Sports and Exercise Science
Sports and Exercise Science
The side ofsports nobodysees.
This is healthcare, not gym class. You'll study anatomy, injury, and rehabilitation, learn to evaluate and treat, and train toward the AMCA Physical Therapy Technician certification.
$68,380 median
What physical therapist assistants earn. That takes an associate degree. This program is the head start on it.
2 Years
Junior and senior year. A senior-only option is available, but you'll miss a full year of lab time and credential prep.
No Tuition
Lab fees are typically a few hundred dollars. Payment plans are available.
College Credit
Earn college credit toward a degree while you are still in high school.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physical Therapist Assistants and Aides, May 2025 wage data. Physical therapist aides, which is the high-school-diploma entry point, earn a median of $35,240. Nearly every role above that requires a degree.
Credentials You Can Earn
Earned by passing the exam. We get you ready. The score is yours.
AMERICAN MEDICAL CERTIFICATION ASSOCIATION
Physical Therapy Technician
- Anatomy and musculoskeletal systems
- Therapeutic exercise and modalities
- Fitness assessment and evaluation
- Safe transfers, gait, and mobility
- Documentation and clinic procedure
Students heading specifically into the fitness field can also prepare for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer credential. It is a demanding exam, and ACSM requires you to be 18 with current CPR and AED certification before you can sit for it, so that one is a conversation to have with your instructor rather than something everyone takes.
Read This Before You Apply.
The word sports is in the name, so people assume it's about playing them. It isn't. This is athletic training and rehabilitation: anatomy, physiology, injury evaluation, and treatment. It is one of the more demanding programs here, and the students who love it are the ones who want to understand how the body works.
- Anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology
- Evaluating an injury and knowing what it is
- Taping, wrapping, and bracing
- Rehabilitation exercise and progression
- Therapeutic modalities and treatment
- Emergency care and when to refer out
- Strength, conditioning, and program design
- Fitness assessment and evaluation
- Nutrition design for athletes
- Medical terminology and documentation
In the labTraining tables and workout equipment, the same setup used by the people doing this work professionally. You learn evaluation and rehab on the gear you'd find in a clinic or a training room.
Why WCCC
The science is the point
You'll learn to look at a joint and know which structure is hurt and why. That's diagnostic thinking, and it's the same skill a trainer, a therapist, and a physician all use. It's also what makes this program a genuine head start on a health science degree.
Keep your home school
You're still part of your home high school. Graduate with your class, and keep playing sports, going to prom, and showing up for homecoming.
Steady demand
Physical therapy roles are projected to grow 17% through 2035, much faster than average. Fitness trainers earn a median of $47,160 with 68,000 openings a year, and physical therapists, which takes a doctorate, earn a median of $102,760.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 wage data and 2025–2035 projections.Where This Can Lead
This program is a head start, not the finish line. When you graduate, you'll have real options:
Start working
Physical therapy aide or rehab tech, or fitness work if that is the direction you take
Keep training
A health science degree: physical therapy assistant, athletic training, exercise science
Keep building
Physical therapist assistant, athletic trainer, or on to physical therapy with more school
Take a Look Around
Applications open December 2.
See the lab before you apply.