Master of Fitness Promotion

Students studying on campus.

Graduate students choosing the Master of Fitness Promotion (MFP) will focus on developing skills and attributes for designing, delivering and evaluating fitness and wellness programs designed to improve the quality of life of the program's participants.


To accomplish this mission, the graduate students in the Corporate Wellness Program will meet the following objectives:

Develop a knowledge base and be able to apply that knowledge to impact areas such as health-related and mental fitness as they relate to hypokinetic diseases and conditions.

Gain a basic understanding of the core disciplines including Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, and Research Methodology.

Gain an understanding of the concepts of marketing and management of a corporate wellness program.

Be able to adjust the workplace environment to decrease the chance of repetitive injuries, which requires a basic knowledge of occupational ergonomics.

Be able to apply exercise prescription for both the general population and for special populations, such as persons with diabetes, poor cholesterol profiles, heart disease, osteoporosis, and other debilitating diseases.

Gain practical experience of a wellness program through the requirement of a minimum of 200-hour practicum in a facility that functions to promote health and wellness and meeting objectives established in conjunction with the student's committee.

Potential Career Opportunities

A person with a professional degree in “Fitness Promotion” can work in a variety of positions and settings in which a specialist is needed to develop programs that combat cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, metabolic disorders, and musculoskeletal problems.

Employment opportunities are commonly found in fitness and wellness centers, hospitals and health care facilities, rehabilitation centers, senior centers, corporations and universities.

  • employee wellness director, 
  • corporate fitness director,
  • strength and conditioning coach,
  • cardiac rehabilitation technician,
  • and exercise director for assisted living facility

For more information visit the USU Catalog or USU Degree Finder.

Graduate Program Coordinator

Melissa Johnson

Melissa Johnson

Coordinator of Programs III

Kinesiology and Health Science

Phone: 435-797-1495
Office Location: HPER 122J
Schedule an Appointment


Program Director

Dale Wagner

Dale Wagner

Professor

Kinesiology and Health Science

Phone: 435-797-8253
Office Location: HPER 155


Admissions

Prerequisite Requirements

The MFP degree aims to meet the needs of students who desire to or currently hold a position within the field of health fitness, who do not foresee pursuing a PhD or a career as a researcher. Student’s extensive fieldwork (practicum) experience during the program further ensures a practical benchmark for a career as a health-fitness professional.

Candidates for the MFP program are preferred to have an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline such as Kinesiology, Exercise or Sport Sciences. If a candidate has earned a degree in another field they could still be considered for admission in this program but may be required to complete prerequisite undergraduate courses such as Human Anatomy & Physiology, Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics, and Anatomical Kinesiology.

Apply

Application Requirements

Applicants desiring to enroll in the fitness promotion program must be admitted to the Utah State University School of Graduate studies. As students start an application they will create a log-in that will allow them to come back in and complete their applications. The application has two parts, the initial application and the supplemental items. Students must complete the initial application and pay the application fee before you can access the supplemental materials. 

The supplemental materials require the following:

  • Official transcripts from all previously-attended colleges and universities to be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies:
    • If by mail, transcripts can be mailed to:
      School of Graduate Studies
      Utah State University
      0900 Old Main Hill
      Logan, UT 84322-0900
    • If by electronic clearinghouse, transcripts can be emailed to graduateadmissions@usu.edu.
    • USU alumni do not need to provide USU transcripts; the School of Graduate Studies will pull them for you.
  • Admission GPA of 3.0 or above. The admissions GPA is calculated based on the last 60 semester or 90 quarter credits taken, not the overall GPA.
  • Three (3) letters of recommendation. All letters of recommendation should be professional references and at least two (2) letters should come from faculty members.
    • Letters come directly from the referee, not the students. Students will include the contact information for referees in the application. The referees will then be contacted with instructions to submit the letters for the student.
  • Statement of purpose responding to and addressing the questions stated in the prompt below:
    • Prompt: In 500 words or less, please answer the following questions. Why do you want to pursue a graduate degree in Kinesiology? What are your career goals and how do you foresee a master’s degree in Kinesiology helping you toward that goal? There are literally over 200 graduate programs for Kinesiology in the United States alone. Why do you want to be part of the master’s program at USU (specifically), rather than another program? If you have any undergraduate research experience, please include that in this essay (e.g., what was your role, did you present the research at a conference, is the research published).
  • Submission of the Admissions Survey as a portfolio in the supplemental materials of the application.
  • International students have additional requirements to meet
    • Copy of passport
    • Proof of English Language Proficiency
    • Certified English Translations of Transcripts

For more information visit the USU Grad School website, steps to apply

Application Questions! Reach out to the GPC with any questions about the application.

 

Admission Deadlines

Fall semester

July 1 domestic students

May 1 for international students

Spring Semester

December 1

Estimated Cost of the Program

$16,709.76*

*Tuition and fees are affected by many factors including residency, student location (Zip Code), number of credits taken, student level (undergrad vs grad). In addition, the tuition and fee rates change each year. This estimate is based on a student studying in the Logan area finishing the program in 2 years (4 semesters), with Utah residency using the tuition and fee table from the current year.

USU Registrar Tuition & Payment 2023-2024 Tuition and Fee Table

Assistanships

The KHS Department offers graduate assistantship (GA) opportunities for students based in Logan, Utah who have been accepted into one of the department's graduate programs.

Students interested in these positions complete the GA application, submitted directly to the department. This is separate from the admissions application, submitted to the Graduate School. The deadline for both applications is March 1 to be considered for a GA position. Positions are awarded for the coming Fall and Spring semesters.

