College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Careers
We encourage you to work with the Career Center as you explore, prepare, experience and achieve your career goals at Iowa.
Careers in Athletic Training
Athletic Training graduates will have opportunities such as working in public and private secondary schools, colleges, and universities; professional and Olympic sports; youth leagues and municipal or independently owned youth sports facilities; physician practices, as physician assistants, physical therapists, and other professional clinical positions; rural and urban hospitals, hospital emergency rooms, and urgent and ambulatory care centers; clinics with specialties in sports medicine, cardiac rehab, medical fitness, wellness, and physical therapy; occupational health departments in commercial settings, which include manufacturing and distribution sites, as well as offices, to assist with ergonomics; police and fire departments and academies, municipal departments, and branches of the military; and performing arts settings, including professional and collegiate level dance and music.
Careers in Child Life
Upon certification by the Child Life Council, a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) can find a job in a pediatric hospital, community hospital, rehabilitation center, community organization that works with children and families, camp program, and other institutions that serve children and families.
Careers in Health & Human Physiology
Careers in Health Promotion
Health Promotion graduates have a strong foundation for numerous career directions. Graduates leave Iowa prepared for health promotion positions in hospital-based and corporate-based wellness programs, non-profit health agencies, commercial fitness enterprises, municipal recreation programs, and federal and state health promotion agencies. Employment opportunities in these sectors have been good to excellent and are projected to increase. The rigor of the curriculum also prepares students for graduate study in other academic disciplines including public health and provides excellent preparation for professional study in the health professions such as accelerated nursing and occupational therapy.
Careers in Health Studies
Health Studies graduates are prepared to work with individuals, groups, and families in service-oriented positions across a wide variety of public and private health-related settings, and particularly those related to wellness and health education. A degree in Health Studies, with appropriate selection of electives, also can be used as a ‘pre-med’ course of study to prepare for advanced health professional programs such as medicine, physical therapy, dentistry, physician assistant, and similar fields.
Careers in Exercise Science
Exercise Science graduates, especially those that have taken advantage of practicum and internship opportunities, are prepared to work in fitness/performance professions such as personal training, group fitness, strength and conditioning, and sport coaching. A degree in Exercise Science also offers excellent preparation for health profession programs such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation (and other clinical exercise fields), chiropractic, and medical school.
Careers in Human Physiology
Human Physiology students often continue their studies in health professional programs to become physicians/surgeons, physical therapists, physician assistants, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, or similar professionals. Others pursue graduate degrees (MS and/or PhD) in the biomedical or physiological sciences to prepare for careers in research and/or college teaching. Students who choose not to pursue advanced degrees are well qualified for employment in research or clinical laboratories.
Careers in Sport and Recreation Management
SRM students can pursue careers in professional sport front offices, college athletics departments, league offices, sport marketing agencies, campus recreation, municipal recreation, and many other areas. The SRM degree is a strong foundation for students who may pursue a master’s degree in sport or recreation management, an MBA, or other advanced degrees.
Careers in Therapeutic Recreation
Recreational therapists work in both clinical and community-based settings with a wide variety of populations. The most frequent groups that therapeutic recreation professionals work with are: persons with mental illness, spinal cord and brain injuries, frail older adults, substance abuse and youth at risk, and persons with developmental disabilities.
Clinical settings tend to focus on rehabilitation, where the therapist works with a team of allied health professionals, or long-term care, where the therapist provides services that enhance quality of life of residents in nursing homes, assisted living centers, or respite care agencies.
Community-based settings tend toward enhancing quality of life, health promotion, and integration and inclusion of persons with disabilities in regular recreation programs. Community-based therapeutic recreation is the fastest growing area of practice and the most varied. Community-based recreational therapists may be affiliated with community recreation departments, school systems, semi-independent living situations, special park districts, and community mental health agencies.