School of Health Sciences and Human Performance

John A. Bonaguro, Acting Dean

David L. Dresser, Associate Dean

Katherine L. Beissner, Interim Associate Dean

For full faculty listing, see p. 343.

Introduction

The School of Health Sciences and Human Performance (HS&HP) provides preparation in the education, theory, technology, research, policy, and practice of health, health care, health care management, fitness, physical education, sport, and leisure services. Students are educated for careers in the health care industry, in public and corporate education, and in the sports and leisure industries. Students are also well prepared for graduate-level education. All programs provide a combination of broad studies in the liberal arts with in-depth education in a professional field. Most programs require clinical or field experiences as part of their professional preparation. The curricula provide students with structure in a discipline as well as flexibility to elect courses in areas other than the academic major.

The school is organized into eight academic departments:

· Exercise and sport sciences

· Health policy studies

· Health promotion and human movement

· Occupational therapy

· Physical therapy

· Speech-language pathology and audiology

· Sport studies

· Therapeutic recreation and leisure services

The school also sponsors a preprofessional advising program in the health sciences, a general instructional program in physical education (GIPPE), and a recreational intramural sports program.

The career goals of HS&HP students are varied, but there are certain common threads. Students tend to be people-oriented, concerned with lifelong activity, and interested in general fitness and wellness concepts. These characteristics apply to students preparing for traditional careers as teachers, clinicians, and administrators as well as to those studying in such developing areas as exercise science, sport studies, and leisure services.

Students in the allied health professions are prepared through classroom instruction and field experience for careers in therapeutic, educational, and administrative positions in hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, and many other types of organizations involved in health care. Affiliations are maintained with major hospitals, clinics, schools, rehabilitation centers, and health agencies by the departments of health policy studies, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology and audiology, and therapeutic recreation and leisure services. Health education students are prepared to teach and/or conduct research in traditional school settings; health sciences and community health education majors are prepared to develop and implement health-related programs in public or voluntary health agencies. Physical education majors also prepare to teach, coach, or conduct research in a variety of settings. Degree programs in exercise science, athletic training/exercise science, clinical exercise science, sport management, sports information and communication, and sport studies have been developed to provide students with strong backgrounds in these specialized areas. The therapeutic recreation major and the leisure services major provide students with a background useful for employment in such diverse settings as hospitality services, outdoor pursuits companies, youth-serving agencies, resorts, travel and tourism organizations, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and national or state parks. Successful completion of each undergraduate degree program results in the granting of the B.A. or B.S. degree in the respective discipline.

Some students who major in physical education and/or health education choose to further their studies in nutrition. Many students choose to extend their opportunities through the school's wide array of concentrations and minors such as coaching, health, and recreation. Other students have found that selection of a minor in another school at Ithaca College is highly desirable for expansion of their employment possibilities, entrance into graduate school, preparation for potential alternative careers, and/or teacher certification in a second teaching area.

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