Strength & Conditioning
Bachelor's
PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
Dive into the science of movement. Train clients of all athletic abilities. Become a leader in fitness and wellness.
Study Strength & Conditioning at Winona State
If you love working out, playing sports, or helping people stay active and healthy, Strength & Conditioning could be your dream major.
This exciting field is about more than fitness. It’s also about helping others reach their goals. Your work can help reduce injuries, boost confidence, and improve people’s performance and quality of life.
Whether you’re coaching an athletic team or guiding someone through recovery and training, you’ll be helping others maximize their goals.
In this program, you’ll learn how the human body works. You’ll study muscle function, nutrition, and injury prevention. You’ll also practice building safe and effective workout plans for people of all ages. You’ll even complete more than 700 hours working with real athletes in the field, in labs, and using performance enhancing equipment.
With this bachelor’s degree, you can turn your passion for fitness into real-world skills that make a difference in people’s lives.
This program is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Strength & Conditioning Education (CASCE), a recognized authority in quality strength and conditioning education. This program is also offered through the Health, Exercise & Rehabilitative Sciences (HERS) Department.
available annually just for Strength & Conditioning and Health, Exercise & Rehabilitative Science (HERS) students through the Foundation in addition to general Winona State scholarships.
for students who completed the Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam.
What You’ll Learn as a Strength & Conditioning Major
As a Strength & Conditioning major, you’ll learn the fundamentals of human anatomy and physiology. Then you’ll learn how to apply that knowledge to exercise, performance, and health.
You’ll also:
- understand how muscles and joints work together during various movements.
- know how to structure drills and workouts that maximize clients’ speed, strength, power, and agility.
- create strength training plans tailored for different athletic goals.
- understand nutritional meal plans based on optimal fueling strategies.
Program Options
While making your way through the Strength & Conditioning major, you’ll select which option you prefer: Strength & Conditioning or Performance Analytics focus.
Tailor your education based on what best suits your personal interests and career goals.
No matter which option you choose, you’ll learn the same core curriculum.
Aside from major- or minor-specific requirements, you’ll need to complete additional requirements through the General Education Program (GEP) to earn your degree from Winona State University.
Learn More about the GEP
Program Highlights
On Campus
As a Strength & Conditioning major, you’ll take most of your classes in Maxwell Hall.
This building features classrooms as well as a kinesiology lab and a physiology lab. There’s also a biochemistry and body composition room.
These spaces have exercise equipment, dynamometers, electromyography, force plates, pressure sensors, and 3D motion analysis technology.
And in the Integrated Wellness Complex (IWC), our Fitness Center spans 3 floors and offers a wide range of equipment and machines for further hands-on practice.
Be one step closer to becoming a Strength & Conditioning professional by getting the real-world preparation you need along with your degree.
This major’s curriculum is accredited and prepares you to sit for the Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) exam through the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Starting 2027, only students graduating from an accredited program such as Winona State’s will be able to obtain CSCS credentials.
Want to meet like-minded students and explore strength and conditioning? Get involved in campus organizations that share your passion.
Like Facilitators of Recovery & Movement Enhancement (FRAME), or LeadHERS to connect with Winona State HERS alumni.
You might also want to check out Alpine Club, Climbing Club, and other year-round sports clubs and intramural sports teams.
With over 100 clubs and organizations, there’s something for everyone.
Beyond the Classroom
On-the-job training is important, which is why you’ll complete approximately 700 practical hours as a Strength & Conditioning major.
This includes a 600-hour internship and a 100-hour practicum in a professional setting before graduation.
Our students have worked with the Minnesota Twins and Olmstead Medical Center. They’ve also partnered with fitness facilities like Skahan Sports Conditioning, Three Rivers Performance, and Velocity Hockey Center.
You could find yourself working with higher education institutions like the University of Minnesota, Rice University, St. Thomas University, and University of Wisconsin.
These intensive field experiences will give you hands-on practice shadowing and assisting professional strength and conditioning coaches.
Apply what you learn in the classroom by traveling the globe. At WSU, you can earn credit that applies to your degree while exploring the world.
Learn about the early study of anatomy in Italy. Dive into food systems in Hawaii. Or learn about health, exercise, and medicine in England and Ireland.
You can also check out our more than 100 other study abroad programs across 40+ countries.
Hear from Strength & Conditioning Alumni
Careers & Outcomes
A Strength & Conditioning major will prepare you to make an impact on and off the field.
for Fitness Trainers and Instructors
for Exercise Physiologists
for Health Education Specialists
Learn more about what careers are possible with this major and where our alumni have gone after graduation:
Bachelor's, Master's
Bachelor's, Transfer Pathway
Bachelor's