Personal Training Certificate

School: Health Sciences and Wellness
Academic Dept: Health, Physical Education and Human Performance
HEGIS: 5299.00

Important Note about Program Requirements

The requirements listed below are for students entering into this program from Fall 2025 to Summer 2026. Students who entered the program during a prior semester will find their specific requirements listed in the Catalog under which they entered. Archived Catalogs are accessible through the dropdown menu above.

Program Description

The Personal Training Certificate program at SUNY Westchester Community College equips students with the skills and knowledge to become certified personal trainers and fitness instructors. Through a blend of coursework, hands-on training, and an internship experience, students gain expertise in fitness assessment, exercise programming, and client nutrition. Graduates are prepared to take the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) certification exam, paving the way for careers in diverse fitness settings such as gyms, wellness centers, schools, and corporate wellness programs.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able to:

Demonstrate competency in conducting a professional client interview to assess contraindications to training, goals, current fitness level, commitment to exercise, and trainer-client compatibility.
Analyze/identify nutritional needs and energy balance requirements.
Conduct physical assessment to include: body composition analysis, nutritional analysis, biomechanical analysis and baseline aerobic & anaerobic testing.
Create and implement safe, goal-specific, effective exercise programs for multiple populations (special, masters, youth, gender-specific).

Program Note

Students will be prepared/qualified to sit for the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) credentialing exam, which is conducted at the conclusion of the program, the fee for this exam is $199.00 and is the student’s responsibility.

Program Requirements

Required Courses - 32 credits

Physical Education Elective (1 credit): Select ONE of the following

Program Map

The program map is a recommended semester-by-semester schedule of courses based on degree requirements and serve as a general guideline to help students complete their program in two years. Although designed for full-time enrollment, these are easily adaptable for part-time study. For additional, individualized guidance, students should review Degree Works and consult an Academic Counselor or Faculty Advisor to ensure they are on track to complete their program.

Semester 1

Course	Credits
BIOL 121 - Anatomy and Physiology 1 - Lecture & Lab	4
PE 110 - Health and Fitness for Life	2
PE 116 - First Aid/CPR/AED	1
HHP 120 - Trends in Fitness & Human Performance	1
Physical Education Elective	1
NUTR 101 - Foundations of Nutrition	3
ENG 101 - Writing and Research	3
Semester Total Credits	15

Semester 2

Course	Credits
HHP 101 - Personal Training	3
HHP 102 - Personal Training Internship	1
HHP 200 - Exercise Physiology & Lab OR MGT 101 - Business Organization and Management and one PE course (1 credit)	4
COMM 109 - Speech Communication	3
MATH 117 - College Quantitative Reasoning	3
PSYCH 101 - Introduction to Psychology	3
Semester Total Credits	17

Minimum Total Credits: 32

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