EXSC Internships
All exercise science majors have to have one of the following classes to graduate:
- EXSC 49003 — Internship in Exercise Science
Provides opportunities for students in Exercise Science to gain experience in clinics, hospitals, fitness centers, athletic training facilities or related settings. Pre- or corequisite: EXSC 35303. Prerequisite: EXSC 33503. See Item 1 below for details. - EXSC 4050V (3 hrs) — Independent Study
Provides students an opportunity to pursue special study of research problems. Typically involves 150 hours of research experience. See your advisor for details. - EXSC 498HV — Kinesiology Honors Thesis/Project
For Honors Students — See your advisor after reviewing the college Honors Program's Program of Study.
10 Details about Internships
1. Students sign up for the 49003 internship class in the same semester as, or anytime
after taking, EXSC 35303 — Lab Techniques, as it's a prerequisite or corequisite.
You need to have already completed EXSC 33503 (Mechanics) by the time you take internship,
making 33503 a prerequisite. The 49003 class is offered every semester (fall, spring,
10-week summer).
We suggest students taking internship in the summer after their Junior year, fall their senior year, or spring their senior year. Summer is always easier to get into. Summer session is 10 weeks long, from the end of May to the beginning of August.
If you do not get into it for your "final" semester (i.e., you need it to graduate), you can still walk in graduation with up to 6 hours left to complete. You will receive your diploma after completing all requirements. For example, some students who don't get into Spring Internship still walk in May and take Internship over the summer.
2. A few weeks before class starts, students will get an email with a survey in which they indicate their professional goals (and preference for site if they have one).
3. Here are the sites with which we have established relationships. We prefer to send all students to these sites because we know they provide a high academic experience.
- Advanced Orthopedic Specialists
- Advanced Physical Therapy
- Apex Spine Joint & Wellness
- Burn Boot Camp
- Butterfield Trail Village
- CrossFit Commence
- CrossFit Fayetteville
- D1 Training
- Exercise is Medicine
- Exercise Science Research Center
- Fitness for Fun
- Jones Center
- KBI Medical, LLC
- Kendrick Fincher Hydration for Life
- Life Styles Inc.
- MANA Clinics
- Maximum Performance Spine and Rehab
- Millennium Chiropractic
- 9Round Fitness
- Ozark Orthopaedics
- PWRx Performance
- Rise Physical Therapy
- Rogers Adult Wellness Center
- SERC Physical Therapy
- Star Physical Therapy
- Trinity Rehab Inc.
- 201: Train. Recover. Move
- Walton Family Whole Health & Fitness
- Washington Regional Medical Center - Mobility Program
- The Wellness Center
- Wellness Professionals
- Yumang Rehab Services
4. If the student really wants to have an internship site that is outside of the list, they must show that it is a unique experience (not just another site in the same area of what we offer). Keep in mind that the site must also be in a clinic, hospital, fitness center, athletic training facility or related setting.
Establishing Your Own Internship Site
- Sites will only be reviewed once the student is enrolled in the Internship Class.
- The site must be approved at least 4 weeks before the start of the semester.
- The site must be in Northwest Arkansas, but rare exceptions may be allowed; see the Intern Supervisor.
- Complete the online form "Guidelines for Establishing an Internship Site" (PDF). After you and the internship site host read it, fill out the last page and email it to alsulliv@uark.edu. (You may wish to save the completed form for your files.)
5. Based off the survey, we do our best to match students up to their desired sites. However there is no guarantee.
6. Students should not depend on internship class for observation hours as required by physical therapy, occupational therapy etc. programs.
7. Students are assigned a week or two before the semester starts. We do not allow "switching" because it creates a nightmare for filling the needed sites. Even if students don't get their "first" choice, they still have a great experience.
8. One of the major requirements of the class is to complete 112.5 hours of experience. This is spread out through the semester based off a schedule established with you and your internship site. You cannot “front load” your hours and be done before the end of the semester. Interns must log hours 14 out of 16 weeks per semester, and 9 out of 10 weeks in the summer to complete the internship.
9. Students are REQUIRED to attend the following 2 group meetings (NO EXCEPTIONS):
- First Tuesday of the semester 8:15-9:15 a.m. (via Zoom)
- Last Thursday of the semester 8:15-9:15 a.m. (via Zoom)
- An afternoon time will be available for those who have class during this morning time.
All other meeting times are at your internship site (see above).
10. Students may request permission to receive payment (such as stipends, room/board/travel etc.) for formal paid internships — e.g. those offered through Apple, Nike, Mayo Clinic etc. — which would require payment for acceptance into the internship program. Interns will not be allowed to simply count their job as internship. If the student wants to do their internship at their current place of employment, it will require the intern and supervisor to clearly delineate their academic expectations of internship from their regular job responsibilities. This does not mean that none of their job tasks can be counted, but there must be objectives that are different from the regular job duties. The intern will not be paid for the hours counted towards internship.