School of Health Sciences and Human Performance

Steven F. Siconolfi, Dean

John A. Bonaguro, Associate Dean

David L. Dresser, Associate Dean

For full faculty listing, see "Faculty and Administration".

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.

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 and the General Instructional Program in Physical Education (GIPPE).

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 careers as teachers, clinicians, and administrators.

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 Exercise and Sport Sciences, 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 are prepared to teach, coach, or conduct research in a variety of settings. Students in exercise and sport sciences are prepared to be practitioners, administrators, and/or researchers in preventative and rehabilitative wellness settings, including hospitals, fitness centers, training facilities, and higher education institutions. Athletic training majors are prepared for service in secondary school, intercollegiate and professional athletics, as well as sports medicine clinics. Degree programs in 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 with a concentration in nutrition. Many students choose to expand their opportunities through the School's wide array of concentrations and minors such as coaching, health, and recreation. Other students have found that the selection of a minor in another school at Ithaca College is highly desirable to enhance their knowledge in a field of interest or to expand their potential for employment, entrance into graduate school, preparation for alternative careers, and/or teacher certification in a second teaching area.