Strength and Conditioning (Academic Minor)
24
Total credit hours
8
Courses in the minor
ESMS
Majors only
CSCS
Exam prep included
Specialized depth in athletic performance, exercise technique and program design.
The College of Health and Human Sciences offers a 24-credit-hour minor in Strength and Conditioning, available only to students majoring in Exercise, Sport & Movement Sciences.
Why This Minor
ESMS already gives you the science of human movement. This minor takes that foundation and points it at performance — how to design a training program, coach the technique behind it, and judge whether it is working.
You graduate better equipped for careers in strength and conditioning, coaching, fitness and human performance, and for advanced study in related graduate programs. Two cooperative education placements are built into the coursework, so you leave with supervised hours behind you rather than theory alone.
Accreditation in progress. The minor is designed to prepare you to pursue the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) credential through the Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE) once program accreditation is achieved. The University of Memphis is currently seeking CASCE accreditation.
Coursework
The minor requires 24 credit hours across eight courses, each worth three hours.
| Course | Hours | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ESMS 3050 Emergency Medical Response | 3 | Knowledge and skills for recognizing and managing acute health problems, including CPR, AED use, supplemental oxygen, first aid and bloodborne pathogen training. |
| ESMS 3900 Cooperative Education I | 3 | Workplace residency providing applied exposure for students preparing for graduate study or professional certification. Requires 20–25 hours per week and a minimum of 240 hours per semester. Permission required. |
| ESMS 4000 Exercise Testing Interpretation Lab | 3 | Practice in laboratory and clinical skills for measuring and interpreting physical performance and fitness, introducing theoretical and functional techniques of graded exercise testing for functional and diagnostic assessment. |
| ESMS 4603 Advanced Methods in Strength and Conditioning | 3 | Advanced study of program design, training principles and the physiological basis for athletic performance. Offered fall and summer. |
| ESMS 4703 Strength & Conditioning Facilities Management with CSCS Exam Prep | 3 | Facility design, equipment layout, safety considerations and staff management for optimal performance outcomes, including a conceptual review for the CSCS exam. |
| ESMS 4803 Motor Control and Learning | 3 | Behavioral and neurological processes involved in motor skill acquisition and performance, with applications in sport and rehabilitation. |
| ESMS 4900 Cooperative Education II | 3 | Workplace residency providing applied exposure for students preparing for graduate study or professional certification. Requires 20–25 hours per week and a minimum of 240 hours per semester. Permission required. |
| ESMS 4010 | 3 | The role of nutrition in optimizing performance and training adaptations, covering macronutrient and micronutrient intake, timing and amount, and analysis of proposed ergogenic aids. |
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