Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Exercise Science

Details

Field of Interest

Health Sciences

Degree Type

Associate in Arts (AA)

Academic Plan

Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Exercise Science (DEG)

Academic Plan Code

8121

Effective Term

Fall 2025

Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.

Full-time
Part-time

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC)
Students pursuing an Associate for transfer to a university or a MCCCD bachelor's degree should note the following changes to the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) requirements, effective Catalog Years 2026-27 and beyond. Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to assess whether transitioning to the Reimagined AGEC requirements aligns with educational goals and to ensure completion of all graduation requirements. Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will include: Oral Communication [OCM] (3 Credits) Quantitative Reasoning [QNR] (3 Credits) Institutions in the Americas [IAM] (3 Credits) Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will no longer include: Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L] (3 Credits) Computers/Statistics/Quantitative Applications [CS] (3-5 Credits) Cultural, Global, and Historical Awareness Areas [C, G, H] (0-3 Credits) Subject Options -AGEC-S only (8 Credits) For a full outline of the Reimagined AGEC Requirements, please visit Maricopa’s AGEC Webpage.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
ENG101 or ENG107	First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL	Prerequisites: Writing placement or (C/ better in ESL097 or WAC101) or (B/better in ALT100) or (C in ALT100 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+) or (C/better in ESL202 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+). or Prerequisites: Writing test score or (C/better in ESL097 or WAC101),or (B/better in ALT100) or (C in ALT100 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+) or (C/better in ESL202 and Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+).	FYC or FYC	3
FYE101 or FYE103	Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success			1–3
EXS101	Introduction to Exercise Science			3
QNR	Quantitative Reasoning		QNR	3–6
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives			0–4

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
HES100	Healthful Living			SB	3
AHM	Arts and Humanities			AHM	3
PSY101	Introduction to Psychology			SB	3
BIO201 or BIO160	Human Anatomy and Physiology I or Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in (BIO156++, or BIO181++, or one year of high school biology) and (RDG100, or RDG100LL, or higher, or eligibility for CRE101). CHM130 or higher or one year of high school chemistry suggested but not required. or No requisites	Recommend BIO201 and BIO202 for students intending to transfer to NAU for Fitness Wellness or to ASU for Clinical Exercise Science or Sports Science and Performance Programming or Kinesiology. Recommend BIO160 and CHM130+++ for students intending to transfer to ASU for Healthy Lifestyles and Fitness Science.	NSI, SG or NSI, SQ	4
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives				3–4

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
AHM	Arts and Humanities			AHM	3
SCB	Social and Behavioral Sciences			SCB	3
BIO202 or (CHM130 and CHM130LL) or CHM130AA	Human Anatomy and Physiology II or (Fundamental Chemistry and Fundamental Chemistry Laboratory) or Fundamental Chemistry with Lab	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in BIO201 or BIO201XT. or Prerequisites: C/better in [(CHM100 or hgh schl algebra or MAT140/hghr or EdReady Quant&Stat 70/hghr or Coll Alg 80/hghr) and (RDG100 or RDG100LL or hghr or eligibility for CRE101 as indicated by appropriate reading placemnt)] or permission of the dept. and Prerequisites or Corequisites: CHM130. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [(CHM100, or high school algebra, or MAT140 or higher, or an EdReady-Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra and Statistics score of 70 or higher, or an EdReady-College Algebra score of 80 or higher) and (RDG100, or RDG100LL, or higher, or eligibility for CRE101 as indicated by appropriate reading placement)], or permission of the Instructor, or Department or Division Chair.	Recommend BIO201 and BIO202 for students intending to transfer to NAU for Fitness Wellness or to ASU for Clinical Exercise Science or Sports Science and Performance Programming or Kinesiology. Recommend BIO160 and CHM130+++ for students intending to transfer to ASU for Healthy Lifestyles and Fitness Science.	NSI, SG or NSI in combo w/ CHM130LL; and NSI in combo w/ CHM130; or SQ	4
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives				3–5

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
EXS290	Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in (EXS101, or FON100, or FON241, or HES100, or HES110, or PSY101) and (ENG101 or ENG107), or permission of Instructor.	L	3
OCM	Oral Communication		OCM	3
IAM	Institutions of the Americas		IAM	3
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives			3–4
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives			3–4

