Chair of Ohio State human sciences department clarifies questions on health and exercise science accreditation

Confusion surrounding the accreditations of Ohio State’s undergraduate health and exercise program has led the College of Education and Human Ecology to respond to concerned students.

According to various private posts across Facebook in mid-September, students studying exercise science expressed worries about the degree’s accreditation. According to the university’s institutional planning and research website , accreditation refers to organizations maintaining a high quality of education and specialized training for specific programs.

“Accreditation is a designation and a process,” the website states. “As a designation, it serves as public recognition that an institution has met accepted standards of quality. As a process, it demonstrates an ongoing commitment to self-study and external peer review.”

As a result, a survey that was spread to students by Carmen Swain, a clinical associate professor in the exercise science program, in collaboration with a group of undergraduate exercise science students led to rumblings within the major. The Department of Human Science then organized a response, reaching out to students and parents to clarify any misconceptions about the degree.

The Lantern reached out to Swain for comment, but she did not respond by the time of publication.

After the department received concerned emails and learned about the Facebook posts and the survey sent to students, Erik Porfeli — a professor within and chair of the Department of Human Sciences — responded to the concerns in an email to exercise science students.

“We recognize that some confusion has arisen and it has caused some concern for some of our students,” Porfeli said in an interview with The Lantern. “We are actively working to determine the sources of these concerns, the nature of the concerns and to develop a communication to address the concerns.”

Porfeli sent a Sept. 19 email to exercise science students — both pre-major and full major — and their parents. The message provided information about the current organizations that recognize Ohio State’s health and exercise program as being accredited.

Currently, the program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission — also known as HLC — which is a regional “institutional accreditor” recognized under the United States Department of Education that grants accreditation to colleges and universities, according to its website .

“This survey contains some information that is misleading and has caused concern among Exercise Science students and their parents/guardians,” Porfeli said in the Sept. 19 email. “Ohio State University is a regionally accredited university by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The Exercise Science undergraduate degree is, therefore, an accredited degree by the HLC.”

Later in the email, Porfeli said a potential source of confusion for students is that the degree is not currently accredited by the American College of Sports Medicine — also known as ACSM — and the National Strength and Conditioning Association — also known as NCSA.

Both of these organizations certify fitness professionals in sports medicine and exercise science, according to the ACSM and NCSA websites.

In Ohio, certification from a nationally recognized agency is typically required to practice as a fitness professional, such as a personal trainer, according to the National Personal Training Association . The website recognizes both the ACSM and NCSA as possible organizations to receive certification through.

“The Exercise Science degree is not currently accredited by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA),” Porfeli said in the Sept. 19 email. “However, this is not currently a requirement for graduates of the Exercise Science degree at Ohio State University who seek professional certifications from ACSM and NCSA.”

Though Ohio State’s exercise science program is not currently accredited by NSCA or ACSM, the department is taking steps to eventually receive recognition and accreditation from the organizations.

“The Department of Human Sciences is supportive of the Exercise Science faculty seeking accreditation from NCSA/ACSM,” Porfeli said in the Sept. 19 email. “The department is also beginning the search for two additional faculty members to join the Exercise Science program to increase our faculty resources in advance of seeking these accreditations.”

Students in health and exercise science can currently apply for certification through ACSM until 2027 and NSCA until 2030. Until then, the department plans to work toward shaping the program under the new accreditation requirements.

“We are actively working with our faculty to satisfy new accreditation requirements from these organizations that will be enacted after these dates,” Porfeli said in his Lantern interview.

Porfeli closed the Sept. 19 email with a reminder to students that the program is well-regarded and will continue employing up-to-date changes to accommodate the requirements for national accreditors.

“Our Exercise Science degree program is in good standing, has current state and regional accreditation, and is compliant with all current requirements for accreditation purposes,” Porfeli said in the Sept. 19 email. “Some national accrediting bodies are making changes to their requirements and we are working with our faculty to explore and act on these changes.”