The new exercise science program was launched this past year in the Fall of 2025.
This new program has been under discussion for the past two years and was finally approved last fall. Back in May of 2024, Ferris hired Marla Jones, chair of Health Administration and Health Information in the College of Health Professions, as the program coordinator. Since her employment, Jones has been working towards building the science exercise program curriculum and getting it approved.
in fall of 2026. Photo courtesy of Ferris State University
“I’ve been working for nearly two years on putting the curriculum together. It was a pretty involved process in terms of following all the procedures,” Jones said. “When a new program is started, it needs to be approved both within your own department, college, and the university itself, and finally by the state. The whole process took about ten months to get approved.”
Since the approval, major classes for the program and other courses were able to be taught in the fall of 2025. Including a total of 19 new courses specifically related to the program, with a prerequisite in biology, specifically anatomy and physiology.
The program is built to be a four-year program, with one internship requirement in order to get students prepared to work or attend grad school to pursue a specialization.
“We currently have 42 declared majors, which isn’t bad considering were only in the second semester of this program. We also have a lot of interest from freshmen who have been admitted and will hopefully be new to Ferris next fall,” Jones said.
Third year in the exercise program, Elaina O’Riley was originally in the pre physical thearphy program here at Ferris, but decided to switch over to exercise science.
“Exercise science was what I originally wanted to go into after high school, but Ferris didn’t offer it. I really loved Ferris as a school, and so when this new program appeared, I knew I wanted to switch over,” O’Riley said. “I knew it would open up a bunch of new options for me; instead of just going into physical therapy, I can go into occupational therapy and personal training.”
One of the main outcomes of this program is to build student confidence in the material by providing lectures as well as hands-on learning opportunities. With real client experience, with the help of the ROTC program at Ferris, students are able to help them with their pre-screening and fitness assessments.
“Switching programs was a huge shift,” O’Riley said. “I knew that I loved what I was learning, and I would get to continue to learn about things that are going to be useful for me both in class and in my career. I know I’m learning what I love, which is nice.”
Sophomore in the exercise science program, Gabby Piazza, had a similar experience with the introduction of this new program at Ferris.
“I was on the pre-physical therapy track, and I was talking with my coach about my options,” Piazza said. “She told me that there was actually an exercise science program that was starting up. My coach got me in contact with Marla [Jones] right away. I was one of the first interested in the program. After talking with [Jones], I knew this was something I wanted to do as a major if it got passed, and it did.”
One of the frustrations Piazza had faced before the new program addition was the number of classes she was taking that never felt like they applied to her or her career.
Piazza knew that she had a passion for learning about the human body, but more often than not found herself in classes that didn’t have anything to do with one another. Switching to the new exercise science program felt like the right choice.
“Marla does a really good job at making sure we all have success in this program, in exercise science, all of my courses are connected and build off of each other,” Piazza said.
Dean and Professor of Public Health, Lincoln Gibbs, worked in collaboration with Marla to get the program approved and started at Ferris.
“We’re proud to bring the Exercise Science program to the College of Health Professions at Ferris State. There’s a growing need for professionals who can help people stay healthy, prevent chronic disease, and improve overall fitness and performance, and this program will help prepare our students to meet that demand,” Gibbs said. “Our goal is for Ferris graduates to be ready for careers in areas such as strength and conditioning, cardiac rehabilitation, and corporate wellness, or to continue their education in fields like physical therapy, athletic training, and other health professions.”
Those looking for more information on the program can learn more at ferris.edu.