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC)
Students pursuing an Associate for transfer to a university or a MCCCD bachelor's degree should note the following changes to the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) requirements, effective Catalog Years 2026-27 and beyond. Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to assess whether transitioning to the Reimagined AGEC requirements aligns with educational goals and to ensure completion of all graduation requirements. Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will include: Oral Communication [OCM] (3 Credits) Quantitative Reasoning [QNR] (3 Credits) Institutions in the Americas [IAM] (3 Credits) Effective Catalog Year 2026-27 and beyond, AGEC Requirements will no longer include: Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L] (3 Credits) Computers/Statistics/Quantitative Applications [CS] (3-5 Credits) Cultural, Global, and Historical Awareness Areas [C, G, H] (0-3 Credits) Subject Options -AGEC-S only (8 Credits) For a full outline of the Reimagined AGEC Requirements, please visit Maricopa’s AGEC Webpage.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
ENG101 or ENG107	First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL	Prerequisites: Writing placement or (C/ better in ESL097 or WAC101) or (B/better in ALT100) or (C in ALT100 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+) or (C/better in ESL202 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+). or Prerequisites: Writing test score or (C/better in ESL097 or WAC101),or (B/better in ALT100) or (C in ALT100 & Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+) or (C/better in ESL202 and Corequisites: ENG101LL or ENG107LL or WAC101 or ENG100A+).	FYC or FYC	3
FYE101 or FYE103	Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success			1–3
EXS101	Introduction to Exercise Science			3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number	Course Name	Area	Credits
QNR	Quantitative Reasoning	QNR	3–6
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives		0–4
HES100	Healthful Living	SB	3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
AHM	Arts and Humanities			AHM	3
BIO201 or BIO160	Human Anatomy and Physiology I or Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in (BIO156++, or BIO181++, or one year of high school biology) and (RDG100, or RDG100LL, or higher, or eligibility for CRE101). CHM130 or higher or one year of high school chemistry suggested but not required. or No requisites	Recommend BIO201 and BIO202 for students intending to transfer to NAU for Fitness Wellness or to ASU for Clinical Exercise Science or Sports Science and Performance Programming or Kinesiology. Recommend BIO160 and CHM130+++ for students intending to transfer to ASU for Healthy Lifestyles and Fitness Science.	NSI, SG or NSI, SQ	4

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
PSY101	Introduction to Psychology			SB	3
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives				3–4

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
AHM	Arts and Humanities			AHM	3
BIO202 or (CHM130 and CHM130LL) or CHM130AA	Human Anatomy and Physiology II or (Fundamental Chemistry and Fundamental Chemistry Laboratory) or Fundamental Chemistry with Lab	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in BIO201 or BIO201XT. or Prerequisites: C/better in [(CHM100 or hgh schl algebra or MAT140/hghr or EdReady Quant&Stat 70/hghr or Coll Alg 80/hghr) and (RDG100 or RDG100LL or hghr or eligibility for CRE101 as indicated by appropriate reading placemnt)] or permission of the dept. and Prerequisites or Corequisites: CHM130. or Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in [(CHM100, or high school algebra, or MAT140 or higher, or an EdReady-Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra and Statistics score of 70 or higher, or an EdReady-College Algebra score of 80 or higher) and (RDG100, or RDG100LL, or higher, or eligibility for CRE101 as indicated by appropriate reading placement)], or permission of the Instructor, or Department or Division Chair.	Recommend BIO201 and BIO202 for students intending to transfer to NAU for Fitness Wellness or to ASU for Clinical Exercise Science or Sports Science and Performance Programming or Kinesiology. Recommend BIO160 and CHM130+++ for students intending to transfer to ASU for Healthy Lifestyles and Fitness Science.	NSI, SG or NSI in combo w/ CHM130LL; and NSI in combo w/ CHM130; or SQ	4

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
SCB	Social and Behavioral Sciences			SCB	3
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives				3–5

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
OCM	Oral Communication			OCM	3
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives				3–4

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
EXS290	Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in (EXS101, or FON100, or FON241, or HES100, or HES110, or PSY101) and (ENG101 or ENG107), or permission of Instructor.	L	3
IAM	Institutions of the Americas		IAM	3
Plan Elective	Plan Course Electives			3–4

Plan Course Electives

Transfer Plan 1: Kinesiology
Credits: 20-21
+ BIO181++ General Biology (Majors) I 4
+ BIO182++ General Biology (Majors) II 4

+ CHM150 General Chemistry I (4) AND
+ CHM151LL General Chemistry I Laboratory (1) OR
+ CHM150AA General Chemistry I with Lab (5) OR
+ CHM151 General Chemistry I (3) AND
+ CHM151LL General Chemistry I Laboratory (1) OR
+ CHM151AA General Chemistry I with Lab (4) 4-5

+ CHM152 General Chemistry II (3) AND
+ CHM152LL General Chemistry II Laboratory (1) OR
+ CHM152AA General Chemistry II with Lab (4) 4

+ PHY111 General Physics I 4

Transfer Plan 2: Applied Exercise and Sport Sciences
Credits: 13-15
+ EXS125 Introduction to Exercise Physiology 3

+ EXS145 Exercise Testing (3) OR
+ EXS270AA Exercise Science Internship (1) 1-3

+ EXS215 Resistance Training and Recovery Techniques 3
+ EXS217 Cardiorespiratory and Flexibility Training 3
FON241 Principles of Human Nutrition 3

General Electives

Select additional courses 100-level or higher to complete a minimum of 60 semester credits but no more than a total of 64 semester credits. Consult with a faculty advisor, program director, and/or academic advisor to identify coursework that best aligns with academic and professional goals.

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.