More information: KHS Graduate Assistantships

Program Requirements

The primary focus of the degree is to acquire advanced skills specific to a profession in a health fitness setting. In addition to some of the same courses that MS students take (i.e., Advanced Exercise Physiology, Biomechanics), MFP students take courses in ECG interpretation and Health Psychology, as well as health- and wellness-related electives from other departments (e.g., Nutritional Epidemiology, Sociology of Health, etc.).

New Student Orientation

The MFP program organizes an orientation session for its incoming students. Upon acceptance into the program, students can expect to receive an email from the program director containing comprehensive details, including the confirmed date and other essential information about the orientation event.

Advising

Students in the KHS department are are advised by both the department graduate program coordinator (GPC) and their Major Professor (Faculty Advisor/Mentor). Both roles can and will help students to successfully fulfill program and graduation requirements and navigate through the process of getting a degree.

Graduate Program Coordinator

Graduate Program Coordinators (GPCs) are a critical link between the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), departments, and graduate students. GPCs can assist graduate students with deadlines, degree completion, registration errors and restrictions, and all graduate school related paperwork (e.g. supervisory committee approval form, program of study, & graduation check request). Frequently, the student's first contact when they have questions or concerns is the GPC. If a student is unsure who to contact with questions, their first contact should be the GPC.

Major Professor/Faculty Advisor

A student's faculty advisor will help advise students on the courses to take to better prepare them for careers they are pursuing and on successful completion of the program requirements (research/internship requirements, etc). Faculty advisors are not assigned to the students, but students are able to select a faculty advisor through the process of selecting a supervisory committee. Until a student has a faculty advisor in place, students can contact the program director with questions. MFP students are expected to select a faculty advisor by the end of their first semester.

Practicum Experience

In addition to completing the required course work students will be expected to complete an internship/fieldwork for their culminating experience. Master of Fitness Promotion (MFP) students must complete 6 credits of internship as part of their degree requirements. Typically, these 6 credits are divided into 1 credit for each of the fall and spring semesters of their first year learning about corporate/employee wellness programs and doing fitness assessments in conjunction with USU Employee Wellness, and 4 credits at an off-campus practicum in the second year of their degree program. This 4-credit off-campus practicum equates to a minimum of 200 contact hours working in a facility that functions to promote health and wellness and meeting objectives established in conjunction with the student's committee. Students are encouraged to find their own practicum sites that correspond to their career goals. Students are encouraged to work with their faculty mentors to select internship sites. The purpose of the internship is for students to have the chance to observe professionals and gain experience in career areas of interest. 

Internship

The internship is a crucial part of the MFP degree. Internships provide hands-on, practical experience in which the student can apply their knowledge in a real-world work setting, providing a benchmark for a career as a health-fitness professional.

A minimum of 6 credits of internship are required for the MFP degree (1 credit hour is equivalent to 50 contact hours). Typically, these 6 credits are divided into 2 credits of "in-house" internship working with USU Employee Wellness program during the student's initial year in the MFP program, and 4 credits at an off-campus practicum during their second year. At least 4 of the 6 internship credits must be completed outside of the KHS Department. Although this division of credits is typical, students can design their internship(s) to maximize their career potential. The internship experience must be designed in consultation with the student's supervisory committee to ensure contact hours and objectives are met.

  1. Students initiate a meeting with their faculty advisor to discuss their career goals and options.
    1. Faculty advisors give suggestions for potential locations and contact information, if available.
    2. Past practicum experiences have been in clinical settings (e.g., cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation), hospital-based wellness programs, corporate/employee wellness programs, fitness industry settings, and athletic performance centers.
  2. Students are responsible and encouraged to find and contact their own potential internship sites to secure a position and register for internship credits in Banner.
  3. Prior to starting the internship, students need to schedule a "proposal meeting" with their supervisory committee. During this meeting:
    1. the student proposes a practicum site consistent with their career goals
    2. goals and objectives for the internship experience are established between the student and committee, with consideration for the internship site
    3. the committee in conjunction with the student, develop objectives for the student to meet as part of the internship experience.
    4. determine how to record/track the internship hours, experience, and any other needed documentation
  4. At the conclusion of the student's internship hours, the student give a presentation of the experience (e.g., duties/tasks performed, what was learned, how objectives/goals were met) to their committee.

 

General Program Requirements

The established curriculum is structured to meet the professional standards of the program. However, faculty advisors will work with each student to develop a program of study that is most appropriate for the student's background and future career goals. The student’s committee may approve elective coursework outside of the listed program. Students that are particularly well prepared and have already completed elements of the core curriculum may substitute a required core course for a course that has strong content knowledge related to Fitness Promotion.

Tracking Sheet

Program of Study (POS): The POS is the official agreement between the student, School of Graduate Studies, and KHS Department. The POS is under the direction and approval of the supervisory committee. Below are policy reminders:
  • Must have at least 15 credits at the 6000 level or above. Coursework below the 5000 level should be in areas outside the student's graduate degree field, and must be approved.
  • Courses students are expected to take as undergraduates or as prerequisites for graduate courses may not be included.
  • Up to 12 credits taken prior to starting at USU may transfer towards a student's program with approval and should be communicated to the GPC.
  • Credits in the following areas are not acceptable: foreign languages, continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.
Total Credits 36
Minimum GPA* 3.0
Minimum Grade* C
Completion of Internship and/or Master Project requirement
Completion of all required Graduate School forms
Time Limit to Completion! Students have 6 calendar years to complete all degree requirements. Course work older than 8 years need to be revalidated before it can be used.

*To earn a 3.0 GPA or better students need to receive grades of a B average or higher. While grades as low as a C are permitted, a C is lower than the required average and students will need to receive an A grade in two other courses (of equivalent credits) to offset the effects of the low grade on their overall GPA.