University of South Carolina Columbia
Act 629 - Summary Reports on Institutional Effectiveness
Fiscal Year 2001 - 2002

Exercise Science, BS, MS, PhD

Assessment methods/instruments include: transcript analysis, student course evaluations, exit questionnaires, and an annual alumni survey. Because very few classes are unique to a single program, the student course evaluation cannot be separated in individual academic programs. Similarly, most questions on the exit questionnaire are common across the programs within the department; in addition, the number of respondents in a single year would typically be too small for meaningful interpretation.

Across the three alumni survey questions concerning preparation for employment, the average rating was 3.04 on a 4-point scale for all exercise science graduates. There has not been a recent formal survey or interview of employer satisfaction, but anecdotally, employers are well pleased with the program's graduates. Among those accepted for the exercise science undergraduate program in fall 2001, the average SAT score was 1102. Among U.S. residents accepted into the program, 30% were minorities.

The current programs require 140 credit hours, substantially beyond the University requirements of 125-130 credit hours. The faculty have therefore instituted a number of curricular changes to be consistent with University policy. This includes dropping at least one requirement that exceeds the University general education requirements and reducing the number of exercise science classes required for two of the tracks.