Exercise Physiology

FAQs

Browse common questions asked by current students below. Still have questions about the Exercise Physiology program? Get in touch!

Advising

Am I required to meet with my advisor every semester?

Yes, all students are required to meet with their advisor every semester prior to registering for classes. Restrictions will be placed on registration by the department if students have not met with their advisor.

How do I declare a minor or add the aquatic therapy, dance science, or health professions emphasis area?

Simply send your name, student ID number, and the minor or AOE (area of emphasis) to Alex Tylka, Assistant Director of Advising. Please allow sufficient time to prepare paperwork and to send to the Registrar’s office for the change.

Please note that you can apply for the aquatic therapy area of emphasis at any time, but you will not begin the series of 3 courses plus the aquatic internship until your junior year. 

What happens if I drop below full-time status in Exercise Physiology?

The first time that you drop below full-time (i.e., ending the semester with fewer than 12 credits in graded courses), you will be placed on probation. On a second attempt, you are subject to dismissal from the program. If you feel that you must drop below full-time status due to an exigent circumstance (e.g., a medical emergency, illness, death in the family), you can petition the EXPH Academic Standards Committee for approval. This must be done prior to dropping courses that take you below 12 credits.

How many attempts do I have to take a course and pass it with a grade of at least a C or better?

Students have 3 attempts to pass a required course in the Exercise Physiology curriculum. A passing grade is considered a C or better. Ds and Fs are considered failed attempts. If you do not pass a course by the third attempt, you are subject to dismissal from the program.

What happens if my grade point average falls below a 2.5, the minimum GPA required for graduation?

If your overall (cumulative) grade point average (GPA) falls below a 2.5, you will be placed on EXPH probation for the next semester. This will allow you to repeat any courses that are negatively impacting your GPA (e.g., failed attempts as described above) and to raise it to a 2.5 or above. If you fail to raise your GPA to at least a 2.5, you are subject to dismissal from the program.

How does the D/F repeat rule work at WVU?

Please review the repeat policy for details.  

What do I do if I want to change my advisor?

If you want to change your advisor, you can send an email request to Alex Tylka, Assistant Director of Advising. Include your student name, student ID number, current advisor, and the reason for your request. A change in advisor will be permitted one time.

Are there situations where I might be dismissed from the EXPH program?

Students are dismissed occasionally from the EXPH program but only when policies/regulations have been violated or not adhered to. Typically, students are dismissed when they have failed to maintain the minimum requirements to remain in the program. Those would include, among other infractions:

  • Dropping below full-time status in a semester.
  • Inability to maintain required GPA.
  • Failing a course three times; grades of both D and F are considered failing.
  • Academic dishonesty or acts of misconduct. At the prerogative of the EXPH department, students may be dismissed from the program for any act deemed irresponsible and/or causing harm to others, actions that are unprofessional as a student in health professions, incidents of academic dishonesty, or other behaviors that warrant dismissal. All dismissals are dealt with on an individual basis and may require the department to liaise with other appropriate university offices.

Regardless of the reason for dismissal, the student will be given the opportunity to appeal the program's decision in writing, subject to current internal appeal procedures and guidelines that will be communicated to the student at the time of dismissal.

Registration

When I try to register for next semester's courses, I get an error message and cannot add one or more courses. Why is this happening?

There are several reasons that students receive error messages when they attempt to register for classes.

  • Major restriction: you are not in the correct major.
  • Class restriction: you do not have enough credit hours to take the course.
  • Capacity restriction: the course has no more spaces.
  • Departmental restriction: enrollment in the course is restricted by the department.
  • Time conflict: you have another course scheduled at the same time as the one you want to add.
  • Prerequisite or test score restriction: you have not completed a required prerequisite or do not have the necessary test score to register for the course.

What can I do to correct these errors?

There are several ways to resolve these error messages.

  • Major restriction: select another section that is not restricted. Restrictions are listed in the yellow lock.
  • Class restriction: select another course. Classification or rank is based on the following:
    • Freshmen credits: 0-29
    • Sophomore credits: 30-59
    • Junior credits: 60-89
    • Senior credits: 90+
  • Capacity restriction: select another course or contact the instructor for permission to add the course. You can email the instructor from the class schedule by clicking on the CRN. Once given permission, an override is entered into the system allowing you to manually register for the course by entering the CRN on the registration form. Schedule builder and class search will not work.
  • Departmental restriction: select another course or contact the department for permission to add the course. If the course is an Exercise Physiology course, contact Alex Tylka, Assistant Director of Advising. For all other courses, contact the department offering the course. Once given permission, an override is entered into the system allowing you to manually register for the course by entering the CRN on the registration form. Schedule builder and class search will not work.
  • Time conflict: drop the course blocking the one you want to add or select another course.
  • Prerequisite or test score restriction: any prerequisites and test score restrictions can be viewed by clicking the blue question mark on the schedule of courses. You can also find information about the course by clicking the CRN. All prerequisites and test scores are also listed in the WVU Catalog.

I can’t find online classes in the Schedule of Courses. Where are they?

Make sure that when doing a search on the Schedule of Courses that you are setting the campus/location as all. You will then need to look for the online designator. 

