Begin your journey toward becoming a clinical exercise physiologist where you’ll have a profound effect on the lives of patients.

A clinical exercise physiologist (CEP) is a healthcare professional trained to work with patients facing chronic diseases and other conditions for whom exercise training provides therapeutic benefits. Commonly treated conditions include cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, immunologic, hematologic, neuromuscular and chronic musculoskeletal diseases.

CEP professionals use scientific rationale to assist in the recovery from illness, and prevent or manage chronic diseases through clinical exercise testing, exercise prescription, physical activity counseling, exercise supervision and health education/promotion. Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and cardiac exercise stress labs are common workplaces for CEPs.

Study Format

  • On Campus

Selecting a Major

CUC’s Pre-Clinical Exercise Physiology program is not a major, but rather is a sequences of foundational and prerequisite courses which supplement an existing major, providing a basis for entry into graduate professional study in clinical exercise physiology.

Students may choose any CUC major, as long as they complete the required prerequisite courses for admission to a clinical exercise physiology program at another institution.

The suggested pathway to a graduate program in clinical exercise physiology is the Bachelor of Science in health science which is designed to cover most prerequisites. Because graduate program prerequisites vary from institution to institution, students must check directly with them for exact clinical hours and admission criteria.

Graduates of our program may attain entry-level positions, however most clinical exercise physiologists require a master’s degree in clinical exercise physiology or exercise physiology.

Dedicated faculty in the College of Health, Science & Technology and the University’s academic advising staff provide consistent and personal advisement to each individual student throughout their studies at Concordia University Chicago.