The best time for a student in a Public Health and Exercise Science. program to go abroad will be a combination of their concentration, credits they have transferred in, whether they have a dual major or a minor, whether they plan on taking any summer classes, and obviously their personal situation. Listed below are some suggested time frames for each concentration. Students looking to go abroad during a different period are encouraged to work closely with their department advisor and the Education Abroad Office.
For all concentrations short-term study abroad opportunities are normally fairly easy to fit into a student’s degree plan. Students are able to start participating on short-term programs (winter break, spring break, and summer) as early as their first year. Students participating on short-term faculty-led programs often fulfill General Education, Major Free Electives, Major Concentration courses, Language requirements, or 2nd Major/Minor requirements. Students participating on partner summer programs may be able to fulfill Public Health and Exercise Science requirements in addition to the above options. Some students will also engage in research or complete an international internship.
Exercise Science Major (no concentration)
Students can study abroad during their Sophomore or Junior years. Some courses such as PHY 1103, PHY 1104, and ES 4050 may be difficult to find equivalents to abroad (although it may be possible to locate equivalents on some programs). ES majors often will complete a summer semester or two in order to free up some space in their curriculum for their study abroad semester. ES electives and ES core courses such as ES 3550, ES 3002, and ES 3005 may be courses that students want to plan to take abroad. Students may also be able to locate equivalents to ES 2031 and ES 2032 abroad.
ES Major - Clinical Exercise Physiology Concentration
Students looking to spend a semester abroad should think about the first semester of the Junior year. Planning should begin during the first year and students may want to take a course or two during a summer session such as general education or allied core courses. Students will generally take 1-2 major requirements (including clinical electives) and 1-2 general education or free elective requirements abroad.
ES Major - Pre-professional Concentration
Pre-professional students should plan on studying abroad during the 2nd semester of their Junior Year or the 1st semester of their senior year. Students may want to plan around their Physics sequence or take a course during the summer. ES 3550 and ES 3005 are possible options to take abroad along with elective courses.
ES Major - Strength and Conditioning Concentration
Students can study abroad during their Sophomore or Junior years. Some courses such as PHY 1103 and PHY 1104 may be difficult to find equivalents to abroad(although it may be possible to locate equivalents on some programs). S&C majors often will complete a summer semester or two in order to free up some space in their curriculum for their study abroad semester. ES electives and ES core courses such as ES 3550, ES 3002, and ES 3005 may be courses that students want to plan to take abroad as well as S&C electives. Students may also be able to locate equivalents to ES 2031 and ES 2032 abroad.
Public Health Major
The best time for a Public Health major to spend a semester abroad is during their Junior Year although other semesters may be an option as well. Students will want to plan to take PH 3330 (Biostatistics), PH 3800 (Public Health Interventions I), PH 4600 (Health Policy, Ethics & Law), and P H 4800 (Public Health Interventions II) at Appalachian. Students may want to look for a program that offers 1-2 of the following courses: HCM 2110 (Introduction to Health System Organization), PH 2300 (Public Health Communication), PH 3130 (Environmental Health), PH 3250 (Community Health), PH 4200 (Principles of Epidemiology), in addition to taking PH Applied, Guided Elective/Minor requirements and 1-2 General Education courses.