How many times can I take the ALEKS exam for math and chemistry placement?

You can take the ALEKS exam twice. If you do not “pass” the exam on the second attempt, you will be required to enroll and pay for the Math Bootcamp. Following completion of the Math Bootcamp, you will be permitted to take the ALEKS exam one additional time. Failure to “pass” the exam after that third attempt will mean that you can no longer take the math or chemistry courses required for the EXPH program.

How do I start the process of taking a summer course at another school?

The first thing you need to do is talk to your advisor to make sure that it will be okay for you to take the course at another school. Once your advisor has given approval, follow these steps:

  • Go to the transfer equivalency site.
  • Using the school you want to attend, click on the link for the transfer credit database to see if there is an equivalent course at the transient school.
  • If there is an equivalent course, follow the instructions found on the University's transient coursework page.

I have transferred courses to WVU but they are showing up in my DegreeWorks “Fallthrough” section as NOEQ. What can I do?

If you completed the above process for “equating” courses at the transient or transfer school for a course that had not been previously equated:

  • Find your confirmation email from WVU stating that the course is equivalent.
  • Send a copy of the email directly to Taylor Richmond to complete the process.

If your NOEQ courses have never been equated on the database, you will need to complete the instructions found above.

Can I begin my clinical internship (EXPH 491) prior to my senior year?

You can only begin your internship in your senior year. Most students will not have all minimum prerequisites, including EXPH 386, 387, and 369, completed before that time. Internships that you arrange yourself will not count toward completion of your EXPH 491: Professional Fieldwork course.

What classes and requirements are necessary for me to begin the junior year of the exercise physiology program?

EXPH 386: Advanced Physiology of Exercise is the first major-specific course in the junior year.

  • This course requires completion of both general biology courses, math requirements, CHEM 115, and PHYS 101.
  • EXPH 386 is only offered in the fall semester. It is the foundation course for all remaining junior and senior EXPH major courses.
  • If you are unable to take EXPH 386 in the fall of your junior year, you will be required to wait an entire year to take the course and thus begin the sequence of all remaining EXPH courses. Please note this may delay your graduation by a year.

How do I enroll in the Human Cadaver Dissection lab? It says it is restricted.

Participation in the Human Cadaver Dissection lab (EXPH 441) is by application only.

  • Students in the final semester of their sophomore year will receive the application in their MIX email account.
  • All applications must be submitted by the deadline as indicated.
  • Applications will be reviewed and priority will be given to seniors with high academic standing wishing to apply to a health professions program. Juniors will be chosen if spots remain after the senior selections have been made.

DegreeWorks

What do I do if I see that my DegreeWorks shows a mistake or a course hasn’t moved correctly to its proper place?

Please email any corrections, as well as your name and Student ID Number, to Alex Tylka, Assistant Director of Advising, for review.

I took a medical terminology course at a different college. How do I get this course to show fulfillment of the medical terminology requirement in DegreeWorks?

The EXPH program will permit most medical terminology courses to substitute for the EXPH 240: Medical Terminology requirement. To initiate this process, contact Alex Tylka, Assistant Director of Advising and include your name, student ID Number, and the course you took that you wish to substitute for EXPH 240.

I’ve taken a course at a different school over the summer, completed the transient process, received a passing grade in the course, and received approval for the equivalency but it is not showing up in DegreeWorks. What do I need to do?

Please confirm that the WVU admissions office has received your official transcript from your transient school. If the transcript was received, make sure that the course has not inadvertently been moved to the “Fallthrough” listing in DegreeWorks. If that is the case, contact your advisor.

Other

Does the EXPH program offer scholarships to undergraduate students?

Exercise Physiology offers a very limited scholarship opportunity for students. At least two students will be chosen by a panel of EXPH faculty to receive a partial scholarship in their junior year. Students chosen for this award will be high-achieving, exemplary students. In addition, students are encouraged to contact the WVU Hub to learn about other opportunities.

Who do I need to contact if I have questions about or problems with my immunization/health history requirements?

All immunization/health history requirements can be directed to Allyson Pierce, Clinical Education Manager, via email.

I need to withdraw from a course. Will this look bad on my professional program applications?

While this may vary with each professional program, the rule of thumb is to limit your withdrawals as much as possible.

What do I do if I need to transfer out of Exercise Physiology?

We would be very sad to lose you as our student, but understand that there are situations where students need to change their major.

  • Contact your advisor and let them know you want to change your major.
  • Contact the program you wish to enter to make sure you are qualified.
  • Contact the Professional and Undergraduate Programs advising team to begin the necessary paperwork.

When do I need to begin the graduation application process and what will I need to do?

As you enter your final semester of degree requirements for EXPH, you will need to start the graduation process.

  • In the early part of your final semester, you will begin to receive MIX emails about applying for graduation.
  • There will be a deadline posted by the University. There are no exceptions to this deadline.
  • To apply online for the WVU application, you can simply go through your MIX account or you can use the "Apply to Graduate" link in DegreeWorks.
  • You will also receive an email from EXPH with a link to fill out the department graduation application.