, the Athletic Department and an indoor track in the Fieldhouse.
class room

Modern classrooms feature bright, airy spaces conducive to collaborative, hands-on learning.
class room

A Roanoke student uses the latest portable equipment to measure metabolic response to physical activity.

Faculty

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Work with faculty

A professor talks with a student while they examine a book together

Alongside our faculty members, both in the classroom, research lab, or and in the community, you’ll experience innovation in action. We design immersive experiences for students to gain real-world learning through professional shadowing and internships, cutting-edge research experiences, and collaborative projects with community partners in health care, sport performance, city government and the nonprofit sector. Through community partnerships Campus resources, such as our state-of-the-art Human Performance Lab, the Center For Community Health Innovation, and the Work-Study Research Program, provide multiple avenues of support for student engagement, including paid internships and research experience, and funding for materials for students to explore their own research topics.

News

  • Workshop: Communicating Your Research in a Nutshell

    This interactive workshop, the first of a two-part event, is intended to train researchers to better communicate their work with people outside of their field. Folks from all programs are encouraged to attend!

    Date:
    March 27, 2026
    Time:
    4 - 6 p.m.
    Location:

    Antrim Chapel

    Workshop: Communicating Your Research in a Nutshellevent image

  • Nutshell Games Competition

    Engaged in research? Consider competing in this year's Nutshell Games Competition for a chance to win an Amazon e-gift card.

    Date:
    April 21, 2026
    Time:
    6 - 7:30 p.m.
    Location:

    Antrim Chapel

    Nutshell Games Competitionevent image